1

2

www.alliantcreditunion.org a newsletter for Alliant Credit Union members February 2013

members circle

New and improved: Alliant Mobile Check Deposit

Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. iPhone and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.

For details and to download the app for a supported mobile device, scan the QR code above or visit our Mobile Deposit page at www.alliantcreditunion.org.

Making check deposits to Alliant accounts via your mobile device and keeping track of these transactions is now easier and faster with the upgraded Alliant Mobile Check Deposit app, designed for the iPhone® and iPad® iOs5.0 and the Android™ 2.1 operating systems. The new Alliant Mobile Check Deposit app

Does anyone really know what time it is?Are you looking forward to setting your clocks an hour ahead when daylight saving time strikes at 2am on March 10? Will you benefit from the extra hour of sunlight? Most Americans will, but many people around

the world won’t share the thrill. That’s because daylight saving time (DST) occurs at different times in different places – and in some places, it doesn’t occur at all.

DST, for example doesn’t start until March 31 in Bulgaria, France and the United Kingdom. Further south, DST will start in Cuba on April 7 – the same day that it will end in Australia. Some countries such, as Iceland and Russia, run on DST all year long. And parts of the United States, including Hawaii, most of Arizona and a small region of Alaska, experience no DST at all.

Inconsistencies in applying DST can cause havoc with travel, broadcasting schedules, meetings, timekeeping, billing and the operation of preset medical devices.

But, if you think DST causes confusion today, consider ancient Rome, when time was measured by water clocks. During the winter solstice, these clocks measured “an hour” as lasting 44 minutes and, during the summer solstice, 75 minutes. Or consider what it was like in the United States between 1945 and 1966, when there was no federal law concerning DST. All states – and localities – could choose whether to observe DST and also choose when it began and ended. One result: for a while, if you drove along a 35-mile stretch of highway between Steubenville, OH, and Moundsville, WV, you’d endure

seven time changes! This kind of time-warp makes the hit song by the band Chicago (“Does anyone really know what time it is?”) ring true.

DST was first proposed by Benjamin “Early to bed, early to rise” Franklin in 1784, as a joke. He suggested Parisians needed an extra hour to extend the life of their candles. In 1895, it was no joke when New Zealand zoologist George Vernon Hudson proposed DST so he could enjoy more hours after work collecting bugs. Later, the DST cause was taken up, in a big way, by England’s building magnate William Willet. Alas, Willet died in 1915, a year before DST was first put into effect – by Germany and its allies, during WWI, to curb the sufferings caused by their coal shortages and air raid blackouts.

Today, DST is generally favored by people in the retail, tourism and sports industries. Groups opposing DST include transportation companies, indoor entertainment businesses and farmers.

Does DST help people save money? Various studies demonstrate conflicting results. The U.S. Department of Transportation, in 1976, reported that DST reduces America’s electricity by 1% a month in March and April, but the National Bureau of Standards reviewed those findings and found no such savings. Other studies report that DST increases car gas consumption, but a 2008 Department of Energy study found no such increase. What’s more, there are various contradictory studies on how DST impacts traffic accidents, criminal activity and mental health.

As the old cliché says, “Time is money.” And, perhaps, DST is primarily on the money by providing us with the joys and luxury of longer summer evenings.

contents

Does anyone really know what time it is?

New and improved: Alliant Mobile Check Deposit

At Alliant, everyday is a Valentine’s Day

Source: webexhibits.org, timeanddate.com, wikipedia.org and npr.org

DIVIDEND

February Savings Dividend

DECLARED JANUARY 17, 2013

The February 2013 Savings and IRA dividend, declared 01/17/2013, provides a Compounded Annual Percentage Yield of

0.70% APY

Dividends are paid on the last day of the month to accountholders who have maintained an average daily balance of $100 or more. Savings dividend is subject to change monthly.

February Checking Dividend

DECLARED JANUARY 17, 2013

The February 2013 High Rate Checking dividend, declared 01/17/2013, provides a Compounded Annual Percentage Yield of

0.65% APY

Checking dividends are paid on the last day of each month to accountholders who meet the requirements of the account. Checking dividend is subject to change monthly.

Joe Ryan, Carrollton, TX Alliant has earned my respect. Earlier this year, after moving, I had to sell the dream home that I built and enjoyed living in – at a price substantially below my cost. Alliant’s Will Synan was awesome. He worked out a positive solution to help me coup the loss, by refinancing my two autos and providing me with a helpful unsecured loan.

Aurora, CO From the moment I called Jason Freese to the moment I finished working with him, he was on task and on target with explaining the whole process of refinancing our two car loans with Alliant Credit Union. I’m extremely critical when it comes to receiving great customer service. I used to coach and train 40 customer service representatives, for a mutual fund company, on how to provide exceptional service. This is why I have such high expectations. Jason listened to my needs, worked diligently in coming up with a solution, all the while providing me with an occasional laugh.I’ve banked with a big bank for 19 years, and I finally decided to have my paycheck deposited at Alliant. I also decided to get a credit card there, too. Because of Jason, Alliant has earned my business.

office closings Alliant will be closed in observance of the following holidays:

Memorial Day – Monday, May 27, 2013Independence Day – Thursday, July 4, 2013

Convenient 24/7/365 account access

www.alliantcreditunion.org ™

iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®

ATMs nationwide

Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.

dial direct: Alliant is there when you need us

PO Box 66945, 11545 W. Touhy Avenue

Chicago, IL 60666-0945

www.alliantcreditunion.org

For Alliant Branch locations, Alliant Online Banking, and product and service information, visit our website: www.alliantcreditunion.orgThis newsletter is for members’ personal use only. Reproducing and/or selling the contents of this newsletter without prior written permission from Alliant Credit Union is prohibited. Copyright Alliant. Articles are prepared as an educational service for Alliant members. They should not be relied on as a substitute for individual financial or legal research. Articles in this newsletter are not intended to be used (and may not be relied on) for penalty avoidance.

Alliant Retirement and Investment Services Financial consultants are available to serve members in all states.

NEW! Deposits/Payments

NEW! Credit Card Payments

All Other Correspondence and IRA and HSA deposits

Mortgage Hotline

Press option 5, then option 1

Auto/Home Insurance

GreenPath® Debt Solutions

Alliant Headquarters 11545 W. Touhy Avenue

Member Contact Center

24/7 personal assistance TDD/TTY

Self Service Telephone (SST)

24/7 automated account access

VISA® Debit Card

VISA® Credit Cards 24/7 Member Service/

VISA® Gift Card

Federally insured by NCUA.

2 Happy Valentine’s Day – in March

60%

80% of 60%

Will Synan, Manager, Member Lending Center, Alliant Headquarters, Chicago, IL

Jason Freese, Lending Consultant, Alliant Headquarters, Chicago, IL

Member Benefits Specialist, Willis Tower Branch, Chicago, IL

Sanita Vilgerte, Assistant Branch Manager, San Mateo and San Francisco International Airport, CA, Branches

At Alliant, everyday is a Valentine’s Day– a chance to provide members like you with friendly, efficient, personalized service. Here are some additional member testimonials from the series we published in our January 2013 newsletter.

Watsonville, CA We recently bought a new RV and the dealer located financing for us from Alliant. It was all done on the Internet and it was painless for us. We even signed our loan forms online. And everyone we spoke to on the phone from Alliant was very helpful. Since then, we have opened a credit card with you and are very happy with your rates.

Maurine Johnson, Sunnyvale, CA I just want to say a few words about a gem of an Alliant employee. Her name is Sanita Vilgerte. She is pleasant, friendly and helpful. And she knows all the ways to help people who come in the branch looking for advice.

River Forest, IL I was having a nightmare with an Alliant auto loan and was on the verge of quitting the credit union all together. Then, Nellys Martinez-Miranda stepped up and said, “Don’t leave Alliant. I’ll help you.” And she sure did. Thanks to Nellys, Alliant restructured my loan, credited my payments as up to date, refunded my undeserved fee and made sure my credit score remained great. Nellys is truly an asset. Because of her care and diligence, I’ve become a satisfied member again. And I even helped steer my two sons and daughter to Alliant to get auto loans for their first cars.