CU Promise

06/02/2026

Two homes. Same price. Same square footage. Twenty miles apart in Maine.

One costs you hundreds more per month.

The reason is property taxes. In Maine, rates are set at the municipal level. Every town funds its schools, roads, and services independently, which means the mil rate in one community can look completely different from the town next door.

Most buyers compare listing prices when they're searching. Fewer stop to compare what each town charges to live there. But that line item shows up in your mortgage payment every single month.

Before you narrow your search this summer, look up the mil rate in every town you're considering. It's public information, usually posted right on the town's website, and your lender can show you exactly how it changes your monthly number.

The listing price gets your attention. The property tax rate is what you live with.

05/28/2026

There is no rate low enough to feel completely certain about. There is only the point where you've done the preparation, the numbers work, and the house is right.

That said — we understand. Rate-watching is a genuinely hard habit to break. We've been having this conversation with Maine buyers for about three years now.

When you're ready to stop watching and start calculating what actually works for your budget, we're here!

05/27/2026

1,180 independent mortgage banking companies in the United States. 28 female Presidents or CEOs. That's 2.4%.

Lori Michaud has been with CUSO since the day it began servicing mortgages in 1993 — starting as underwriting manager when the doors first opened, and working through more than three decades of rate cycles, market shifts, and industry changes.

She currently serves as President and CEO, Board President for the Maine Association of Mortgage Professionals, and President of the New England Credit Union Real Estate Network.

She grew up in Aroostook County. She has bought a home, raised a family, and built a career in the same communities she now helps other families find their footing in.

The numbers in mortgage and banking leadership are improving, but there is still a real gap between who works in this industry and who leads it. Lori has been helping close that gap for a long time, well before it became a talking point.

We are proud to have her leading CUSO! 💕 🙌

05/25/2026

To those who served, and to the families who waited for them at home — thank you.

Happy Memorial Day from everyone at CUSO.

05/20/2026

Congratulations to Christina Carter, newly appointed President of Midcoast Federal Credit Union, one of CUSO's credit union partners.

Christina steps into the role with more than 25 years of credit union leadership experience and has served on Midcoast FCU's senior executive team since 2018. She's widely respected for her operational expertise and her collaborative approach.

The transition is part of a planned, Board-approved succession. Joe Gervais continues as CEO through his planned retirement in mid-2027, giving the organization a defined window for continuity. After more than a decade leading Midcoast FCU and 30+ years in credit unions, Joe's mark on this transition shows in how thoughtfully it's been structured.

This is what cooperative values look like in practice. Planning ahead. Putting people first. Building for the long term.

Congratulations to Christina, Joe, and the entire Midcoast FCU team.

Source: https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/midcoast-fcu-names-christina-carter-president-as-part-of-planned-succession/

05/18/2026

On April 29th, around 500 volunteers walked into the field house at the University of Maine and got to work.

Three hours later, 80,000 meals were packed and heading to 26 food pantries across Maine, from Aroostook County to Cumberland.

And our team was right there in the thick of it. Five hundred people in a gym, working side by side. Students, families, businesses, and credit unions. All moving in the same direction for a few wonderful hours.

Maine has one of the higher food insecurity rates in the country. And while events like the Maine Day Meal Pack-Out don't fix that on their own, they certainly show what a community looks like when it decides to take care of its own.

We were glad we were part of it and appreciate all of the volunteers who made the event happen. 🫶🏼

05/15/2026

A few numbers worth knowing if you're buying or selling in Maine this spring.

→ Statewide inventory is up roughly 25% year over year.
→ The median days on market has extended to around 60 days, compared to the near-instant timelines that defined 2021 and 2022.
→ Mortgage rates are trending toward the upper 6% range for qualified buyers, but down meaningfully from the 7% range that slowed activity through 2023 and 2024.

What this means practically: buyers have more choices and more time than they've had in several years. Southern and coastal Maine remain competitive, but the pressure of recent years has eased in most markets.

For buyers who put things on hold waiting for a better environment, this is closer to it than anything we've seen in a while.

Questions about what these conditions mean for your specific situation? Our loan officers are a good place to start. https://cusohl.com/our-loan-officers/

05/14/2026

Most buyers fixate on the rate. But the rate is one number in a much bigger equation.
On a $350,000 home, the difference between a 6.1% and a 5.8% rate is about $64 a month.

Meanwhile, five years of modest appreciation and principal paydown can put $96,000 of equity in your corner.

Our latest blog breaks down the math: what your rate actually costs, how equity builds over time, and five questions worth asking before you decide whether to buy now or keep waiting.

Read it here: https://cusohl.com/mortgage-rate-vs-home-equity-which-number-matters-more/

Should you wait for lower mortgage rates in Maine? See how equity accumulation, local appreciation, and time in the market compare to a slightly better rate.

05/13/2026

Tomorrow: MBA Town Hall — MAA Action Week Special Edition + Quarterly Briefing Thursday, May 14 at 3:00 PM ET. Free for MBA and MAA members.

If you want to hear directly from MBA leadership on what's happening in housing policy right now and how advocacy is shaping it, this is worth an hour of your afternoon.

Register: mba.org/maawebinar