Business View Magazine May 2023

186 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 5 major stakeholders within the organization. Oland reiterates this fact by stating, “We’re here to provide a financial service to people that need it. Full stop. We’re not into dictating health standards, political standards, partisanship, or anything like that. We’re here to provide financial expertise. Full stop.” Bow Valley Credit Union prides itself on providing the membership as much freedom as possible. The company offers a full suite of flexible banking products. One major differentiator is that the company provides a “Gold Backed” solution. Bow Valley Credit Union has its members best interest in mind and never offered a variable rate mortgage. While many wanted the option two to three years ago, the company advised them of the risks. Now with the hindsight of what has happened in the market, many members are thankful for being dissuaded as they would currently be in a world of financial trouble. “In some cases, rising interest rates have tripled costs, which would make anyone blush. But for the majority of our members, we’ve hopefully done enough due diligence, and they’ve been properly prepared to keep out of financial trouble. And if they need assistance, we’re willing to help,” says Oland Oland shares a story about someone who was trapped in the housing market hysteria, “This person qualified at a schedule one bank for a $750,000 mortgage. They came to Bow Valley Credit Union because they wanted to work with a local credit union. The most we were willing to do for that individual was $500,000. This was because we recognized the risks and the housing hype. Eventually, that individual went with a more prominent bank. They returned later to say they wished they would have listened to us. They now have a three-quarters-of-a-million