Member Stories

AFSCME family gets space to play thanks to Union Plus Mortgage

January 4, 2022

For 21 years, Albert Ong was a renter living in apartment building. Then, he got married. He and his wife had a son and then a daughter.

"Having kids, we needed space for them to walk or run," says Ong, an American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) member.

The couple turned to the Union Plus Mortgage Program.

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.

Ong found out about the Union Plus Mortgage Program from a coworker. He looked up information on the Union Plus website and within hours, someone from Wells Fargo had reached out.

"Somebody contacted me by email, told me the documents they needed," Ong remembers. "It was fast — it was a fast process."

He had shopped around to other lenders but found other banks had higher rates and either didn't return his call or weren't quick to get back in touch with him.

During his search, Wells Fargo had the best rates and the best customer service, according to Ong.

He says buying a house was the right move.

"The kids can sleep in separate rooms and if one wakes up early, it won't wake up the other," Ong says. "And having a house, you can invite close friends and family since you have the space to entertain."