Leads & Introductions
Members introduced themselves and announced leads and thank you's. 

Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Roman Okonowski.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals.

Credit Discussion Follow-up - Jake Ulrich
Last week we had a guest speaker talk about credit reporting.  Today Jake answered follow-up questions for members. 

• Bankers usually utilize one report, Experian being the most common.  For a mortgage, they will pull all three.

• With a score of 350-600 you will struggle to obtain credit.  Above 650 you have better chances of securing credit.

• All reports use the same algorithms.  But reports can vary if they are missing information.  For instance, a credit card company may only report to one institution. 

• If you cancel a card does it really hurt your credit?  If there is no annual fee, it is good to keep it open as length of history helps your score.

• Yes, trade lines will stay on your report for about 7 years.

• Credit cards can cancel your account for non-activity to reduce there exposures.  This can affect your score just like it would if you canceled the card.

• It is all underwriter discretion. 

• Bill LaLonde talked to a dealership that has trouble getting credit for people with a score of 720.

• Score influences rate for any type of insurance but it is a soft hit according to Roman Okonowski.  Different companies use different tiers.  In the old days they cold scribble numbers on a yellow pad and give you an instant quote.  Today it can take several hours because of all the requirements for credit report checking.  It is very frustrating for the agent.  Some carriers focus heavily on credit scoring while others don't.

• How to improve your credit will depend on what is wrong with your credit card.  For instance, f you have late payments showing up, paying off those amounts will help you.

• There is no bank conspiracy to put the due date on a Sunday or holiday.  They will usually draw on a date after the due date.  There is usually a grace period before assessing a late fee.  Jake recommends an auto-draft if you are concerned about the risk. 

Buddy Lunches - Janice Jaicks
Today we drew names for the next series of Buddy Lunches.  Lunches are to be completed by April 15th.  On Friday April 16th we will have another Guest Event Day where members will be asked to give a brief Buddy Lunch report.

• Stacy Hyder - Sandro Menasci - Joe Hesch

• Lynn Schmelzer - Phyllis Prater - Andrew Jensen

• Nick Mawrenko - Denver Johnson - Carole Weishaar

• Chris Curran - Dave Lathrop - Joe Burr

• Guy Sawyer - Jake Ulrich - Dave Crissman

• Bill LaLonde - Jim Bache - Bob Busch

• Fred Vandervort - Joe Zingale - Mark Menasci

• Erin LaGrassa - Don Ellis - Bob Becker

• Ryan Bohlander - Roman Okonowski - Melissa Matthews

• Steve Chilton - Herb Stokes - Janice Jaicks - Althea Bussert

Social Update
Happy hour next Thursday at The Keg at Tempe Market Place (McClintock & Rio Salado).  4:30pm shotgun start.

Membership Update
Melissa Matthews proposed Tim Green of All About Painting as a potential new member.  If there are no objections, she will invite him to visit the group next Friday. 

Membership - Category Brainstorming
Erin passed out a worksheet for members to help them brainstorm on potential members that can be invited to our next Guest Event on April 16th.  The person with the most names received a prize.  And the prize went to....Herb Stokes with 11 names.