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Member Stories

OPEIU Member Rounds Her Financial Bases by Winning $2,000 in the Union Plus Home Run Contest

Kimberly Mallow, a proud member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), was recently called on-deck as a winner of the Union Plus Home Run Contest.

Just in time for baseball season, the Union Plus Home Run Contest is celebrating union home ownership with a baseball-themed contest sponsored by Union Privilege. Nearly 250 entries were received, with participants uploading a photo of themselves in front of their house, or in their house, and explaining how it felt like home. Five lucky winners were awarded $2,000 to knock a monthly mortgage payment out of the park.

OPEIU Member Rounds Her Financial Bases by Winning $2,000 in the Union Plus Home Run Contest

Mallow, who is no stranger to the sports world, works as an athletics financial administrator at a college. “I’m basically in charge of processing the financial paperwork for all of the sports teams,” she says.

Though Kimberly enjoyed her work and had a happy life with her family, she hoped to find enough financial stability to afford to buy a house of her own. “I was living in Yonkers with my husband and daughter [and] we were saving for a new place, but you know how [high] prices can be in a big city,”
 
Despite her high cost of living, Kimberly and her husband were able to save enough money to buy a house. With her family growing every day, it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

“We had another daughter, and we were finally able to save enough to buy a house on Long Island,” she recalls. The house was a significant improvement over their old life, with more space and a large yard. “More space is never bad,” she says with a laugh.
 
Kimberly and her family were happy with their decision, but their bills didn’t leave the roster, as money remained a constant issue. Fortunately, Kimberly had heard about the Union Plus Mortgage program with financing provided by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, and knew about all of the services they could offer to new homeowners.

“I subscribe to the OPEIU emails, which is where I first learned about Union Plus,” she says. “They’ve been very helpful in the past, so I was sure to keep up with their emails after we bought our place.”
 
Kimberly was especially interested in the Union Plus Home Run Contest, which gave her the chance to submit photos of her new house, while including her family in the process. “We just took pictures of [us] sledding with my daughters, everyone was smiling and laughing, it was pretty natural,” she recalls.
 
When Kimberly was chosen as one of the winners of the Union Plus Home Run Contest, the money’s impact on her family proved to be a grand-slam. “The money has been great. I’m currently five months pregnant and I don’t get any maternity leave from work, so we’ve been able to use it to pay our mortgage.”

In fact, Kimberly has been so impressed with the services she has received from Union Plus that she makes sure to spread the word whenever she can. “Union Plus has been great,” she says, “I always make sure to recommend it to new people at work.”

The Union Plus Mortgage program, with financing available through Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, is available for all eligible union members. 

For qualifying members, special benefits include:

  • A My Mortgage GiftSM award from Wells Fargo after closing  – $500 for buying a home, or $300 for refinancing a home – for use at participating retailers.1 
  • Special hardship mortgage assistance from Union Plus in the event of income loss due to disability, unemployment or strike/lockout.2

 

1Eligible individuals can receive the Wells Fargo My Mortgage GiftSM award approximately 6 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, when identifying themselves as eligible. The My Mortgage GiftSM award is not available with The Relocation Mortgage Program® or to any Wells Fargo team member.  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 for yourFirstMortgageSM. 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 (also provided at receipt of award) are the sole responsibility of the My Mortgage GiftSM recipient.

2The Union Plus® Mortgage Assistance Program is 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 www.unionplus.org/assistance.

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

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. © 2017 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801.