The INDEPENDENT, July 5, 2012
Page 5
Wauna and SHCFCU explore merger Timber restoration boosts jobs
The boards of directors for
both Wauna Federal Credit
Union and St Helens Commu-
nity Federal Credit Union have
signed a non-binding Letter of
Intent to explore the benefits
associated with merging the
two credit unions.
“Officials from both organi-
zations are committed to do
what is right for their member-
ship and the communities they
serve,” said Robert Blumberg,
CEO and President of Wauna
Federal Credit Union, “Key fac-
tors to these discussions in-
clude the impact that the econ-
omy and competition has for
credit unions of our asset size,
plus both credit unions share a
common heritage and serve lo-
cal communities. A merger
would produce greater efficien-
cies, support needed technolo-
gy advancements, and joining
forces would create an even
stronger and local organization
with roots to the members and
communities it serves.”
Lea Chitwood, Chairperson
for the SHCFCU board of direc-
tors, also stressed the impor-
tance for members and the
public to understand that a
merger such as this is com-
pletely different than mergers
between the mega-banks,
“Their reason to merge is to
generate more profits and with
no consideration to their cus-
tomers. When credit unions
merge, it is the membership
that benefits because we are
not-for-profit. Any monetary
considerations from a credit
union merger go directly to the
members in the form of better
savings and loan rates, and the
opportunity to provide more
services.”
Added Blumberg, “It’s impor-
tant to understand that at this
time our merger discussions
between the two credit unions
are completely exploratory. If
these discussions prove mutu-
ally beneficial, then we will ad-
vance to the next stage in what
is a very formal process re-
quired by the National Credit
Union Administration, an inde-
pendent agency of the federal
government.”
“If the discussions suggest
there are no benefits to a merg-
er, both credit unions will con-
tinue business as usual,”
added Chitwood.
According to Chitwood and
Blumberg, the employees and
officials of both Credit Unions
have been informed of the dis-
cussions, and both credit
unions will keep their members
informed of any new develop-
ments.
Top 10 DOJ consumer complaints told
From page 4
calls. The increase in com-
plaints is largely due to a group
calling itself “Card Services,”
that uses a prerecorded mes-
sage claiming it can help re-
duce credit card interest rates.
Since 2009 almost any tele-
marketing call delivering a pre-
recorded message has been il-
legal.
In addition to violating the
rule against prerecorded mes-
sages, “Card Services” neither
displays the true number from
which it is calling nor adheres
to the national “Do Not Call
List,” routinely contacting regis-
tered Oregonians. Of the 1,341
telemarketing complaints 1,285
claimed a violation of the “Do
Not Call List.” The Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) re-
ceived an additional 40,141
complaints from Oregonians
regarding “Do Not Call List” vi-
olations, up from 23,000 com-
plaints in 2010. The FTC has
filed several lawsuits against
Card Services and more are
expected. For more information
or to file a complaint, please
call 1-888-382-1222 or visit
www.donotcall.gov. Most legiti-
mate telemarketing firms do
not contact people registered
with the “Do Not Call List.”
Anyone can register up to 5
phone numbers for the “Do Not
Call List” at www.donotcall.gov.
Telecommunications – His-
torically, complaints about the
telecommunications and finan-
cial services industries have
been first and second on the
Top Ten Consumer Complaint
List. The typical complaint al-
leges routine bill miscalcula-
tion; inaccurate representa-
tions of services and products;
and illegitimate bill collection
attempts. In 2011, 1,187 com-
plaints regarding telecommuni-
cations were filed with the De-
partment, with satellite TV
providers receiving the majority
of complaints, followed by cel-
lular service providers and in-
ternet service providers.
International Money Trans-
fer Scams – Last year Oregoni-
ans reported losing $1,016,583
due to international money
scams. Many, if not most, Ore-
gonians who fall victim to these
scams do not contact the Ore-
gon Department of Justice so
it’s likely that the 908 com-
plaints received only hint at the
problem. International money
scams often include:
• Offers that are too good to
be true (be aware of items ad-
vertised at massively reduced
price tags on Craigslist and
other internet sites).
• Phone calls/emails claim-
ing to be from friends or family
stranded in an emergency cir-
cumstance needing money
wired immediately.
• “Debt collection” calls
claiming law enforcement per-
sonnel will take action immedi-
ately if money is not immedi-
ately paid for what turns out to
be fake or illegitimate debt.
• Lottery, vacation and other
prize offers that request money
to be paid prior to redemption.
• Notification of a large in-
heritance from a recently de-
ceased – and until then un-
known – relative that requires
the sharing of sensitive finan-
cial information (such as bank
account numbers) or a pay-
ment upfront to cover the cost
of taxes or other fees.
• Requests to make pay-
ments through money wire
transfers or Green Dot credit
cards.
Home Ownership Issues –
Complaints about homeowner-
ship issues fell slightly to 832
from 1,002 the previous year.
Oregon is one of 49 states, in-
cluding New York and Califor-
nia, that signed on to an agree-
ment with the nation’s five
largest banks that will provide
roughly $25 billion in relief to
resolve a multistate investiga-
tion of fraudulent and flawed
foreclosure practices.
The most up-to-date infor-
mation about the settlement
and homeowner eligibility is
available at the official website:
www.nationalforeclosuresettle-
ment.com. However, Oregoni-
ans who believe they may be
eligible for relief under this set-
tlement are encouraged to sign
up at www.oregonattorneygen
eral.gov/homeowners.
by Chris Thomas, Oregon
News Service
On Wednesday, a group of
Oregon loggers and conserva-
tionists got a firsthand look at a
federal forest where timber is
harvested without legal battles,
and the environment is thriving,
too. They toured sites in the
Siuslaw National Forest, where
what is now known as “restora-
tive” forest management began
as an experiment 20 years ago.
Jim Furnish, who led the
field trip, was the Siuslaw For-
est supervisor at the time. He
says there were plenty of skep-
tics when they started selec-
tively thinning areas that had
been clear-cut and replanted,
with a goal of producing old-
growth trees for the future, as
well as a reliable timber har-
vest, “Now, we have an endur-
ing, sustainable, resolute mod-
el on the Siuslaw, that gener-
ates a lot of timber; it generates
a lot of revenue. It generates
good fish and wildlife habitat. I
would argue it’s a great exam-
ple of restoration forestry.”
Furnish went on to become
a deputy chief of the U.S. For-
est Service, and has since re-
tired. He points out that the
Siuslaw is still managed for
restoration, and hasn’t had its
timber harvests challenged by
conservation groups in more
than a decade.
A new report, “Ecologically
Appropriate Restoration Thin-
ning in the Northwest Forest
Plan Area,” estimates there’s
enough timber thinning and
restoration work to be done in
western Oregon forests to keep
crews busy for 20 years, with-
out the controversy that comes
from logging older trees. Re-
port author Andy Kerr, with the
Larch Company, says this ap-
proach would mean 44 percent
more federal timber volume go-
ing to local mills, “This addition-
al increment of volume in the
report would equate to 2,700
new timber jobs in logging and
hauling and milling, and related
jobs. So, there’s a way to cre-
ate jobs in an environmentally-
friendly manner – we ought to
be doing it.”
The report was released
jointly by Conservation North-
west, the Geos Institute, the
Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands
Center, and Oregon Wild.
And the latest harvest fig-
ures from the Bureau of Land
Management show on its turf in
western Oregon, more federal
timber is being sold in some ar-
eas than their district targets
under the Northwest Forest
Plan. Kerr, a longtime Oregon
conservationist, says it’s proof
that the plan is working, despite
some timber industry claims
that it doesn’t allow them to cut
enough trees.