FROM THE CEO

November is a beautiful month in which to reflect on all that we are grateful for in our lives, both personally and professionally. I am blessed to lead an amazing Credit Union and its talented, generous knowledgeable and compassionate employees. Our Members and Communities are at the heart of our purpose: People Helping People. We believe each member has a unique story that is worth knowing and our goal is to know you and find the right way to support you in your financial journey.

We strive to learn how to better serve our members, communities and employees through engagement surveys. We have been participating in “The Best Places to Work” employee engagement survey for many years and have again earned the distinction as one of the Best Places to Work in Maine for 2023. We are proud to be an employer who attracts, retains and develops individuals whose values align with ours: honesty, integrity, professionalism, extraordinary service and security. Additionally, we are now asking our employees, through internal engagement surveys, how they are serving their coworkers to ensure that we are all prioritizing service for our internal members, our fellow employees. Finally, we are excited to be asking you, our valued members, how we are serving you and how we can do better. Earlier this month we launched our first member engagement survey and we are already receiving tremendous feedback, both positive and constructive, ensuring we continue to serve you better!

Our presence in the communities is a priority for us and we are hearing from you and our community partners how much you appreciate us “showing up” and “being part” of your lives. You may find us at a local non-profit volunteering, see our tree at the Anah Shriners Feztival of Trees, see our sponsorship for any number of theatre events, as well as Maine Teacher of the Year. I recently participated in the Trunk or Treat at that Anah Shriners and had a lot of fun with our Candy Land theme. I dressed up as a green skittle and the rest of the team was various kinds of candy. The smiles on those kids’ faces filled me with joy! To continue to help our communities, we are launching our first ever United Way campaign, and educating our employees on how we can continue to support the many non-profits in our beautiful state that support and care for all Mainers. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your lives.

Financial security of your Credit Union is important and I am here to say “Congratulations!” We have achieved a new milestone reaching $700 Million in assets, which is an incredible achievement for our employees, members and communities. As we continue to grow, the message is clear, Mainers need and want Maine Savings to be part of their financial journey and an important partner in their lives. We are here to serve your needs whether savings or lending. We are delighted to be offering exceptional rates on share certificates for 6 months and 15 months. We listened and heard you: better rates for shorter terms and we delivered! Additionally, we created new tiers for our RedWallet Saver and encourage you to explore these high rates with no terms required. While rates are high, we continue to be competitive for all types of loans: if you have a need, come and talk with us. We are here to help you with the next car loan, home equity loan, credit card, personal loan, or an energy efficient loan. We are here to help you through the purchase of a new home, second home, and are now offering First Time Homebuyer Classes. Finally, please remember we do serve businesses and have a dedicated commercial loan team who is eager to help you explore your dreams of owning a business or making your existing business more successful.

Each time I sit down to write these letters I ponder a few things: firstly, does anyone read them, and yes some of you do; secondly, would this information be more effective if sent out to our members via an email, that I do not know, but I suspect it may; thirdly, what do you, our valued members, want to read about from me? Feel free to provide feedback, through any method that is convenient to you: phone call, email, mailed letter, etc. I look forward to hearing from you. I wish you and your families the happiest of Thanksgivings and the loveliest holiday season.