Coastal Credit Union launches automated Skip-A-Pay for members part of larger overall COVID-19 financial relief offering
RALEIGH, NC (April 17, 2020) — Coastal Credit Union has launched an expedited self-service Skip-A-Pay program, available inside of online banking and Coastal’s mobile banking app. The Skip-A-Pay tool is a way to help members who are feeling financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, by quickly and easily modifying their upcoming loan due dates.
Skip-A-Pay is presented upon login to members who have eligible loans. If a member accepts enrollment in the program, the due dates on all of their eligible loans are postponed for three months. There’s no fee to use the service, and postponing a payment will not affect a member’s credit reporting. Interest will continue to accrue and skipped payments may result in additional payments at the end of the loan or a larger final payoff amount.
“This is exactly what being a credit union is all about,” said Chuck Purvis, Coastal’s President and CEO. “Our mission is to help members bank better, to live better. Right now, that means we’re being called upon to support people through tough times. And we absolutely will.”
Purvis added, “We have a team that’s putting in maximum effort, every day, to put new services and systems changes in place to help soften the impact of this crisis on our members, and to quickly get them back on their feet once it’s all over.”
Skip-A-Pay is the latest piece of Coastal’s overall member financial relief package that’s been put in place in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Other elements include:
Member Assistance Program (MAP)
Coastal started the Member Assistance Program during the financial crisis of 2008 and has spent over a decade supporting members through various hardships. The credit union is offering loan modifications, including deferring payments for up to 120 days with no late fees, to help members make ends meet. To meet demand, Coastal has scaled up its MAP team from four employees to more than 60, by redeploying staff from other departments.
Emergency Loan Relief
New emergency relief loans, without application fees, are available to help current members meet immediate needs. This new, low rate loan is available through the Member Assistance Program and is focused on helping members with cash needs due to the pandemic. Coastal has activated this program at various times in the past to help with hurricane relief and last year’s government shutdown.
Cutting Fees Coastal has reduced or suspended a number of fees, including:
- Not charging any new mortgage late payment fees for April, May and June payments. The credit union has also waived unpaid late payment charges from March.
- Not charging any late fees for auto, home equity, business and personal loans or lines-of-credit payments made between now and June 30th.
- Lowering the non-sufficient funds fee for checking, savings and money market accounts to one penny through June 30th. This removes the impact of the fee while still enabling members to receive alerts, as well as to see it on their statements, similar to how Coastal’s overdraft forgiveness program works.
- Waiving early withdrawal fees on certificates.
- Providing free expedited replacement for debit and credit cards. Uninterrupted Account Access
- Coastal’s tellers remain available from 7am-7pm, 7 days a week, via drive-up ATM/ Personal Teller Machines as well as the teller machines in the vestibules of branches.
- The credit union is encouraging members to familiarize themselves with its digital banking tools and resources. Online Banking is always available, and members can easily access accounts through Coastal’s mobile app which features Mobile Check Deposit. Coastal has also increased the number of checks, and dollar amount per check, a member can deposit through the app.
- Coastal does not charge a fee when members use another financial institution’s ATM. Additionally, Coastal members have access to a network of over 80,000 surcharge-free ATMs across the United States, including all CashPoints® locations in North Carolina.
- Coastal’s call center is available 24/7 at 919-420-8000.
Receive help from our local non-profits While Coastal is confident about being able help solve financial needs, its Community Engagement team has assembled a list of non-profit partners who may be able to help members with additional support. Members are being directed to visit the Community Resources page to learn more about how to get other assistance, or help if they are able.
Coastal is continuing to look for new ways to help members and the community, and the most up-to-date information is published at COASTAL24.com/COVID-19.
About Coastal Credit Union
Coastal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned, financial cooperative, offering a full range of financial products and services. Coastal was chartered on August 31, 1967 with the mission of fostering the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Today, with $4.27 billion in assets, Coastal serves 286,000 members from 1,800 business partners and is among the leading financial institutions in North Carolina. Coastal operates 23 locations in central North Carolina and serves members in all 50 states through a network of 5,000 shared branches, 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs, mobile banking featuring mobile check deposit, and a robust offering of online services at www.COASTAL24.com. For more Coastal news, visit our online newsroom.
