LEVERAGE Monthly Newsletter

Common Bond's Lynn Hightower-Moore Wins the
Southeast Land Title Association Title Person of the Year

Every year the Southeast Land Title Association (SLTA) selects a single individual who exemplifies the highest standard of excellence in the industry. The individual honored with this award has positively impacted the association through hundreds of hours of service and is truly an influencer in the industry and his or her community. We are proud to announce that Common Bond General Manager Lynn Hightower-Moore won the Title Person of the Year award! Hightower-Moore is the treasurer of SLTA and was the chairperson of the SLTA Conference. Hightower-Moore has tirelessly devoted herself to a life of service for her customers and employees. She has worked in the title and closing industry for the last 38 years and has inspired so many people, both professionally and personally. We commend her for her many years of service and the impact she has made on countless individuals during her time in this profession.

Your LEVERAGE Business Development Consultants (BDC) have been hard at work ensuring that you have the resources needed to make 2022 a fantastic year. The BDC team is here to help develop and identify opportunities to deliver innovative solutions and further support credit unions in the areas of loan growth, expanding member experiences, reducing expenses, help increase non-intreat income, and helping to reduce and manage risk in these challenges times.

For more information on ways LEVERAGE can help your credit union, contact one of our helpful BDC team members below:

November and December have proven to be the highest spending months due to the holiday season. While debit cards and credit cards are typically used for shopping, utilizing a prepaid card can make for a smarter and safer holiday shopping experience.

It can be tempting going to a store with a credit card and having the idea of “unlimited cash.” With prepaid cards, holiday budgeting can be simplified. You are only able to spend the amount provided on a prepaid card. This helps keep expenses on track and eliminates any overspending that can typically occur in stores.

Utilizing a prepaid card is also safer than carrying a debit card. Unlike a debit card, a prepaid card is not linked to a bank account. In the event of loss or theft, you can rest assured knowing your banking information is safe and secure because it is not tied to an account.

Prepaid cards can also make great gifts for kids. Load small amounts on the prepaid card and let the person decide what he or she wants to spend the funds on. These prepaid cards can also be used online or in stores, so you have the same flexibility as you do with credit cards and debit cards.

For more information on ways you can inform your customers about the advantages of prepaid cards, visit our website or contact the LEVERAGE Payment Solutions team.

LEVERAGE partner, PAR North America, provides a full suite of asset recovery services that can give your business peace of mind. Through their centralized Essential Solutions, PAR can help you reduce your risk while maximizing returns that lower your loss exposure.

They offer unparalleled nationwide total asset lifecycle management that allows you to save time and effort recovering your assets with PAR’s Recovery Management services. By leveraging their 650+ partnerships with recovery vendors and dedicated service team, PAR offers quick and efficient nationwide repossession forwarding and 24/7 tracking.

We encourage you to experience the power and convenience of PAR’s Remarketing 360 Advantage™ program. As a nationally recognized brand, PAR implements both upstream and in-lane selling strategies within their auction partner network, leveraging lower fees, and speeding up the remarketing process for your units.

Compliance and risk mitigation is in PAR’s DNA. We encourage you to see how they protect your business with PAR’s Platinum Compliance® product. This web-based self-service portal offers real-time access to compliance information and data for both PAR and PAR’s network of 650+ recovery vendors. You can have peace of mind that only qualified trained recovery vendors are working with your assignments.

The PAR team is available anytime. Have LEVERAGE put you in touch with them.

Did you know that your credit union may be eligible to receive a tax credit up to $33,000 per employee because of the CARES Act Employee Retention Tax Credit? Through December 21, 2021, LEVERAGE, One Digital, and Synergi Partners can help your credit union with 25 or more employees get the most money back during this upcoming tax season. These are refundable payroll tax credits that can be used by the credit union in any manner to improve operations, facilities, or employee development.

In late December 2020, Congress revised relief options available to businesses affected by the pandemic, including refundable credits for retaining employees in both 2020 and 2021. The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 expanded and extended the provisions of the Employee Retention Credit. In March 2021, the stimulus package extended the credits for another six months making employees eligible through the end of 2021.

To be eligible, your business must have been fully or partially suspended due to government orders OR experienced a reduction in year-over-year gross receipts of 50% in 2020 and 20% in 2021. The vast majority of credit unions qualify under the partial suspension pathway.

For more information, visit myleverage.com/solutions/onedigital.php. To get started, visit synergipartners.com/leverage/.