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Member Stories

AFSCME family gets home of their own with Union Plus Mortgage

Minnesota AFSCME member, Melissa Koski, turned to Union Plus when she and her family decided to move into their own house after years of being renters. They benefited from the Union Plus Mortgage Assistance Program when her husband lost his job.

AFSCME family gets home of their own with Union Plus Mortgage

Melissa Koski and her husband were renters saving up to buy a house for their family when their process got a kickstart.

"The people we were renting from wanted to get back into their house," recalls Koski, a member of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 65 Local 580 for the past six years.

Koski and her husband realized the time had come to search for a new home for themselves and their two young kids.

"We wanted to have something of our own," says Koski, who works in accounting for a county government agency in Minnesota. "We wanted to do what we wanted to do in a house where no one else was in control."

The couple reached out to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. The lender asked if either of them were in a union.

"They said, 'We’ve got this program you can join, and it’s got all these benefits,'" Koski says.

With financing available through Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, the Union Plus Mortgage Program helps union members, their parents and their children purchase or refinance their homes while also offering exclusive union member benefits.

"We checked out other lenders, but Wells Fargo had the best program," Koski says.

Koski received an award after closing valued at $5001 that they used at Home Depot. It came in handy to help fund renovations as they moved in.

"We put it toward the house," she says.

She and her husband also qualified for Union Plus Mortgage Assistance when her husband lost his job, which included a one-time $1,000 grant2.

1Eligible individuals will be sent redemption instructions for the My Mortgage GiftSM award approximately 2 weeks after closing on a new purchase or refinance loan secured by an eligible first mortgage or deed of trust with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (“New Loan”), subject to qualification, approval and closing. The My Mortgage Gift award is not available with The Relocation Mortgage Program® or with any Wells Fargo employee mortgage offer. Only one My Mortgage Gift award is permitted per eligible New Loan. This award cannot be combined with any other award, discount or rebate, except as described in the Terms and Conditions. This award is void where prohibited, transferable, and subject to change or cancellation with no prior notice. Awards may constitute taxable income. Federal, state, and local taxes, and any use of the award not otherwise specified in the Terms and Conditions (available at wellsfargo.com/mymortgageterms and provided at receipt of award) are the sole responsibility of the My Mortgage Gift recipient.

2The Union Plus® Mortgage Assistance Program and Veteran’s Grant are provided and administered through the AFL-CIO Mutual Benefit Plan (“The Plan”), which is not affiliated with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Additional information about this program and eligibility criteria can be obtained at unionplus.org/assistance.

Union Plus® is a registered trademark of Union Privilege.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage has a services agreement with Union Privilege in which Union Privilege receives a financial benefit for providing agreed-upon services. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage encourages you to shop around to ensure you receive the services and loan terms that fit your home financing needs.

Information is accurate as of the date of printing and is subject to change without notice.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. © 2021 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801
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