In mid-October, a member contacted me about a loan to purchase his aunt’s house. His aunt asked him if he wanted to buy her house from her for $6,000.00, based on a tax foreclosure sale that would be taking place on Oct. 31, 2025. If he paid the $6,000.00 owed in back taxes, that would stop the foreclosure sale. Unfortunately, this member was having issues of his own and waiting on an approval for social security disability benefits. I learned his aunt was receiving social security, so I told him to have her call me right away.
When Susan contacted me I learned she had been denied a loan five times and owned a vehicle to use as collateral. I did not want this lady to lose her home for $6,000.00, so I asked her to come into the office with all her information — tax foreclosure papers, title, and income. The next day, Susan came into the office, joined our credit union, and within an hour left with a check to the County Treasurer’s Office. She thanked us over and over, explaining that she had “stood on her head and done cartwheels and still could not be approved” elsewhere. She thought she was going to lose her home of many years.
This story was submitted by Joanne Smith, CEO, Brewster Federal Credit Union.
