Going the extra mile

To say that Carmen Jimenez goes above and beyond is an understatement.

She recalls an older member with mobility issues from an assisted-living facility who couldn’t easily come to a branch to sign documents naming the beneficiaries for her accounts.

A representative at the local adult protective services office reached out to Jimenez, expressing concerns that the situation could lead to elder financial abuse.

“I took it upon myself to bring the proper documentation to her at her facility, along with my colleague to be the second set of eyes, so we could have dual control of the situation,” says Jimenez, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance specialist at $940 million asset Raiz Federal Credit Union in El Paso, Texas. “This person was very grateful that we did this for her. I was very happy to be able to help her. That’s what makes my job so rewarding.”

For her efforts, Jimenez received the credit union’s Star of the Quarter award for the third quarter of 2022. They also were a contributing factor for her Going the Extra Mile annual award.

During this time, Jimenez also completed her leadership development program recertification and the CUNA BSA compliance specialist designation recertification.

“My role is monitoring membership accounts to make sure there’s not any kind of illegal activity going on: elder exploitation, human trafficking, money laundering, or any other type of fraud,” she says. “I’m able to keep our credit union safe by making sure we’re following the correct procedures and that everything is in order if we get audited.”

Beyond BSA compliance, Jimenez shows her commitment to Raiz Federal by decorating for holidays and other celebrations, customizing the occasion for every person and situation.

She’s been involved in planning the Thanksgiving dinner for the credit union’s operation center team members, and she helps with birthdays, baby showers, and spirit week. She also creates customized shirts to celebrate the compliance team’s successes.

“I help out wherever I can. I really love it,” Jimenez says. “I also encourage my team to join me. It helps them to be even more engaged. The rest of the staff is always surprised at how outgoing we are. They say we’re not a typical compliance team. We enjoy these times so much.”