Brian Oenga

Brian Oenga, Interim President

On behalf of the interim Board of Directors of the proposed Sunrise Minto Federal Credit Union (SMFCU), I wish to thank you for your interest in SMFCU. SMFCU promises to be an important institution in the lives of new Americans from the continent of Africa and beyond. We thus look forward to launching it in the near future.

We need our own credit union because credit unions offer their members many advantages compared to other financial institutions. Specifically, according to the Credit Union National Association, Credit Unions:

  1. Are owned by members who have an equal stake and vote (one vote per member regardless of how much money he/she has on deposit). Every credit union customer is both a member and an owner.
  2. Use their earnings to offer members lower loan rates (on credit cards, home equity loans, mortgages, auto loans, and personal loans), higher interests on deposits, and lower fees than other financial institutions.
  3. Save their members a lot of money which they can then use to meet their other obligations. As new Americans with (often) limited incomes, we can benefit from polling our resources through credit union that can afford us cheaper loans and financial services.
  4. Offer their members nationwide access to branches and ATM locations through their shared branching (you can use participating credit union branch to make loan payments, withdraw money, transfer funds, make deposits, cash checks … and more).
  5. Are more accountable to their members because they have volunteer boards that are elected by and from the credit union's membership.
  6. Exist to help people not to make a profit for shareholders.
  7. Assist members to become better- educated consumers of financial services.

As part of SMFCU’s application for a charter (license to operate) from the Federal Government’s National Credit Union Administration, we must show who potential SMFCU members are (on the basis of occupation, association, or community) and whether or not they are interested in using its services.  To help us meet this critical requirement, I request and encourage you to SIGN-UP using our online form as a potential SMFCU member by Sunday, July 1, 2018.  You have to be based in the United States to sign-up. 

Once SMFCU is chartered, member deposits will be insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) up to $250,000. Like the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund, the NCUSIF is a federal insurance fund backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

SMFCU’s Board of Directors and governance structures will be determined by its membership once it is chartered in accordance with NCUA regulations and SMFCU by-laws as will be approved by you as a member.