Credit Unions Reach 7,000 Teens with Financial Literacy Program in 2005
Seattle, Washington..............................December 19, 2005

Through a collaborative effort of six local credit unions and an innovative program called Credit University, 7,000 teens learned about identity theft prevention, credit management, and the importance of saving and investing.

The Credit University program is an interactive one-hour presentation created by Alicia Haus, a former Washington State Department of Financial Institutions regulator. Offered free of charge, the program was sponsored by Watermark, Qualstar, Seattle Metropolitan, Sound, Verity, Washington State Employees credit unions, and was presented to schools, camps and conferences. The goal of the program is to get young people to make the best decisions for their financial future.

“Credit University is changing the habits and opinions of the students we’re reaching,” says Haus. Haus conducted pre and post testing in over 32 schools she visited to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. According to her research, there was an 11% increase in students with savings accounts after her presentation, and 68% of those with savings accounts increased their contribution amounts.

Credit University is scheduled to resume in January for the 2006 calendar year with plans to reach even more schools and students. America’s Credit Union will replace Washington State Employee’s Credit Union as a sponsorship partner.