Thinking Money: Save, Invest and Protect Yourself from Fraud Seminar

Financial Capability Month is upon us! Join the experts from AARP, FINRA, the SEC, the Offices of the Insurance Commissioner, Secretary of State, and the Washington State Department of Financial institutions on April 26^th from 9:00 AM-2:15 PM for a free consumer education seminar.  

The seminar will cover:

• How behavioral biases and emotions impact your financial decisions
• Ways to make your money last
• How to spot the red flags in financial scams
• Steps you can take to achieve greater financial security

Space is limited so register early!

Call toll-free (877) 926-8300 or register online at

http://aarp.cvent.com/ThinkingMoneyWA

Financial Educators: List Your Classes on DFI’s Calendar

If you provide financial education classes in Washington, be sure to list your classes on DFI’s financial education calendar.

DFI maintains a statewide calendar so that Washington residents can easily find a class near them.

How to submit your event

1) Visit dfi.wa.gov/financial-education/calendar.htm
2) To the right of the calendar is a link for adding a class, click it
3) Enter the details of the class into the form provided, and click submit.
4) It’s that simple!

Learn about DFI: Division of Consumer Services

The next division we are featuring in our learn more about DFI series is the Division of Consumer Services.

DFI’s Division of Consumer Services is responsible for licensing and regulating the business activities of:

• consumer loan companies
• mortgage brokers and loan originators
• escrow agents and officers
• money transmitters and currency exchangers
• tax refund anticipation loan facilitators
• and check cashers and sellers, also known as payday lenders.

Examination and Regulation
The Division of Consumer Services regularly reviews the books and records of individuals and companies they license for compliance with state and federal law.

Learn About DFI: Division of Securities

The next division we are featuring in our learn more about DFI series is the Division of Securities.

DFI’s Division of Securities is responsible for regulating the securities industry in Washington state. The division licenses and regulates the professionals that sell investment products as well as register the investment offerings themselves. The mission statement of the Securities Division is "to protect the investing public and promote confidence in the capital markets."

The Division of Securities is a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association, a group of North America securities regulators. To learn more about NASAA, visit www.nasaa.org.

Learn about DFI: Division of Credit Unions

The next division that we are featuring in our learn more about DFI series is the Division of Credit Unions.

DFI’s Division of Credit Unions examines and supervises Washington state chartered credit unions. Credit unions are cooperative, nonprofit organizations created for the purpose of promoting thrift among their members and providing a source of credit to them.

Credit unions may be chartered under state or federal law. Credit unions that are regulated by DFI are chartered under state law. Credit unions chartered under federal law are examined and supervised by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). You can usually identify federal credit unions by the word “Federal” in their name. For more information about the regulation of federal credit unions, visit the NCUA online at www.ncua.gov.

Learn about DFI: Division of Banks

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be introducing DFI’s five divisions. Each division has a unique role and serves a vital function in protecting Washington consumers.

Today, we start with DFI’s Division of Banks.

The Division of Banks was organized in 1907 and has the responsibility of supervising commercial banks, trust companies, savings banks, savings and loan associations, alien banks, SBA 7A lenders, and business development companies incorporated under the laws of the state of Washington.

Chartering
The Division of Banks charters new banks, business development corporations, trust companies, foreign banks, and savings & loan associations. They also authorize new branches and branch closures; and approve mergers and acquisitions. For a list of banks chartered by the division, visit http://dfi.wa.gov/banks/list.htm.

Small Business Assistance from DFI

This Saturday is the 16th annual Small Business Fair in Renton. Fair attendees will learn from experts how to form and run a successful business, as well as receive many resources.

DFI will be on hand to talk with attendees about our small business assistance programs.

A core mission of the Securities Division of the Department of Financial Institutions is to promote small business capital formation. One way small businesses can raise capital is by selling stock or other securities in their companies.