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'Be cyber wise - don't compromise' October is Cyber Security month and an annual reminder for all Australians to stay secure online. Unity Bank supports Cyber Security Awareness Month, showing our commitment to your security and privacy online. We will continue to raise awareness to remind all members of the importance of adopting strong digital security. This year, we encourage you to ‘Be cyber wise – don’t compromise’. There are 4 simple steps you can take to be cyber wise and significantly boost your cyber security: 1. Update your devices regularly Turn on automatic updates for your devices and software. This ensures you have the latest security in place.  Check out our top tips to stay cyber secure Learn how to update your devices Test your knowledge by taking Australian Cyber Security Centre’s short quiz: how cyber secure are you 2. Protect your accounts with multi-factor authentication. Turn on multi-factor authentication to add another layer of protection to your accounts.  Learn about protected your account with multi-factor authentication Use the how-to-guide to protect your devices and accounts using multi-factor authentication 3. Back up your important file Safeguard your data from threats and avoid costly data recovery by having your important files backed up. Set up and perform regular backups Use Australian Cyber Security Centre's advice for backups to learn more about the files and devices to back up regularly.  4. Use passphrases and password managers Passphrases are passwords that use 4 or more random words. Don’t compromise your accounts by re-using passwords or passphrases. Consider using a password manager to help generate or store secure and unique passwords. Set secure passphrases protect your passphrases using a password manager.  If you suspect someone has gained access to your personal information, you should contact us immediately on 1300 36 2000. You can also report a scam through the Scam Watch website, and find additional information on scams and how to protect yourself. 

Did you know you may be eligible for a Repayment Holiday on your variable home loan? A Repayment Holiday is when you’ve built up enough buffer with your funds (available redraw) from making extra repayments on your home loan. This buffer allows you to stop or reduce the amount of loan repayments as the available redraw can cover your scheduled home loan payments. Our Repayment Holiday option enables you to take a break from your mortgage loan repayments for up to six months and gives you more flexibility to suit changes to your lifestyle, whether they're planned or unplanned. It allows you to free up funds to use as you wish - to take a holiday or purchase a large item. By drawing down on the advanced status of your loan for the holiday period at its completion you will simply return to your scheduled repayments. Case Study Graham and Belinda took out a home loan three years ago to purchase their home. Over the last two years they have been paying more than their required repayment amount every fortnight. Consequently, the extra funds have built up over time and now they have a substantial amount of advanced funds (over repayments) sitting in their home loan. Belinda is now pregnant and plans to take nine months maternity leave, however her job will only pay her for three months. Graham and Belinda want to maintain a similar level of income after Belinda has the baby, so they contact us and arrange to put their home loan repayments on hold for six months once the baby is born. During that time we'll use the extra amount in their advances to deduct the home loan repayments. So, after the six months, the total pool of available advances will be less. It's important that during the six month Repayment Holiday period Graham and Belinda don't make any significant redraws. If they do it may mean that they'll need to increase their fortnightly repayments when the Repayment Holiday is over, in order to repay the loan within the agreed term. View All Home Loans

Two Unity Bank employees, Erika and Issac, had the opportunity to attend and represent Unity Bank at the 2023 Trundle Bush Tucker Day on 2 September 2023. It is a beloved Australian festival for the whole family to enjoy. Read about Erika’s experience: “Issac Theobald, myself with my husband tagging along as a driver, went out to be a part of the Trundle Bush Tucker Day event. This was held at the Trundle Showground arena. The weather put on a spectacular show, which encouraged good participation from many in the community. They had live entertainment on the centre stage with various singers throughout the day, and vendor stalls were positioned to create an alleyway moving down towards the centre stage. The type of vendors participating in the festivities included local blacksmiths, metal garden art stalls, country clothing and bootwear, and a group of arts and craft stalls selling homemade food items and kitchen apparel. Along the perimeter of the showground, large fire pits were being manned to provide stations for the bush ovens where various bush tucker recipes were being cooked, along with some smaller ground oven pits with large pots offering a variety of dishes. They also had the Australian National Female whip cracking champion who had just returned from the World Championships where she was placed 3rd. She had whip-cracking displays throughout the day, entertaining the crowds. She was amazing and very skilled at her craft. Adult ticket price was set at $50 a single ticket with $5 for children under 16yrs. All profit funds for the day were to be distributed back into the Trundle Community, supporting local groups such as Trundle Men’s Shed, Trundle Pony Club, and the Country Women’s Association groups in Trundle. I had two local community members approach me to tell me how much they appreciated having Unity Bank in their community, noting the distances they would need to travel to do their banking if we were not in town. Supporting events like the Trundle Bush Tucker Day gives weight to our commitment to smaller rural communities.” If you would like to find out more about Trundle Bush Tucker Day, visit their Facebook page.

  Dear Members, It gives me great pleasure to announce some incredibly exciting news. Starting from the 1st of July, Unity Bank will become a participating lender in NSW’s Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper. Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper is an initiative to help lower-income single parents, older singles, and first-home buyers who are key workers realise the dream of owning their own home. Under this program, the government will contribute a proportion of the purchase price in exchange for an equivalent interest in the property. Smaller deposits, no lenders mortgage insurance, and no interest on the Government’s equity share means this initiative is a great option for eligible singles and key workers who no longer want to rent and prefer the security of home ownership. Unity Bank was founded on the principle of supporting everyday Australians. As such, being in a position where we can help those who are struggling to break into the housing market is something we don’t take lightly. For Unity Bank to be selected for Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper from an extensive list of candidates is an amazing achievement and something we should all be very proud of. For me, this acknowledgement is a reflection of Unity Bank’s continual drive and dedication to our members. If you would like further information on NSW’s Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper, or to find out if you are eligible for the initiative, please visit https://www.unitybank.com.au/home-loans/home-pathways-schemes/shared-equity-home-buyer-helper/ With all this in motion and much more to come, 2023 is shaping up to be another stellar year for Unity Bank. We look forward to servicing new and existing members through Shared Equity from the 1st of July. Yours faithfully,Danny PavisicChief Executive Officer

We are urging our Members to be cautious of investments promised via Facebook Marketplace. Scammers via Facebook Marketplace use a variety of tactics to manipulate buyers and sellers of the platform, often disguising themselves as one or the other. These scammers often send emails or text messages that reflect an investment scheme asking you to click on a link to find out more.   Possible scenario Fake emails are sent to Marketplace sellers that look like they’re from a payment service such as PayPal confirming a payment has been made for the product you are selling. However, no payment has been made, and the scammer has received the product for ‘free’.   How to protect yourself from this type of scam Take time to read suspicious emails or text messages (scammers often use urgency as a tactic to trick you into giving money or personal information). Check the email thoroughly (these emails often mention a problem that needs a solution quickly). Check the facts and details before taking action. Do not send any personal data or information (often these scammers use profile pictures of employees in a familiar business to convince you of their legitimacy). If you believe you have been scammed, call us immediately on 1300 36 2000.

Seniors are being targeted by scammers through a fake website requesting money and multiple forms of personal identification. In some instances, scammers are calling the elderly and offering the discount card and asking for personal information over the phone. How this scam works Fake websites/cold phone calls claiming to supply senior discount card membership for a fee. Fraudulent websites are charging around $29 (application processing fee) for the discount card and allege to be “officially approved”. Scammers steal personal information and use this on other platforms to commit identify fraud. What to look out for Seniors card membership is free of charge and so seniors should never be asked to pay a membership or application fee. If you are being asked for bank, credit card, PayPal details (or any other personal information) in exchange for membership then this is a scam. Top tips to avoid scams STOP – take your time before providing any personal information. THINK – ask yourself if the message could be fake? PROTECT – act quickly if something feels wrong. If you have provided information, contact IDCARE (on 1800 595 160) and report scams to Scamwatch.  Alternatively, call us immediately on 1300 36 2000.