Signs with CU Realty Services for total real estate package
Scottsdale, Ariz. and Burbank, Calif. (Jan. 23, 2013) – The housing market is predicted to continue growing at a healthy pace in 2013, according to a January Clear Capital data report. Further, the National Association of Realtors Housing® Affordability Index reached a record high in November of 198.2 and is expected to go higher, indicating stronger household purchasing power. Strong encouragement for credit unions wanting to grow their mortgage business.
And Partners Federal Credit Union is ready. The $1.1 billion, Burbank, Calif.-based Credit Union and CU Realty Services announce they are partnering to provide the tools members need to buy or sell their homes. From Partners FCU’s website, members will be able to use CU Realty’s turnkey real estate program to research neighborhoods, estimate payments and find qualified real estate agents. What’s more, members could save up to thousands of dollars at closing.
“Building relationships with Realtors® certainly strengthens our purchase mortgage business,” said Michael Terzian, the Credit Union’s Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “But, maintaining a network of qualified agents in multiple cities in two states would be very difficult for us to achieve. CU Realty is making it easy because they provide a network of knowledgeable real estate professionals.”
CU Realty Services’ program positions credit unions as their members’ First Point of Contact® in the real estate transaction. That’s important because NAR’s 2012 Buyers and Sellers report shows that 89 percent of people looking to buy or sell a home use a Realtor. Pointing members toward a CU Realty agent means more mortgage business for credit unions. Credit union members also benefit because agents offer discounts or commission savings at closing.
“We created CU Realty Services as an advantage to both credit unions and their members,” said Mike Corn, President/CEO. “Over the past decade, we’ve recruited and trained more than 400 Realtors in 20 states and numerous metro areas. And credit union members have saved millions in closing costs – over $2.2 million in 2012 alone.”
To prepare for the launch of its new program, Terzian said Partners FCU staff attended one of three virtual CU Realty Services training sessions. The Credit Union focused on training member-facing and phone center employees, as well as mortgage specialists. He said the phone center logs as many as 1500 calls per day, which creates many opportunities to mention the realty program.
“We believe in great member service,” said Terzian. “We don’t want to practice on our members, so we appreciate the training from CU Realty to get our staff ready before rolling out the program.”
Because Partners CU’s field of membership is limited to employees of The Walt Disney Company and their families, the Credit Union will publicize its real estate program to members on the website, through emails and with lobby signage. It will use internal Disney employee communications channels to promote to potential members.
For more information about the CU Realty Services program, visit www.curealty.com.
About CU Realty Services, LLC
CU Realty Services provides real estate services to credit unions across the nation, helping them increase their purchase mortgage business. Launched in 2001, the company has worked with more than 100 credit unions and thousands of their members. CU Realty’s range of web-based tools helps homebuyers find homes, research neighborhoods, calculate costs and connect to experienced real estate agents. For more information, call Tina Powers, (800) 203-9014, ext. 104, or visit www.curealty.com.
About Partners Federal Credit Union
Partners Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Burbank, California, was founded in 1968 to serve employees of The Walt Disney Company and their families. Partners FCU is committed to offering the highest levels of service, value, access and convenience to its 100,000 members in California as well as Florida. For more information, please visit www.partnersfcu.org.