A Convenient Financial Partner

HOPE’s newest branch is not only a convenient stop along Cynthia’s daily route to work; she says it is also the place where financial partners consider more than her credit score when she’s applying for a loan. A bank once rejected her application because of a temporary mark on her credit history. “I really like the fact that the credit union takes into account your ability to pay,” she says, referring to lending practices that factor on-time payment of household bills, along with credit scores, when necessary. Jackson has a checking account, consumer loan and a credit card with HOPE. The longtime school safety coordinator says she stops by HOPE’s new McGehee Road branch because “when I walk into the credit union they greet me by name. A lot of banks don’t do that. The special attention makes me feel important.”