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4th Annual Taste Of The Town
Sponsored by Streator Onized Credit Union and U.S. Foodservice, Streator’s 4th Annual “Taste of the Town" will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, at the Knights of Columbus hall, 806 Oakley Ave., in Streator.

"Taste of the Town " features Streator restaurants providing sample-sized portions of their most popular dishes.

The following restaurants will provide food samples: Country Cupboard, Bulldogs, Dan's West Side Cafe, the K of C club, The Pines, McGrath's Frozen Foods, Teke's, Streator Drugs, Grant Street Grocery, Mojito's, Mr. J's Hot Dogs & Gyros, Chix Restaurant, Heavenly Hog, Bord-Eau/Streator CC, Cheapseats, and Jerry’s Tap in Ransom.

Tickets and corporate sponsorships are available. Included in each corporate sponsorship package will be 10 general admission tickets, advertising in the auction catalog, a mile marker at the annual Walk for Babies and signs in the room.

VIP dining, an upscale experience that entitles patrons to reserved seating in the K of C's Club Room, is available again this year. The menu will include carved steamship round of beef, prepared-to-order pasta station, seafood, elegant appetizers and a champagne fountain. Seating will be limited to 100 patrons, who also will have access to the general admission portion of the event.

Tasting and a silent auction will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and the charity auction will begin at 7:30. All proceeds benefit Streator’s March of Dimes' March for Babies efforts.

Jaimie London — radio personality from The Radio Group's WSTP (97.7-FM, the Q) and 1250 WSPL (1250-AM) in Streator — will serve as master of ceremonies, and Bradley’s Auction Service will be the auctioneer. Auction items will be sold to the highest bidder and raffles for other packages also will be offered.

Some live auction items include:  Chicago Bulls tickets, Chicago Cubs tickets, a Starved Rock State Park package, a lodging/dinner package from Par-A-Dice and other sporting tickets and memorabilia.

Tickets, which cost $20 or two for $30, are available at Streator Onized Credit Union, U.S. Foodservice or by calling the March of Dimes office at 815-223-3221.

Credit Card Accountability & Disclosure (CARD) Act Changes

• Credit card issuers will not be able to increase interest rates on existing credit card balances unless the borrower is at least 60 days late on the account. This will eliminate the retroactive rate increases and the universal default clause where credit card issuers would periodically review an account holder’s current credit standing to determine changes in terms and annual percentage rates.
• Credit card issuers will have to provide clear disclosure of account terms before a borrower opens an account. If the account provides a promotional interest rate period, the promotional interest rate will have to last a minimum of six months.
• Credit card issuers will not be able to raise interest rates on new credit card accounts during the first year the account is opened. This rule will not apply if the borrower falls 60 days late on a credit card payment.
• Credit card issuers will not be able to charge over-limit fees unless they obtain the account holder’s consent to accept and process over-limit transactions beforehand. If consent is obtained, the card issuer will not be able to charge more than one over-limit fee per billing cycle. Additionally, credit card issuers will not be able to charge an over-limit fee if interest charges or other fees are the sole reason for pushing the account holder over their limit.
• Credit card issuers will not be able to charge additional payment penalties for accepting payments by mail, phone, electronic transfer, or any other means, unless the payment is processed through an expedited service processor.
• Credit card issuers will face significant hurdles if they try to issue credit cards to consumers under age 21 without an “of-age” co-signer, unless they meet sufficient income requirements to independently repay the debt.
• If a due date falls on a weekend or holiday, the credit card issuer will not be able to penalize mailed payments that are received on the next business day. Payments received by 5 p.m. must be credited the same day.
• Double-cycle billing, a process where credit card issuers use the previous month’s balance to calculate interest charges for the current month, becomes illegal.
• Credit card issuers will be required to apply any payment above the minimum amount due to the highest interest balance first.
• Subprime or “fee harvester” credit cards will have fee limits. Fees on a credit card (other than late fees, over-limit fees, or insufficient funds charges) will not be able to exceed more than 25 percent of the credit limit when the account is opened.
• Credit card issuers will have to include a minimum payment disclosure that explains how long it will take to pay off the existing balance and the total cost in interest fees if the cardholder paid only the minimum amount due. Additionally, card issuers will have to provide minimum payment details and the total cost in interest to pay off the existing balance within 3 years, and supply a toll-free number where you can get information about credit counseling and debt management services.
• Card issuers will have to make account terms and cardholder agreements available to their cardholders on the Internet.

LPL Financial Services Available To Members

Steve Witek - CFP™
                                                                                                                            
With increasingly complex and unpredictable financial markets and longer life expectancies, working with an investment professional is more important than ever.

With such an overwhelming number of investment options, one of the most important decisions you can make is to seek the advice of a trusted, qualified advisor. For this important partnership, you need a highly trained and experienced professional who sees your total financial picture-someone who can help you define your life goals, establish the right financial plan, provide strategies focused on your needs, and help you stay on track.

While planning for the future is often a challenge, having an experienced advisor on your side can make the investing and financial planning process much easier.

Steve Witek is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Investment Advisor with LPL Financial.  Steve has over 20 years experience in the investment industry. He currently holds the series 3, 7, 63 and 65 licenses.  He is also licensed in Life, Health, Property, & Casualty Insurance through the State of Illinois.

He has been affiliated with LPL Financial since 1988 and has qualified for LPL’s Masters Conference at the Patriot’s and Chairman’s Club levels.

Steve provides comprehensive financial planning services to both business and individual clients.  Investments, insurance, taxation, retirement planning, and estate planning are some of the main areas of focus.  Asset allocation, utilizing a wide range of investment products including:  stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, REITs, and managed accounts.  Periodic reviews are an essential component of Steve’s practice.

Whether you're just starting out or preparing for retirement, you can expect:

• Your needs come first - Steve will engage with you in an ongoing conversation about your needs, goals, and objectives to create the financial plan that's right for you.
   
• Objective guidance and advice - With access to leading independent research, Steve can help you make informed, objective decisions.
   
• Investment choice and flexibility - LPL does not offer any proprietary products, so Steve can help you choose unbiased investment solutions from many of the nation's leading investment managers.
   
• Convenient account access - You can manage your account online anytime, day or night, from the convenience of your own home or office. In addition, easy-to-read account statements keep you informed of account activity and performance.

SAFE, STRONG & LOCAL

RATINGS EXPLAINATION

BauerFinancial has deemed SOCU a 5-Star Superior credit union based on certain criteria related to its operations.

BauerFinancial rates credit unions based upon a complex formula which factors in relevant data including, but not limited to: capital, historical trends, loan delinquencies, differences in the book and market values of the investment portfolio, profitability, repossessed assets, reserves, charge-offs, regulatory compliance and asset quality. (Although credit unions are not-for-profit institutions, losses can impact capital and safety.) Negative trends are projected forward to compensate for the lag time in the data. BauerFinancial employs conservative measures when assigning these ratings and consequently the ratios will often be lower than those supplied by other analysts or the institutions themselves. More than twenty years of experience has shown ours to be a prudent course of action.

As of December 31, 2009 BauerFinancial  awarded SOCU a five-star ‘Superior’ rating on its zero-to-five-star scale. This means the credit union is safe, financially sound and is operating well above its regulatory capital requirements which means SOCU has a capital to assets ratio of 9% or higher.

DEPOSIT INSURANCE
Your money is safe at SOCU. Checking, savings, money market, and certificate accounts at Streator Onized are federally insured to at least $250,000.00 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). IRA accounts are insured separately to $250,000 by the NCUA.

Independent Performance Reviews
We have multiple layers of independent performance review: we are examined by the Illinois Department of Financial Institutions since we are state-chartered, and we annually engage an outside CPA firm to assess accounting practices and report to the volunteer Supervisory Committee as representatives for the membership.

National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund
Member deposits are federally insured by the NCUA, and backed with the full faith and credit of the United States government, just as FDIC covers banks. Taxpayer dollars have never been used to bail out a credit union.

For More Information
This helpful resource contains additional details on your deposit insurance coverage and the stability of the National Credit Union system:

• Your Insured Funds
• NCUA Insurance Estimator

IMPORTANT ONLINE SECURITY INFORMATION
SOCU wants to ensure the online protection of your personal and Account information.

Please note:

• SOCU will not ask you to submit personal or Account information via email.
• For your protection, any email sent from SOCU including member service emails or email alerts will require that you successfully login to our secure website at www.streatoronized.org before entering any personal information.
• If you ever receive an email appearing to be from SOCU that asks for personal information such as your Account Number or Social Security Number, do not respond to the email. Please notify us immediately at (815) 673-5577.

Responding to E-Mail and Internet-Related Fraudulent Schemes
The number one rule….don’t respond!  Call or contact SOCU and let us know of the unusual email.

SECURITY INFORMATION

Beware Of Phishing Scams
NCUA recommended credit unions reinforce these messages to members:

1. Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request.
2. If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the credit union yourself.
3. Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request.
4. Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct.

Tools To Prevent Identity Theft

1. Do not give out financial information unless you are sure you know and trust the person.
2. Report lost or stolen checks and credit/debit cards immediately.
3. Notify your credit union of suspicious phone inquiries such as those asking for account information to verify that you have won a prize.
4. Closely guard your ATM Personal Identification Number.
5. Shred any financial solicitations and documents before disposing of them.
6. Put outgoing mail into a secure, official Postal service collection box.  Do not leave outgoing mail in your outside mailbox.
7. If regular bills or checks fail to reach you as usual, call the company to find out why.
8. If your bills include questionable items, don’t ignore them.  Instead investigate them immediately to head off any possible fraud.
9. Periodically contact the major credit reporting companies to review your file and make certain the information is correct.