Lion Credit Union

Banks: Profit Driven.
Credit Unions: Community Driven.

We care about the people who bank with us. Join us for a revolutionary experience in personal banking, tailored just for Columbia students!

The journey starts right here: https://premiumservices.usalliance.org/Columbia/Form/Index.html #/form/profile

Bank with a community institution that invests back into their own customers. Join Lion Credit Union - we're personal finance with a conscience.

Join the movement: https://premiumservices.usalliance.org/Columbia/Form/Index.html #/form/profile

Lion Credit Union has the Columbia community in mind. Simply put: we’re Columbia students helping Columbia students. Learn more about our investing practices and see why we’re a good choice for ethical personal finance.

www.lcu.usalliance.org

Access 100+ ATMs in Manhattan and 30,000+ ATMs nationwide with LION Credit Union. Get refunded for up to $15 of non-network ATM transactions per month! Banking has never been this easy.

Join us now: https://premiumservices.usalliance.org/Columbia/Form/Index.html #/form/profile

Too broke to travel this Spring break? Cancun is just 10 referrals away.

When you join Lion Credit Union under a referral of a current member, you get $50 when you make a check deposit through the USAlliance Mobile App. Refer more friends to join Lion Credit Union and get a $50 reward when they open an account and deposit a check through the mobile app as well!

Check it out: https://premiumservices.usalliance.org/Columbia/Form/Index.html #/form/profile

When you join Lion Credit Union under a referral of a current member, you get $50 when you make a check deposit through the USAlliance Mobile App

What's better? Refer more friends to join Lion Credit Union and get a $50 reward when they open an account and deposit a check through the mobile app as well!

Your dinner (and much more) is on us. There's no limit to the amount of referrals you can do!

Join Lion Credit Union today: https://premiumservices.usalliance.org/Columbia/Form/Index.html #/form/profile. Reach out if you have any questions!

Banks are owned by shareholders. LCU is owned by YOU.

Join the movement ---> http://bit.ly/2y0hYfN

Saving cents never made so much sense.

Join the movement now ---> http://bit.ly/2y0hYfN

Now accepting applications!

Lion Credit Union updated their information in their About section.

Did you know that credit unions charge less fees than banks? Make the switch to LCU today.

Learn more ---> http://lcu.usalliance.org/

Lion Credit Union updated their business hours.

Meet Dayalan Rajaratnam, LCUI's Chief Financial Officer! Dayalan is originally from Tenafly, New Jersey and a senior in Columbia College studying Financial Econ. He's actively involved in Columbia Faith & Action and Lion Fund, and enjoys the outdoors, racquet sports, football and getting active.

Asked about what makes LCUI special, Dayalan says, "The opportunities in LCUI are endless. As students, we've negotiated directly with the CEO and Board of Directors of several billion dollar companies and have corresponded directly with our legal representation at a global law firm. This group not only gives you the chance to build a multimillion dollar financial institution from the ground up, but also to do so to the benefit of the broader Columbia community."

Interested in getting involved? Applications for recruitment have now been extended to Sunday, September 25 at 11:59 PM, and can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/LCUI2016App/

Meet Aida Lu! Aida is a sophomore in SEAS majoring in Operations Research and minoring in Computer Science. Born and raised in Houston, on campus she serves as Engineering Student Council's Vice President of Finance and a John Jay RA, and enjoys bouldering, singing in the shower, and teaching herself the guitar.

When asked about why she joined LCUI, Aida says, "My first bank account was at a credit union when I was around 5 or 6 years old. It was amazing: I would get so excited for the monthly newsletters, annual pumpkin decorating competitions, and classes about saving money and taking out loans. I loved banking with a credit union, because it made me feel like a part of a larger community, and I hope to share this experience with everyone at Columbia."

Our final information session is tonight at 9pm, in Hamilton 503! Come hear more about the Initiative, have your questions answered, meet some of our members, and learn how you can join and help change the way Columbia banks.

Join Us: http://tinyurl.com/lioncredit/
Learn more: http://lioncredit.webflow.io/

Applications due Friday, September 23rd.

Lion Credit Union Initiative

Meet Alex Leunig, LCUI's VP of Finance! Originally from Munich, Alex is a senior in Columbia College studying Physics and Mathematics, where he's also involved in the German Cultural Society and astrophysics and neuroscience research. Alex's work experience has spanned a variety of roles all over the globe, and has included internships with McKinsey, CLP India, the European Space Agency and even a short stint as a paramedic in England. When asked about his favorite part about LCUI, Alex says, "LCUI gives me the opportunity to have a lasting impact on Columbia´s campus and future students."

In the past year alone, the Lion Credit Union Initiative has earned University Senate SAC support, landed pro bono legal representation with the fourth largest law firm in the world, recruited 15 new team members from all four undergraduate schools, and negotiated a partnership with USAlliance, an $850 million AUM credit union.

The support of the Columbia community has always been and continues to be what makes this initiative possible. We've had an amazing year and are so appreciative of your support as we work to make the Columbia credit union a reality!

-The LCUI Team

Marwan Kawadri, General Studies (part of the Dual Bachelor’s program with Sciences Po), 2017

"I think a credit union being formed, created, by students, is in itself to me – without sounding cheesy – a very powerful thing that a group of students can create a financial institution that can provide the same services that I get from a huge, multinational corporation. I think the positive repercussions in the future will be huge, because now I feel incentivized to do something as big, to take on something as big."

LCUI is looking forward to creating a financial institution that will serve students, faculty, staff, and alumni across all schools. Through better rates, tailored products, financial literacy programs and more, we are hoping to create a new banking experience for the entire Columbia community. We can't wait to be working with and for you very soon!

Breana Beaudreault, Barnard College, 2019

“I think the credit union will be a good way to start some credit. I was always told by my parents to start now so you have a good score before you leave college, so you can get loans and things like that. With a union that is more for the students, it seems that it’ll be kinder to the students than larger banks would be.”

One of the products we’re excited to bring to the Columbia community through a credit union is credit building accounts: small loans paid off in monthly instalments that, once paid off, releases the loan amount along with the interest accrued. As students, we often have difficulty building credit and consequently end up with very low credit scores that hinder our ability to make important financial decisions, like purchasing mortgages, or passing employment credit checks. Credit building accounts have been proven to catapult those without credit scores into the 700 range -- a score higher than those held by 67% of the population!

Yhan Colón Ibán, Columbia College, 2018

"The computer loan is a really cool product. I think that’s very interesting because it’s not offered at other banks and it’s very tailored to students at Columbia. Also I really like the initiative to focus on veterans. I didn’t know that 95% of all veterans that study at Ivy League Institutions study here, so that’s actually really cool that you guys are trying to help them out."

The computer loan that Yhan is talking about is a part of one of our proposed services. The "College Life Bundle" would bundle a college computer loan (up to $1500 with a lower APR around 5.99% offered on this compared to conventional loans) with a guaranteed buyback program, books for the first year, computer apps (students would specify which one would best suit their degree), and a downloaded version of LCUI’s financial literacy/management toolkit and program.

Featured in The Tab! More about us and our fearless leader!

Meet Alvaro Rossi, President of Columbia's Credit Union A credit card with a Lion logo on it, one more thing to add to your Columbia apparel

Updates and more!

LCUI eyes partnership with external credit union to become operational by fall 2016

SAC has voted in support! It's been great working with the SAC, very exciting things to come!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SAC votes to support the Lion Credit Union Initiative.

LCUI is a student-run organization that is working to create a credit union on campus for students, alumni, faculty, staff, and their families. SAC believes that the availability of a credit union to members of the Columbia community will help alleviate some financial barriers for students while providing financial education opportunities.

For more information on LCUI, visit their website at http://lioncredit.webflow.io/

LCUI wishes you GOOD LUCK for your finals! Here's our most up-to-date photos of our board members (to help you procrastinate).

PC. Zach Ho

“We like to say we are cutting edge, not bleeding edge; you don't want to bleed, but you want to be an early adopter."

Trailblazer Awards: Cooper: Innovate to Upgrade Technology, Not Costs Charlotte Metro Credit Union develops innovative solutions to remain on the leading edge of technology.

Bankjoy is setting out to change the modern day personal banking experience by making mobile banking for everyone.

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