Unitus President and CEO Steve Stapp

Unitus Community Credit Union has allowed members to defer or skip more than $100 million in payments, while providing more than $13 million in emergency assistance loans over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unitus, which serves more than 100,000 members in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington, recently published a document detailing its relief efforts for members and employees—which also includes more than $9 million in waivers of pay-by-phone payment fees and early withdrawals on certificates of deposit.

Unitus also implemented policies designed to ensure its employees can continue to serve members safely by providing:

• Masks for all Unitus employees.
• Protective shields, security guards and putting social distancing protocols in effect at member-facing
  locations for added safety.
• Additional compensation and transit reimbursements for impacted employees.
• The use of remote work tools and resources for a majority of non-member-facing employees.
• An emphasis on morale boosting campaigns, such as a weekly CEO Social Hour call.

The credit union also donated more than $125,000 to local non-profits helping area communities respond to the pandemic.

Despite these challenging times, it is inspiring to see how credit unions are reaching out and assisting their members and communities. Many times, these are the lifelines they need," said Unitus President and CEO Steve Stapp.