MEMPHIS, Tenn. -
In Dario Ungredda's new position as housing education counselor for MATCU, he will conduct one-on-one counseling sessions with prospective homeowners, seminars regarding housing issues, and financial literacy education.
"As a bilingual home-buying counselor, my responsibilities will include a wide variety of education topics," Ungredda said.
The $520-million credit union saw a strong need to have someone in this role, Ungredda said.
"The National Credit Union Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Single Housing Family Program, and the Memphis Area Teachers CU are all committed to helping families achieve one of their primary goals in life-buying a home," he said. "Memphis has skyrocketing foreclosure rates and predatory lending victim cases. Through this program we hope to help educate the community to help impact this problem now and in the future."
Ungredda will be responsible for guidance and education on: pre-occupancy, which includes pre-purchase, pre-rent and fair housing; budgeting for mortgage or rent payment; money management; and housing care and maintenance.
He will also be in charge of homebuyer-education programs for which educational materials will used in training sessions for multiple participants. Ungredda will also provide post-purchase, mortgage-default and rent-delinquency counseling.
"We hope to educate our members on a topic that is very important when making a large investment such as buying a home," Ungredda said. "We want to make the process as easy and painless as possible. It is our hope that our members will be educated on every aspect of buying a home so that they are well informed about what to expect in the process and ready to become a proud homeowner."
The housing education counselor position is newly created, thanks to a grant the Memphis Area Teachers CU received from the National Credit Union Foundation, through HUD, to conduct home-buying education courses and financial education.
Ungredda said that his education and background have prepared him for this position. He attended Catholic University Andres Bello in Caracas, Venezuela and the University of Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela. He also served as a bilingual supervisor for a staffing company in Memphis from 2004 to 2006, and was the director of real estate planning in Caracas from 1985-2003. Earlier this year, Ungredda was certified by Neighbor Works America in homebuyer education.
Ungredda said that this background has allowed him to reach the community by writing editorials for the local newspaper, in addition to hosting a radio program on the subject of housing education.
"I hope to contribute and give back to my community by sharing my experience and knowledge on this subject, and by serving those who need help turn a dream of homeownership into reality," Ungredda said.
Memphis Area Teachers Credit Union, founded in 1957, welcomes members from residents of the Memphis area. It has about $520 million in assets, and almost 55,000 members.
READER RESOURCES
For info on this story:
* www.matcu.com
* www.nw.org
* www.ncuf.org
* www.hud.gov
