UW Credit Union’s Commitment to Hispanic/Latinx and Immigrant Communities Earns National Recognition

Madison, WI – Sept. 7, 2023 – UW Credit Union kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month early this year, becoming the first Madison-based credit union and one of only three credit unions with locations in Milwaukee to obtain the distinguished Juntos Avanzamos designation. It is currently the largest Juntos Avanzamos-designated credit union in the state.

Juntos Avanzamos (“Together We Advance”) recognizes credit unions committed to empowering Hispanic/Latinx and immigrant consumers. Today, UW Credit Union hosted a proclamation ceremony in conjunction with Inclusiv. CEO Paul Kundert was presented with the official Juntos Avanzamos flag, which will be raised alongside the Hispanic Heritage Month flag next week. Hispanic Heritage Month runs Sept. 15 - Oct. 15.

In addition to sharing more about UW Credit Union’s ongoing efforts to remove financial barriers for Spanish-speaking members, Kundert heralded employees and community partners for their allyship.

“This designation is a culmination of many years of focused work creating inclusive products and services delivered by a welcoming team,” said Kundert. “We believe in putting people before profit, and our success is built on that idea. Every day, I’m impressed by the caring community of employees here who make it their mission to serve all the people of our community. From hand-raisers like our Raices Latinx Employee Resource Group to our bilingual financial specialists and mortgage loan officers, everyone is committed to ensuring members find the financial solutions to help them succeed.”

Eligibility for the Juntos Avanzamos designation includes an extensive application process that demonstrates how credit unions are serving the needs of the Hispanic/Latinx market. Beyond a robust roster of bilingual staff, UW Credit Union stood out for its financial education efforts and lack of red tape. All consumer products offered by the credit union, including loans, credit cards and mortgages, are available to members with individual taxpayer identification numbers. Additionally, all rates, terms and technical processes are the same, whether members have an ITIN or a Social Security number. To foster financial independence and literacy, the credit union partners with Centro Hispano through the organization’s Caminos Finance Program. Ongoing partnerships with GreenPath and Banzai provide additional bilingual resources.

Inclusiv Executive Vice President Pablo DeFilippi highlighted the important cultural lens the credit union’s Spanish-speaking employees provide, while applauding the depth of services made available to immigrants.

“On behalf of Inclusiv and the Juntos Avanzamos network, we congratulate UW Credit Union for its commitment to financial inclusion and specifically for expanding access to affordable and responsible financial products and services to Latinos,” said DeFilippi. “Thank you for providing education, resources and asset-building opportunities to the Hispanic/Latinx community. UW Credit Union now joins a growing number of credit unions across the country that are helping make the American dream a reality for all.”

Consumer Lending Operations Assistant Manager Natalie Ponce, who was also the co-founder of UW Credit Union’s Latinx Employee Resource Group, put the member impact in perspective during the ceremony.

“While every Latinx member’s story is different, we recognize that their shared expectation from financial partners is low,” said Ponce. “Unfortunately, this long-standing distrust is only exacerbated when they are met with impatience instead of understanding, predatory lending instead of proactive financial education. In just a few years, I’ve seen members go from zero credit and no savings to impressive credit scores and home equity. All it took was someone to listen.”

Twenty-six of the 32 UW Credit Union branches have Hispanic, bilingual frontline staff. To demonstrate its appreciation of employees who are certified as proficient in Spanish (approximately 150 currently), UW Credit Union enhanced its bilingual pay premium in 2021. Eligible hourly employees earn an extra $1.25 per hour, and eligible salaried employees receive an additional $100 per pay period. Performance appraisals are tailored to recognize the difference Spanish service has for the credit union’s growing membership.

In August, the credit union introduced a more inclusive scheduling tool that enables Spanish-speaking members to easily request face-to-face appointments with bilingual staff. UW Credit Union also continues to recruit Spanish-speaking employees to help eliminate language barriers and inform more tailored financial literacy efforts. Bilingual positions for financial specialists and tellers are currently available in both Madison and Milwaukee.

To learn more about recruitment opportunities, click here. To learn more about the Juntos Avanzamos designation, click here.