Contact: David Beck, Self-Help Credit Union, 919-956-4495, david.beck@self-help.org

Durham, NC — Self-Help’s credit unions today announced a pilot partnership with Multi-Bank Securities, Inc. (MBS) to underwrite and distribute DTC (Depository Trust Company)-eligible share term certificates. The new term certificate will simplify access for investment managers to invest in Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Federal Credit Union’s mission-driven work by purchasing federally-insured fixed-income term certificates.

Three investment firms that specialize and are leaders in socially responsible investing have all participated in Self-Help’s first DTC-eligible term certificate offering which settled on Tuesday, June 21, 2016.  They are Walden Asset Management, Trillium Asset Management, and Fresh Pond Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management.

"We are excited to join with MBS to offer a DTC-eligible product and extremely grateful to Walden, Trillium and Fresh Pond Capital for their investment commitment,” said Kristen Cox, Self-Help Credit Union Investment Associate. “We hope this DTC-eligible product will significantly increase the ease of investing in Self-Help's work to support low- and moderate-income individuals, families and communities."

Cheryl Smith, Managing Partner at Trillium Asset Management, LLC who was the first to commit to this offering said, “For more than 30 years, Trillium Asset Management has offered our investment clients a range of community investment options. Self-Help Credit Union has a decades-long commitment to providing community development finance, affordable credit and banking services for underserved communities. We support Self-Help Credit Union’s long-term efforts to support sustainable food systems and to create stronger neighborhoods, and we commend their effort to originate a DTC-eligible share certificate for distribution.”

“It is important to Walden’s clients to make a positive social impact through their investments,” said Carly Greenberg, an ESG Analyst at Walden Asset Management responsible for overseeing its community investing service. “We are pleased to offer our clients the opportunity to invest in term certificates issued by Self-Help’s two credit unions, given the organization’s long-term commitment to lending to grow small businesses, finance environmentally sustainable projects, and provide affordable home loans to thousands of families in the U.S.”

Tim Peacock, Senior Vice President at Multi-Bank Securities, Inc. said, "When Self-Help Credit Union reached out to Ian Netupsky, an account executive with MBS, with the idea of issuing a ‘tradeable’ security that would allow money managers the opportunity to invest in their credit unions, he realized we were looking at something new and different. This is a unique opportunity in which we can help support a targeted distribution effort to attract mission- and values-based investments.”

“This new product creates a win-win for Self-Help and its mission-focused partners,” Peacock said.  “It offers federally-insured certificates at terms approximately 0.25% below Self-Help’s current published rates and delivers an efficient settlement process for both issuer and investor.”

A single Master Certificate (per offering) is held in safekeeping, and all ownership records are maintained (book-entry) with the DTC. A CUSIP number is assigned and enables an easily-managed start-to-finish process for both purchaser and issuer. The result is an instrument that is insured and supported with a secondary market, a combination that meets the needs of investment advisors who are looking for opportunities to combine social impact with liquidity. Through the purchase of 36- and 48-month term certificates for the clients of these three firms, this initial offering raised $3.6 million for Self-Help.

“We are excited to be participating as a way to align our clients’ values of supporting groups working to alleviate poverty in critical geographic regions in our country, targeting underserved communities through an accessible and efficient investment offering,” said Maria Arabatzis, Portfolio Manager and Social Investments Coordinator at Fresh Pond Capital.

“What is most exciting to me is we will seamlessly be able to weave in Self-Help’s community impact for clients who are wholly-committed to socially responsible and community investing,” Cox said.

Self-Help will be limiting nonmember DTC term certificates at $20 million. Interested firms that invest in fixed-income products and specialize in socially responsible and impact investment strategies should contact Kristen Cox at Kristen.Cox@self-help.org or 919-956-4630. www.self-help.org

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About Self-Help
Self-Help, a community development credit union and lender headquartered in Durham, NC has provided more than $6.9 billion in financing to 112,000 families, individuals and businesses underserved by traditional financial institutions. It helps drive economic development and strengthen communities by financing homebuyers, nonprofits, childcare centers, community health facilities, public charter schools, and residential and commercial real estate projects. Self-Help Credit Union serves more than 58,000 members across North Carolina, and Self-Help Federal Credit Union serves more than 62,000 members across California, southwest Chicago and central Florida, with a full range of financial products and services.

About Multi-Bank Securities, Inc.
Multi-Bank Securities, Inc. (MBS) is a FINRA-registered, veteran-owned broker-dealer with more than 28 years of experience in underwriting, distributing and funding certificates of deposit for insured financial institutions. We are licensed in all 50 states and uniquely positioned to support this funding resource as many of our core clients meet the requirements to qualify as an eligible nonmember. MBS has settled deposits into more than 3,000 financial institutions and has been a DTC CD underwriter for more than 15 years. Related liquidity outlets provided by MBS include balance sheet liquidity, referred CDs and internet deposits.