Yes, KaiPerm has a blog. And I'll be the one making posts and answering questions. It's our new way of delivering financial news you can use...timely, useful answers to financial questions that are important to you. So ask away! Send us your hot topics or money concerns- anything that is important to you regarding your financial health plan. Oh, and don't forget to bookmark this page as I'm sure you'll want to come back.

Let's start this new blog by giving you a quick review of who KaiPerm is. It's never our intention to sell you stuff or charge elaborate fees. Rather, everything we do here is done with your best interest in mind. Our new tagline supports our mission to "Grow Your Financial Health Plan, Together".  Here are a few bits of proof that we're on target with that mission:

• Reduced fees. No more loan application fee - no more $15 charge whenever you apply for a consumer loan.
• Removed the $5 membership fee
• Reduced home loan fees. Now all it takes is $400 for first and $200 for second mortgages- that's it...no other fees or charges on real estate loans. And we are committed to closing your real estate loan in two weeks- who else would ever make that claim!
• Introduced a three month certificate to help you keep hold of more of your money.
• Revamped the KaiPerm Holiday Club account. This special savings account pays you nearly twice the dividend rate of our regular passbook account.

Have a topic you'd like to learn more about? If you have a financial related question, simply send it my way. I'll try to answer each question as quickly as I can.

Let's talk soon!

Ed

In light of recent headlines, I get a lot of questions about sub-prime mortgages. Let me start by stating that your board of directors and management do not believe in risking the member's money on sub-prime loans. That said, there are still some members who may have fallen into the trap of an ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) when the economy was good and are now having trouble making payments. Maybe they're trying to sell their home with no luck.

My advice is this: Try to refinance with us. If your credit is clean, there's a good chance we can help you reduce your payments and get you out of trouble. If that's not an option, then we may be able to introduce you to a reputable lender that helps families with tarnished credit. But whatever you choose, be sure to call or stop by the branch soon. We'll be ready with other home loan alternatives and counseling options that may help you get ahead financially.

One of our more frequently asked questions is: who at Kaiser Permanente can I talk to about the credit union? It just so happens we have a small army of enthusiastic KaiPerm representatives who also work at Kaiser Permanente. If you work for Kaiser, one of your peers has the paperwork and answers you need. To find the KaiPerm rep near you, visit the Credit Union Reps/Kaiser Reps page on our site.