Future of SAFE is still local

As chief financial officer of SAFE Credit Union and a mom raising my family in Folsom, I care deeply about the future of this community. This is my home and has been my home for more than 20 years. I sit in the baseball bleachers cheering on my son alongside other local families. I see firsthand what makes this region special: strong neighborhoods, growing businesses, great schools, local nonprofits and people who genuinely care about one another. I also sit in the boardroom, where I work with senior leaders and the board of directors to help guide SAFE's future. At work, I carry that same commitment to this region and the people we serve. That is why I am confident that combining SAFE Credit Union with BECU is the right next step for our members and the greater Sacramento region. SAFE has been serving this community for generations. We are strong, stable and growing. This proposed combination is not about rescuing a struggling institution. It is about bringing together two healthy, values-driven credit unions that share a commitment to putting members first. Together, we will be able to do more, and do it faster. The financial services industry is changing rapidly. The cost of cybersecurity protection, fraud prevention, technology upgrades and regulatory compliance continues to rise. At the same time, our credit union members rightly expect better digital tools, lower fees, competitive rates and more flexible lending options. Scale allows us to tackle these opportunities efficiently and effectively. By combining with BECU, we gain the ability to invest more quickly in technology and member services while also improving our efficiency. Most importantly, those benefits flow back to members. This combination will allow us to offer the lowest fees of any financial institution with more than $1 billion in assets in California. Members will also benefit from enhanced products and services, additional lending capacity, branch expansion to increase access for our members and automatic loan repricing opportunities. We will also bring a First-Time Homebuyer Grant Program to the Sacramento region, a program BECU already offers, that can help more local families achieve homeownership. This will include grants of up to $8,000 for eligible members for a down payment or closing costs, funded by an initial $500,000 commitment from BECU and SAFE upon completion of the merger. At the same time we are bringing new benefits and resources, our credit union members can feel confident their day-to-day experience will remain stable and familiar. Account access and core services will continue uninterrupted. I also want our community to understand something clearly: SAFE is not leaving Sacramento. BECU is investing in Sacramento. We are expanding our regional footprint, not shrinking it. We plan to open additional branches, retain local employees and sustain a strong local voice in regional decision-making. Just as importantly, our commitment to community partnerships and philanthropy will grow significantly. SAFE has a long history of investing in this region, supporting nonprofits, schools, financial education programs, arts organizations and community initiatives that make Sacramento stronger. We are particularly proud of and committed to our 25-year partnership with the Sacramento Convention Center & Performing Arts Center, including our naming rights. With the combination of SAFE and BECU, our annual community giving in the region is expected to triple, growing from $445,000 to $1.5 million in 2027. That means more support for local nonprofits. More investment in financial education. More resources supporting the cultural and civic institutions that help our region thrive. The goal here is that the combination will enable us to do more, not less. As we looked ahead at future pathways, we took our responsibility to members seriously – we carefully studied potential partners and the future needs of our members before making this decision. We concluded BECU is the right fit because of our shared values, our aligned member-first philosophy, and our mutual belief that strong local communities matter. SAFE is not going away. We are bringing a strong partner to our region so we can deliver even more value to the people and communities we serve. Our members will always remain at the center of every decision we make. So as we look toward the future, we are proud to be working with BECU with the goal of: "Coming Together. Members First." Alexis Fitzpatrick is chief financial officer for SAFE Credit Union.