Member Story: Nick Dumas

The first time Nick Dumas turned to Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union, he was newly out of high school and working at a factory in Tupper Lake in the early 2000s. He had moved into an apartment, and every month paid his rent in cash. One day, his landlord told him, “You need a bank account, Nick. You can give me a check every month, and that will help build your credit.”

So he opened an account, at another bank in town, and paid rent faithfully. That went on for about a year, and then his old car gave up the ghost. So Nick went into the bank and asked for a $2,000 loan. And they told him that he still didn’t have enough credit.

“I don’t understand,” he complained to his co-workers a day later. “That’s ridiculous.” That’s when they told him: You need to go talk to Adirondack Regional FCU. They’ll help you sort it out.

Today, more than a dozen loans later — for cars, a wedding, and other personal expenses — he remains a devoted credit union member. The reason, he says, is simple: The people here. And how hard they work to help members through the thorniest of situations.

“When I lived in Tupper Lake, if I needed a personal loan, we’d review my debt, my income, and even if I wasn’t in the greatest of places from a numbers standpoint, (senior loan officer) Sandy Churco would do everything she could to help me get the loan,” he says. “I’ve moved, but now Lauren Patnode in Plattsburgh does the same thing.” 

Any institution can work with a customer who has pristine credit. Like many people, though, Nick’s finances have taken a few bumps over the past two decades; an ill-considered investment in a time-share left him in an especially deep hole that he’s still climbing out of, and he acknowledges some other lapses as well. 

Even so, he knows he can turn to Adirondack Regional FCU for solutions. When he needs a car, for example, he’ll go to Patnode and ask how large an auto loan he can get, and then find a vehicle in that price range.  

“Having somebody in your corner that will help you get back on track and be successful is a rare find,” says Nick, who has built a successful side-business selling electronic components internationally while also holding a full-time job as a supervisor at a Plattsburgh factory. “And that’s my relationship with the credit union.”

Even though money is a tough topic for many to discuss, he knows he’s not alone in his journey, and he’s eager to share the message. “There’s a lot of people out in the world that maybe haven’t made the best decisions from a credit standpoint that struggle every day because of it,” he says. And the same way his co-workers steered him to Adirondack Regional FCU, he, too, tells others the same.  

He has another message to share, also:  “My family and I want to thank the credit union for the years of service they’ve provided us to help bring some of our dreams to reality,” he says.