Exciting new technology at HAPO Community Credit Union, a full-service financial center, couples convenience with timesaving for their busy members facing today’s time pressures.
HAPO’s impressive new facility, located on Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard, near Office Max and Safeway, is 9,820 square feet with two wings – regular banking to the left and commercial and mortgage to the right.
Dawn Magnotta, Financial Center manager at the Vancouver HAPO, and Crystal Contreras HAPO communications director, were excited to discuss several of the new technology features available at the credit union.
Two new exciting technologically sophisticated features at HAPO Community Credit Union are the ITMs and the INVO (Innovation) Room. The ITM is a virtual teller; HAPO has two such machines right inside the lobby. Using a standard ATM card, customers insert the card into the ITM machine, and a click of a button takes them to a personal banker who can do anything the bank’s on-site tellers can do – cashier’s checks, loan payments and so on. And once the bank sees what the transaction volume will be and if there’s a need, they’re considering expanding this service to other sites in the community.
The other new technology is the INVO Room, which functions as a virtual loan office, allowing members to access a number of services without having to wait. It’s a large sound-proof room with a glass wall facing the lobby, complete with a privacy screen – like a screen protector for a computer monitor – which allows the occupant to see outside the room but blocks anyone from seeing into the room.
Inside the INVO Room, there’s ample seating where family members can lounge while they wait for a member to complete their transaction. In the center of the room, there’s a desk facing a huge monitor – like a big-screen TV–mounted on the wall. On the desk is a virtual signature pad, an ID scanner and a mouse – all set up for a web chat with a web camera. There’s also a printer station.
To begin the web chat and access these services, members just sit down and click the mouse to call for a virtual loan specialist in Richland, Wash., where HAPO’s corporate headquarters are located. From the INVO Room, members can access a number of services, including opening an account, loan signing, visa applications, auto loans and so on. The virtual loan specialist populates the documents with data and then the member can view the on-screen documents to verify the information.
The launch of HAPO’s new Commercial Services Division in 2017 allowed the credit union to offer business checking accounts, commercial loans, revolving lines of credit, certificates of deposits, construction loans and more. In 2017, HAPO also shifted to a new Online Banking platform and Mobile App, with such new features as External Transfers, Popmoney and the ability to integrate outside accounts.
Other services include financial advising with CUSU Financial Services (CFS) and financial coaching, with GreenPath, who specialize in helping customers achieve financial wellness. Established in 1961, GreenPath offers first-time homebuyer education, Home Equity loan counseling, Reverse Mortgage counseling, Mortgage Default and delinquency counseling, and student loan repayment options. Green Path helps build the customer’s credit, focuses on areas that might need repair and develops a personalized action plan for getting the customer back on track.
Since their groundbreaking in June 2017, HAPO Community Credit Union has been very immersed in the Vancouver community through sponsorship. They’re sponsoring the Movies in the Park this summer at Esther Short Park and are participating in the Women in Leadership series. They also purchased a table for the Blind Athletes association at a recent fundraiser. In 2017, some of the organizations HAPO supported in Clark County included the Share program, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation, the Arc of Southwest Washington, Coats for Kids, BART and Take a Bite Out of Hunger.
HAPO Community Credit Union is also the first credit union in the world to be pursuing, and close to achieving, a WELL Certification from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The WELL Building Standard certification means that buildings must comply with a comprehensive research-backed series of requirements related to health, well-being and productivity such as air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. At the HAPO branch, the wellness features include ergonomic furniture, extra water and air filtration, lighting that supports healthy circadian rhythms and reduces glare, acoustic features that minimize disruptions and external noise, biophilic design features emphasizing the human-nature connection and employee policies to encourage physical fitness and good health.
This past March was the the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their Grand Opening, which drew a huge crowd, with iHeartRadio and The Wolf showing up. HAPO offered a fully catered lunch, espresso bar and Champagne bar.
Founded in 1953, HAPO Community Credit Union has 18 branches in the Tri-Cities, Yakima, Sunnyside and Walla Walla areas, and two Oregon branches in Hermiston and Westin. The credit union currently serves more than 150,000 members. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In Vancouver, the new HAPO branch is located at 13909 SE Mill Plain Blvd.
