Fall is here, and we are enjoying the turning of the leaves and preparing for Halloween later this month. October is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month and a perfect opportunity to highlight some tips and tricks to keep your personal information and financial accounts safe on the evolving digital landscape. Digital service—online and mobile banking—are increasing in popularity, evidenced by strong adoption and utilization during the pandemic. The benefits of using electronic channels and embracing digital capabilities are compelling. However, it is also critical to protect your personal information to limit the risk of identity theft.

Two critical tenets of operating safely in the digital environment are prevention and monitoring. Fundamentally, having separate passwords for all your accounts is imperative. Simply stated, the stronger your passwords are, the harder they are to crack by hackers lurking on the world wide web. Specifically, ensure that your passwords are strong—long, unique, and complex. 



Strong passwords have more than 14 characters and do not include the names of family, friends, or your favorite sports teams. In addition, strong passwords have a meaningful combination of lowercase and uppercase letters and numbers, as well as special characters. Once you have a strong password, do not allow computer software to “remember” the password, and do not share your passwords with anyone or store them where other people may discover them.

From a monitoring perspective, you can review your credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com. Each year, our members can get a free copy of their credit report from each major credit agency—Transunion, Equifax, and Experian. Your credit report will highlight all the credit trade lines corresponding to your identity and detail the companies that pulled your credit over the last two years. This strategy is an excellent way to monitor your credit profile and verify your identity has not been stolen and utilized to acquire credit. If you believe your identity was stolen, you can initiate a fraud alert online with the credit agencies detailed below.  

·        Equifax - www.equifax.com/CreditReportAssistance

·        Experian - www.experian.com/fraud/center

·        TransUnion - www.transunion.com/fraud

It is also essential to know your rights when remediating identity theft when someone uses your information to open new accounts or make purchases. An extensive list of actions published by the Federal Trade Commission—designed to support the resolution of identity theft—can be found at www.identitytheft.gov/#/Know-Your-Rights.  

Finally, I hope this list of action items empowers you to prevent, monitor, and remediate identity theft in your financial lives. We take pride in providing our members with peace of mind and support during challenging times. Know that our team works hard every day to manage the various risks on the cyber landscape to protect you and your family. This effort is important in delivering our mission and creating financial freedom for the communities we serve. 

Warm regards,

We have made the decision to adjust our hours for our Branches, Member Contact Center, and Video Teller Machines to better serve you. Click below to see the changes.

Monday, October 16

11:00 a.m. - Noon

With advancements in technology and social engineering skills, scammers are more convincing than ever before. Their target? Our aging population with the hopes of an ‘easy’ payday.

In an effort to protect one of our communities’ most vulnerable populations, American Eagle FCU will host this in-person lunch and learn presented by professionals Kathleen Titsworth from the Connecticut Department of Banking and Dorian Long from the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

During this interactive session, attendees will learn key elements to preventing elder fraud, identifying red flags, and knowing what to do if they or a loved one falls victim.

American Eagle Financial Credit Union announced the recipients of $28,458 in donations from its participatory funding program, Cash Back to the Community.

Congratulations to the Connecticut Humane Society, Enfield Loaves and Fishes, and the Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut. Each nonprofit organization received a $9,486 donation for earning the most votes in AEFCU’s second quarter Cash Back to the Community program. A total of 177 organizations were nominated and 1,144 votes were cast by AEFCU members and the general public.

The people of Connecticut have spoken—and American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) was named the Best Credit Union, respectively, in the 2023 Best of Hartford Courant Readers’ Poll. The results of the annual poll, which were released in early June, reveal what residents believe are the best businesses, restaurants, and professional services in the state of Connecticut.



“American Eagle is always working to provide the best possible service, products, and access to financial freedom—and the fact we were chosen by our members and the public for these honors makes this win extremely gratifying,” said Howard Brady, President and CEO of American Eagle. “While we are not a bank, we provide the same services as a bank and our mission is certainly driven by the needs of our communities. Residents thought enough of us to name American Eagle both the Best Community Bank and Best Credit Union—and for that we are very grateful.”