‘Financial Help’ Archives
How Your Dollars Can Help Communities Thrive
By AMANDA THEISEN, Sunrise Banks The ecosystem of a community is made up of many components. You’ve got the people – your neighbors, business owners, visitors, and leaders – who advocate for your area. There are the places – homes, businesses, schools, parks, places of worship, to name a few. Add in other things, such as public transit, safe streets, and essential services, and you will have a community that has the potential to thrive and bring people together.But what happens when that community is not maintained? Essential services may stop. People stop visiting the area. Residents and businesses may choose to leave. Buildings may fall into disrepair. That sense of pride that once brought people together is lost.It takes work, creativity and innovation to help revitalize areas that don’t always have easy access to money or other resources. The best way to support communities is to put the power of impact into the community’s hands, allowing them to have a say in how [...]
What does it mean to be a socially responsible bank?
By AMANDA THEISEN, Sunrise Banks This content is sponsored by Sunrise Banks as part of a new Engagement Partnership with Alley Communications. Think about the relationship you have with your bank. What do you like about how they do business? How do they show up in your community? How are they helping your family members, friends or neighbors? Does your bank share your values or care about your goals?At Sunrise Banks, we think of ourselves as more than just a place to manage money. We strive to be a place where values and money meet. We want to be someplace where you can feel good about how your money is being put to work in your community. We strive to support those traditionally underserved or not served at all by traditional banks. Values-based bankingAt Sunrise Banks, our mission is to be a force for good through values-based banking. So, how do we do that?First, we focus on empowering financial wellness and inclusivity. This guides our teams in how they design our [...]
June is National Homeownership Month
By MARY ELLEN KALUZA Are you thinking about buying your first home? The first step in the process is learning what that process is. Homebuyer education has been around for some time but really came into focus after the housing bubble of 2003 - 2006 burst and we were plunged into the Great Recession in 2007. During the bubble, mortgage loans were handed out like candy with predatory loan terms. Borrowers did not understand the terms and the consequences of that lack of knowledge. Some 3.8 million homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure between 2007 and 2010. (Not all were first-time homebuyers, there was plenty of ill-advised refinancing of mortgages going on, as well.)First-time homebuyers are now strongly encouraged to take homebuyer education, required or not. (Most special loan programs or down payment assistance programs do require it.) I regularly hear from homebuyers how valuable the class is - they feel much more confident going forward on the homeownership path.And that [...]
