General Definitions.

The words "you" and "your(s)" mean every person that signs any Account Application or is authorized to make transactions regarding your account(s), including any account service(s). "We," "us," or "our" means the credit union.

At Arizona Federal we recognize that our relationships with our members are based on trust. As a member, you trust us with your financial and other personal information, and we are committed to respecting your privacy and safeguarding that information. We pledge to protect your privacy by adhering to the practices described in this section.

USA Patriot Act

On October 26, 2001, the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001" (USA PATRIOT act) was signed into law. This notice is to inform you of how it affects you and Arizona Federal.

What is the USA PATRIOT Act?

The USA PATRIOT Act was enacted in response to the 9/11 terrorist acts. The intent is for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions to verify the identity of all people who do business with them. It has become clear that terrorist groups have used our banking industry to funnel money to commit crimes.

What information do you obtain and why?

To comply with the USA PATRIOT Act, Arizona Federal is required to verify the identity of members applying for membership and opening new accounts or services. Information we are required to obtain includes name, mailing and residence address, tax identification number, date of birth and a copy of a government issued photo ID. Additional information may also be gathered depending on the type of account applied for or opened. Identification and information on existing members will be gathered as they open or use additional services offered by the credit union. The Act requires us to maintain records of the identification verification and to periodically update this information. Confidentiality of the information gathered and used by the credit union will be maintained as required under the Privacy Act.

How does this affect me?

The Act was passed in an effort to improve public safety and should not directly affect most people. We will ask to verify your identification occasionally. This is a good safety precaution for you and an effective way for each of us to compy with the provisions of the Act.

I’ve been a member for years, why are you checking my identification?

We know it may seem odd to verify identification of someone we've known for years. However, to guarantee compliance with the Act, we ask that you show your identification when asked. The law was written so that all member identities are verified. This will not have to be done each time you visit a branch, but it will be done periodically.

What does the credit union do with our identification? We are required to keep proof that we have verified your identification. We will keep a record that we are complying with the Act. Our member base is periodically checked against a list of known or suspected terrorists. This Act should have little or no affect on law-abiding citizens.

We hope you will understand the need for us to comply with the USA PATRIOT Act that help guarantee a more secure country. We appreciate your assistance in making certain the banking system is not inadvertently aiding people or groups who wish us harm.

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