In October 2021, Marinda’s car was stolen.
While working through the insurance aftermath, she started looking to replace her car. It was a struggle though to find a financing partner that worked for her. When she was a young adult, she didn’t know how to manage credit and ended up making poor choices. Unfortunately, that led to a bad credit score that continued to hold her back years later.
Marinda remembers her experience going into dealerships, weighed down with a colorful credit score. After learning what her interest rate might be because of her credit score, she felt defeated and “insanely sad” since it was so high. Getting an auto loan that worked for her budget as a single mom felt impossible.
While grabbing coffee at a local shop, one of her favorite baristas suggested checking out Canopy Credit Union. The barista’s boyfriend had recently refinanced his vehicle through Canopy and was relieved to get a better rate.
Marinda decided to check out Canopy and walked into the Spokane Valley branch. There she met Member Advocate Tina. After Marinda told Tina her story, they came up with a plan.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do for a car. Tina was absolutely amazing though…she told me, ‘we are going to get you a car!’”
Marinda works three jobs, is able to make all her payments, and has made leaps and bounds with using credit wisely. But, her credit score still suffered from past mistakes she made. The other institutions she tried to finance a car through didn’t see past her credit score. While she had worked hard to pay down the debt she owed, her credit score was still damaged.
As Tina worked with Marinda to find an auto loan that worked for her, Marinda also decided to get out of a debt counseling program that was costing her more than it was saving. With a personal loan, she was able to finish paying all the creditors she still owed and focus on simple, monthly payments at Canopy with an interest rate that worked for her.
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After some hard work and thorough communication, Tina and Marinda were able to work together and get Marinda a car! Marinda still clearly remembers the moment she was approved for the auto loan.
“I just bawled my eyes out because I got the car I wanted,” she said. Tina even brought down the documents to Marinda’s workplace to finish up the process. The auto loan was just the start of Marinda’s relationship with Canopy.
In June 2022, another curveball struck and two of Marinda’s grandparents passed away. Marinda took time off of work to take care of things, but quickly was stressed out about paying her bills.
“Once you don’t work for a few weeks, getting back on track takes a couple of months,” Marinda said.
She reached out to Canopy’s collections department and explained her situation. The Canopy team was able to support her by granting flexibility with her payments. Through the holidays, Marinda was grateful to also be approved for skip-a-payment when things were tight again.
Other banking institutions that Marinda worked with didn't provided flexibility she needed for her various situations.
“I was afraid to ask [at other institutions] because I knew the answer would be no…I appreciate a credit union that actually gives chances to people that other people scoff at,” Marinda said.
Marinda views her membership at Canopy as more than a one-way transaction.
“[Canopy] takes care of me so I feel like I should do my part as a member.”
Marinda loves interacting with Canopy through its member emails and social posts. Just like her barista shared with her about the opportunities Canopy gives to the community, Marinda makes sure to share with others her story of going from impossible to possible and encourages them to check Canopy out.
“Literally from start to finish, Canopy has taken care of me.”