Banking options to help when you need it
As many as one in four Americans lack sufficient access to fair, honest financial services, and 7% of Americans do not have their own bank accounts. Clearwater offers a variety of services designed to help unbanked and underbanked Montanans build a brighter financial future.
SmartSpend Account
Having trouble getting a traditional checking account? The way banks typically handle checking accounts doesn’t meet everyone’s needs. To address that, we developed SmartSpend: the checking account without checks, which lets you make deposits, carry a debit card, and cash your paychecks – all for only $5.00 a month.
APPLY FOR A SMARTSPEND ACCOUNT
In the online application, please write “Applying for a SmartSpend Account,” in the comments field.
Credit Builder Loan
Looking to establish or rebuild your credit? Our Credit Builder Loan is a great option. When you take out a credit builder loan up to $1,000 – we deposit those funds into a savings account, and they are held until your loan is paid in full. Once you pay off your loan in full, we release the hold, and you have access to those funds. Now you have up to $1,000 in a savings account and 12 months of credit history.
Secured VISA Credit Card
Working on building credit? Secure your VISA credit card with your savings account and get the convenience of a credit card with no annual fee. Applying for our Share-Secured Visa is a great way to start bringing that credit score up and avoid dipping into your savings.
Payday Alternative Loan (PAL)
Need a little cash to tide you over between paychecks but don’t want to take out a high-cost, high-risk payday loan? Avoid the predatory lending trap and save on fees and interest with a PAL. If you’re a credit union member, you can apply for $200-1,000, even if your credit isn’t great.
Community Impact Story
Smart accounts, smart business
How financial institutions can give “unbankable” people a way to get back in the game — and a place to belong.
Read more
Community Education
Interested in having a member of our Clearwater Team speak in your class, after-school program, or civic group?
We have a team of co-workers who can provide financial education and cover various real-world scenarios on a range of topics from saving, budgeting, loans, understanding and building credit, values-based banking, and more!
Email us or visit our contact form and select “Community Education” in the subject drop-down menu to get started. We’ll tailor our presentation to fit your time and needs.
Sign up for our upcoming Financial Literacy Series
We’re partnering with local learning centers to offer a collection of FREE financial literacy courses. Learn how to apply for a loan, understand your credit, improve your understanding of basic banking, and more!
View Classes & RegisterFinancial Counseling for Members
Debra Casper is a Certified Financial Counselor. She received her certification from The Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor program and Credit Union National Association, Inc on March 15, 2007.
Debra has 15 years of experience in our lending department, where she’s gained experience with a variety of financial situations. Debra understands the stress and emotions that can come with tough financial decisions and works to create a safe, comfortable environment to help you work through them.
Call Debra at 406-523-3539
Email Debra to Make an Appointment