Chrissy Mulholland: Finding Financial Freedom One Conversation at a Time | My Member Story
Financial wellness isn't just about products—it's about partnership. See how Mountain America saved Christmas for Chrissy Mulholland and her daughter.
When Chrissy Mulholland first walked into Mountain America Credit Union more than a decade ago, she wasn't even a member—just someone trying to access money her father had sent from New York. The friendly and respectful staff is what has kept her here all these years later. It’s that personal touch that would prove life-changing for this single mother, guiding her on a path toward financial stability and helping her be a role model to her daughter.
Finding her way to Mountain America
Although Chrissy was born in New York, she considers herself a lifelong Arizonan because she moved there with her parents when she was just nine months old. When the relationship didn’t work out, her father returned to New York, leaving Chrissy and her mother to build their lives in Arizona.
In her younger years, Chrissy’s father didn’t see or talk with her very much. But as she got older and became a single mother herself, he expressed interest in helping her out financially. It wasn’t much—$20 here, $50 there—but it was consistent. Her father used a credit union, so Chrissy took advantage of the shared branching that was offered at Mountain America at that time to access those funds. She didn’t have to be a member to use that service, and the location was convenient.
As the months and years ticked by, Chrissy was struck by the friendliness and respect she felt from the staff with every interaction. “Even when I wasn’t a member, every time I walked in that door, everybody knew me, everybody said hello,” she remembers. “I was a name, not a number. And that was really important to me.”
The breaking point
The catalyst for Chrissy's switch to Mountain America came after a frustrating experience with her big bank. When she lost her job and tried to cancel an automatic car payment, both the bank and loan provider refused to help, each saying the other had to handle it. Despite eventually paying her original loan amount off, overdraft fees had accumulated to nearly $5,000, and the bank threatened repossession within 30 days—all because no one would provide the simple assistance she needed.
Chrissy turned to Mountain America. The representative she spoke with listened to her story and, despite Chrissy not qualifying for an auto loan refinance on paper, the representative took initiative and spoke to the underwriters directly. Chrissy was approved! Now she could pay off the bank fees and keep her car. “I wasn’t judged. I wasn’t made to feel bad about myself,” she reflects. “Because everybody struggles from time to time.”
Building financial foundations
After this experience, Chrissy was ready to be proactive about her finances. She knew she had made some mistakes, but she was ready to learn a better way—not only for herself, but also for her daughter, who would be going off to college soon and needed to understand the fundamentals of financial health.
Chrissy had heard that the credit union offered free financial counseling and couldn’t wait to get started. She was connected with financial guide Becky Beckstead, who listened to Chrissy’s story and worked with her during their monthly meetings. The guidance was easy to grasp mostly because Becky made it feel like two friends chatting instead of someone reprimanding her for her past mistakes. “I find myself being more successful with her because … it’s accountability,” she says. “I’ve been a lot more successful because of that relationship.”
When Christmas almost didn’t come
One recent December, Chrissy got a phone call from Becky explaining that both her auto and personal loans qualified for skip-a-pay—where you can skip a loan payment with no penalty.* This would free up funds to pay for Christmas, and Chrissy was so grateful.
Then, about 10 days before Christmas, disaster struck. While driving her daughter to school, Chrissy’s tire blew on the freeway. Thankfully, they were both uninjured and there was no additional damage to the car, but the financial impact was immediate. She had to pay for a tow to the tire shop and for the tire itself, using the money she had been saving for Christmas gifts.
As soon as she could, Chrissy contacted Becky to explain what happened. Once again, Becky came to the rescue, explaining that Chrissy’s MyStyle® Checking account earns rewards that can be redeemed for cash back or gift cards. She had accumulated enough rewards points to pay for most of the tire.
Between skip-a-pay and her MyStyle® Checking rewards, Chrissy had enough cash left over to have a small Christmas with her daughter. She likes to think that Becky saved Christmas that year.
Making a difference
Today, Chrissy works for the State of Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities, helping people who are struggling to find appropriate housing get placed in a supportive setting so they can live as independently as possible. This work is near and dear to her heart because her daughter is also disabled. She loves making a difference in people’s lives—much like Mountain America has made a difference in hers.
Her dad still lives in New York and comes to visit from time to time.
“I just can’t say enough about Mountain America. It’s a great place to be,” Chrissy says. “Anyone who doesn’t want to bank here is crazy.”
*Deferring payments is not automatic. Members must make a minimum of one loan payment prior to being eligible to skip a payment. A skip-a-pay can be performed a maximum of twice per rolling 12-month period on a given loan and up to four skipped payments over the life of the loan—however, extensions requested from November 1 to December 31 are considered holiday skip-a-pays and do not count toward the four skip-a-pay max. Skip-a-pay is not a forgiveness of the monthly payment, but rather a deferment of the payment. The postponed payment will be added to the end of the loan, which will cause the final payment to be due later than usual. Interest will continue to accrue for the deferred payment. Members must request the skip-a-pay at least five days prior to the payment’s due date. Other restrictions apply.
