You Get What You Pay For

THE PRESIDENT'S FIASCO

Last Wednesday, Priority One Credit Union conducted another of its all-staff quarterly meetings, during which employees are provided information about the credit union's performance and about changes the credit union will introduce to improve business. However, this quarter's meeting differed from all previous quarterly meeting conducted in over the past 10 years. 

The information dispensed during the meeting about the credit union's performance could be described as unenlightening and even disinterest, but President Wiggington, AVP, Rodger Smock, and COO, Beatrice Walker, had plans to make this quarter's meeting one that will not be easily forgotten. 

NOT AN ACADEMY AWARD PERFORMANCE

After covering the usual mundane financial topics which rarely ever reveal the credit union's actual financial standing, COO, Beatrice Walker, walked to the podium and standing before the room of attendees read from a piece of paper which she held tightly in her hands. During the several seconds in which she spoke, her voice quivered and she never looked up at her audience. 

Segueing from the topic of financials, she nervously accused an unnamed group of employees of spreading rumors that she embezzled monies while employed by Honda Federal Credit Union. Despite her poor delivery, she got the attention of every attendees. She declared the rumors an utter lie and labeled them slanderous. She announced that there were two officers from Honda Federal Credit Union who would answer questions about the rumors and state in no uncertain terms, that Mrs. Walker was never involved in thefts of money from their credit union. 

Employees looked around the room, searching for the two officers, but no one entered the room.  Some employees turned and asked their workers if they'd ever heard rumors about Ms. Walker embezzling money from a former employer, but no one had heard the rumors. The reason why people had not heard allegations of Ms. Walker's involvement in embezzlement is because no such rumors had ever circulated at any of the credit union's branches. 

HER TRUE COLORS

Ms. Walker was an accomplice in a poorly developed ploy to slander the writers of this blog and accuse us of fabricating rumors about the new COO, Of course, what we publish is factual otherwise would the President react so vehemently, launching campaigns slandering employee reputations? Ms. Walker's willing participation in the embarrassing and childish plot speaks volumes about her character, ethics, and her lack of self-discipline. We've wondered about Ms. Walker's character and her purpose at the credit union and the spectacle she created, confirms that she was hired by the President to serve as his own, personal tool. Furthermore, the officers from Honda Federal Credit Union who she said would answer employee questions, never materialized. It was part of the sham she willingly perpetrated. 

Ms. Walker has been the subject of one of our previous posts in which we provide excerpts from an NCUA docket in which her name is referenced while she served in the capacity of Call Center Supervisor with Honda Federal Credit Union.

At the time, a temporary employee assigned to Ms. Walker completed two credit card applications in the names of his grandparents and forged their signatures. He next asked Ms. Walker to review only one of the two applications which she promptly signed without verifying the information contained in the document. 

The employee later managed to increase the limits on each card. He began charging merchandise on each before an investigation revealed that he'd committed fraud. 

When interviewed, he said Ms. Walker approved the increase limits for each card, she she adamantly denied.

Though we don't believe she authorized the increases on either credit card, she did approve one of the applications without conducted those procedures needed to prove the applicant's eligibility. At no time have we ever accused her of embezzling money or of even being an accomplice to her former employee's deception, but according to the NCUA documents she did approve one of the credit card applications which was a violation of Honda's procedures.

However, Ms. Walker's outlandish and embarrassing performance brings into question her ethics and why she willingly chose to bring attention to an incident that occurred while she was employed by Honda Federal Credit Union. What's more, she chose to distort the truth by intentionally perpetrating a lie. Her behavior is as disturbing as anything done by President Wiggington. 

Here is an excerpt from page three of the NCUA's docket:

Recommended Decision and Order

"Walker, in her sworn declaration attests that she did not give Respondent permission or approval to open an account for any one who was not a credit union member, nor assist him by filling in an applicant's employee identification number or mailing account application forms to anyone on his behalf. WALKER FURTHER ATTESTS THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS RECORDS INDICATE THAT SHE APPROVED A REQUEST TO INCREASE THE CREDIT LIMIT ON ONE OF THE RESPONDENTS GRANDPARENTS ACCOUNTS..."

EFFECTIVE VS. INEFFECTIVE 

Since 2007, the emotionally undisciplined President began removing departments and processes which once drove business  through which profit was generated and membership, increased. 

His reasons for decimating the Marketing Department and compromising security was borne out of his personal belief system which is spurred by his unfetter imagination. With President Wiggington, his beliefs are not based on tangible evidence but rather on what he believes is the truth. 

Priority One was formerly known as the Postal Credit Union of Los Angeles. Due to its expansion and acquisition of community charters which expanded the scope of who could become a member, the credit union found it necessary to change its name to better express its relationship to members. 

Under President Harris, the name was changed to Priority One Credit Union. The acronym of its new name is POCU which discreetly retained its former identity as the Post Office Credit Union. 

Mr. Harris understood that importance of attracting member interest to the credit union's products and services was contingent upon effective marketing. In response, he implemented a marketing department which over the years, amassed annual industry awards recognizing Priority One's imaginative promotions and highly successful products. 

 At the time, the Marketing Department contracted the services of Andermahr and Company who helped in realizing the credit union's intended promotions. In the 1990's, the credit union asked Andermahr to help design a more modern logo for the growing credit union. At the time, Connie Andermahr affirmed the need for a new logo, stating "Because the credit union was changing its name and soliciting new members that were unaware of the credit union, it was very important that they promote their long history...." 

Years later, an industry vendor publicly complimented Andemahr's for designing a 75th anniversary brochure for the Priority One which epitomized the credit union's long history by integrating decades old photographs of postal carriers and embodied in sleep, modern publication which meshed vintage photographs in a modern and tasteful production. 

Priority One's former Director of Marketing said, "[Because] We want consistency, we do everything through Connie [Andermahr]" and adding, "Andermahr prides herself on achieving long-lasting relationships with credit unions-she has worked with credit unions other than Priority One CU nine, 13 and 21 years, respectively." 

In regards to her company's relationship with Priority One, Connie Andermahr stated, "I like to be called a partner, so most of my relationships are very long. I'm able to be proactive in what we do on a marketing campaign. To win an award, there must be a super campaign and the creative brief must be extremely well planned" and adding that it is imperative that any business identify their competitors and find ways to differentiate themselves from other company. 

 Source: http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Andermahr_Connie_229474850.aspx

In contrast to President Harris, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. has no concept of the role of marketing to business. In 2007, he unexpectedly dismantled the Marketing Department, demoted its Director to Marketing Coordinator and instead, installed a marketing committee staffed by the Lead Consumer Loan Officer, the South Pasadena Branch Manager, the VISA Card Specialist, the AVP of Lending, and AVP's, Rodger Smock and Aaron Cavazos. 

None of the committee's had experience or an education in marketing. Furthermore, their only responsibilities were to select graphics and copy for upcoming promotions. Subsequently, Charles R. Wiggington's less expensive marketing committee was nothing more than an advertising committee with no understanding of what was needed to study the credit union's diverse marketplaces. This was by far, one of the President's most inane moves and one which would cost the credit union tremendous losses. 

On the surface, his excuse for dismantling the Marketing Department was to save money. In January 2007, he declared that his predecessor had wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing efforts and he promised he could achieve much more spending much less money. As time would prove. President Wiggington couldn't have been more wrong.

The committee was responsible for a series of failed promotions, often printed on cheap paper stock and utilizing unimaginative graphics and poorly written ad copy. It was also the marketing committee that created the annual reports which are frugal in appearance. It's one thing to be cost-effective and another to appear cheap. Charles R. Wiggington Sr. has achieved "cheap."   

Erasing the Past

President Wiggington has spent more than two and a half years focusing on obliterating all memory of his predecessor and of those employees who were loyal to former President Harris. He's also indulged in malicious gossip, forging plots which slander employees, and creating stories to cover-up his miserable performance. 

His decisions are wrought from pure, undisciplined, childish emotion. There is something disturbing about a person whose efforts are grounded in vengeance, but why is he driven to disrupt the credit union's working environment? 

Instead of focusing on strategical planning, he is obsessed with undermining people who he is threatened by. He has often said that staff are jealous of him and resentful that he was appointed President but the basis for his statements is grounded in fear. He is paranoid and often stating that he knows people want what he has. He, by the way, has absolutely nothing that anyone would ever want or envy. 

His incompetence has placed Priority One in a state of deterioration. His responses to problems is to implement quick fixes. And from what we've seen since 2007, he lacks the ability to stop accelerating decline. 

In 2007, he refused to abide to security protocols and as a result of his refusal, ballots were mailed to members in envelopes on whose exterior were printed member account and social security numbers. Members responded angrily forcing the credit union to spend $100,000 on contracting the services of Equifax's Credit Watch program. The program was offered at no cost to members for a 12-month period and was designed to monitor member credit activity. 

Recently, the President instructed the Member Services Department to try dissuade members who request enrollment in Credit Watch, citing that use of the program will incur costs to the credit union. Clearly, his offer to a free year's subscription to Credit Watch was disingenuous. What's more, it was he who caused the breach in security, yet the President continues in his refusal to accept accountability for his very avoidable blunder.  

We believe someone will find Jimmy Hoffa and the Loch Ness Monster before we'll ever witness Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. act like the President of the credit union. 

The Mouth that Ate Priority One

Unbridled Verbosity

Have you ever seen those plastic wind-up teeth that when wound, move across a flat surface, chattering incessantly? That's what its like to be forced to endure the daily non-business related ramblings of Priority One Credit Union's President, Charles R. Wiggington,.Sr. Each day at the credit union's main office in South Pasadena, California

while employees work, the President stops off to jabber about the same stale topics- his allegedly above-average intellect, his profound skills as President, and most often, he talks about subjects that are deemed highly confidential. 

Despite his uncontrollable verbosity, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. is not an interesting speaker though that's probably because the scope of what he has to say is extremely limited and always about the same thing. 

We thought it only appropriate to share SOME things that the President has talked about over the past 4 years that make Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. what he is. 

October 2005

While speaking to the Real Estate Loan Officer, he recounts how while at the home of the Director of Human Resources, Rodger Smock, he noticed a frame photograph of a former employee named Henry Campos atop Mr. Smock's nightstand. Mr. Wiggington states that Rodger Smock is a homosexual and laughingly describes him as a "sissy." 

April 2006

The President mocks the Real Estate Loan Officer, the same woman he's sexually harassed for years and in front of her co-workers, accuses her being attracted to Director, O. Glen Saffold. He exclaims loudly "You like Saffold. You want him. Leave Jenny's (Generis Kirby's) man alone." 

June 2006

Mr. Wiiggington explodes into a rage when he learns that the Board of Directors has asked President William e. Harris remain at the credit union to at least, the end of the year. He calls the Director of Human Resources, Rodger Smock, and the CFO, Manny Gaitmaitan, into his office and complains about the Board's request. He had been told months earlier that Mr. Harris would be retiring in June 2006 and had been lobbying to be named the President's successor. 

Wednesday August 16, 2006: About a Member

While a young and attractive member walks through the lobby of the Loan Department in South Pasadena, an excited Mr. Wiggington enters the cubilcile belonging to Director of Lending, Aaron Cavazos, and though  the Director is in the midst of a meeting, Mr. Wiggington leans over his desk an says audibly, "Man, oh man, I'd sure like to hit that ass. Look at that ass!"

Monday, May 14, 2007

While on the phone, speaking to officer, Karen Burgon of the Riverside office, M. Wiggington becomes incensed when Ms. Burgon informs him that the instruction he's just provided is incorrect and not consistent to credit union procedure. After conclusion of the call, he states, "I'm gonna get that woman. You'll see."  

June 16, 2007 

Lead Consumer Loan Officer, Georgina Duenas, conveys a meeting with the Loan Department staff during which she informs them that President Wiggington is displeased about how trash is being discarded into employee trash cans. She states that on June 8, 2007,  the President conducted a meeting in the Board Room during which he told managers and leads that an audit of the company's procedures had revealed that some documents being thrown into employee trash cans contained confidential member information. 

He also held up a photograph of the alleyway located behind the South Pasadena branch which had been taken by the credit union's security camera and showed an image of a man scavenging through the credit union's large metal bin. He told attendees that the man was searching for information about credit union members though no one asked the man what it was he was searching for. It was pure conjecture based on what the President believed to be true. 

Incensed that employees were discarding documents containing confidential member information, the President ordered that all trash including metal soda cans, Styrofoam cums and any other materials intended to be discarded, be placed in recycling bins. When informed that the cans were only to be used for discarded recyclable materials, he angrily replied, "Fuck them (the company which provides the cans). If they don’t like it, we can go with another company.” 

Thursday, July 19, 2007: 

Board Director, Joe Marchica calls the South Pasadena branch to schedule an appointment to meet with President Wiggington to discuss some of the acts the former Director of Marketing had been subjected to. 

Later that day, while walking with Rodger Smock through Credit Resolutions, the President complains loudly that he does not wish to meet with Mr. Marchica and insists that his administrative assistant could have made more of an effort to send Mr. Marchica away. 

Thursday, July 26, 2007

While standing in the lounge room speaking to Assistant Vice Presidents, Dane Simmons, the President tells a story of how during a recent business trip to Chicago just a few days earlier, he danced with a “fat 25 year old woman” who he insisted, “she wanted it man. She really wanted it.”

Friday, October 19, ,2007

The President tells the Loan Officer, Sonia Villa, "Oh come on, don't tease him", referring to Director of Lending, Aaron Cavazos. "I like him. He reminds me of when I was younger. A real go getter. He sets his goals and accomplishes them." He continues, describing Mr. Cavazos as a man who always provides for his family.

The comments contradict disclosures made over the years in complaints filed about Mr. Cavazos which accused him of abusively harassing staff, of sexual harassment, retaliating against employees he said did not like him, of returning to work inebriated following 2 and 3 hour lunch periods, and of using his office in South Pasadena for personal business. 

Though in 2006, the President ignored the complaints and promoted the Director to Assistant Vice President of Operations, in 2008, following an argument, the President used the complaints filed over the years to terminate Mr. Cavazos.  

December 31, 2007

Languishing comfortably on a loveseat located alongside the VISA Card Specialist's desk located in the Loan Department, President Wiggington, Sr. loudly complains about former Card Specialist Whitni, who recently transferred to the LAPDC to serve as Lead Loan Teller.

He laughingly recounts how Whitni once complained that she was over-worked and her work had become backlogged. She asked her supervisor, Aaron Cavazos, for assistance but he refused to assign anyone to help her. The President and says that Whitni told him, "I am so stressed I had to go see a shrink!"

The President states that because she had been the subject of numerous complaints over the years that he was forced to "put her in her place." 

The new Card Specialist asks why if Whitni's performance were that unsatisfactory, then why did he approve her transfer to the LAPDC and her promotion to Lead Teller.

The President pauses momentarily and says, "I admit that was a mistake. I feel like calling Lynnette and telling her about it" adding that what he liked about Whitni was her "aggressiveness."

The Director of Marketing

In August 2007, while languishing comfortably in the Consumer Loan Department, the President wove a tale while 5 loan processors and officers sat within hearing difference about how earlier that year, he was visited in his office by AVP, Liz Campos. During their meeting, Mrs. Campos allegedly complained that the Marketing Director was "out to get me." He said that he knew that the Marketing Director had never liked Mrs. Campos. 

He also disclosed that he knew for a fact that it was the Marketing Director who mailed the anonymous letter about Mrs. Campos' checking account abuses, to Board Director, David Davidson. Mr. Davidson delivered the letter to the credit union's attorney, William Adler, who afterwards contacted the Board and ordered an investigation of Mrs. Campos' Priority One accounts. An investigation and audit conducted by in-house Auditor, Sonny Pinat, disclosed Mrs. Campos had been kiting- a federal offense. Furthermore, it was discovered that she used checking accounts from three financial institutions, including Priority One Credit Union, to violate federal law. 

The President's tall tale suggests he is more than a little daft. The fact is, he had no evidence proving the Director of Marketing exposed his hand-picked AVP of kiting. His story reveals that President Wiggington is a man who can't at all comprehend the gravity of the acts committed by Mrs. Campos. He is obsessively focused on the anonymous individual who wrote the letter. What's more, from his story, it is the person who exposed the violation of federal law who is the villain in his little tawdry story distorting what actually transpired. Could it be the President lacks the emotional stability to accept the fact that one of his AVP's violated federal law? Is it so unpalatable to his sensibilities to accept that his AVP commented more than 24 separate NSF incidents to her Priority One checking account during the months of September and October 2006? Did President Wiggington forget or intentionally erase from his memory that he authorized the reversal of each NSF fee incurred by each of Mrs. Campos' abuses? 

Furthermore, it was the Director of Marketing who submitted a recommendation to former President, William E. Harris, which resulted in Mrs. Campos promotion from Business Development Representative to Branch Manager of the  Burbank office.

What evidence did the President have that proved the former Director of Market composed the letter sent to the Board's Director? Absolutely nothing. President Wiggington is not a man who wishes to inconvenienced with something like evidence. Over the years, whenever he received complaints that an employee violated policies, he bypassed obtaining evidence and immediately sought to implement disciplinary measures. 
  
And why would the alleged defender of credit union policies sit on a loveseat and divulge highly confidential information to the VISA Card Specialist that she should not have been privy to? And why did he deem it appropriate to verbalize loudly in the presence of 5 members of the Loan Department? 

It's important to remember that the President is a man who rarely tells the truth, often avoids accountability when exposed, and addictively needs to delve out scapegoats for his horrendous decisions and inappropriate statements. 

January 4, 2008

During January 4th, President Wiggington could not refrain from spending the day sharing his disparaging opinions about some of the credit union's past staff members. While conducting what should have been a closed door meeting, President Wiggington told AVP, Patricia Loiacano, he stated that he was selected to President and CEO because "I played the game and won" and "I beat the others. Where are they and where am I?"

His statements disparage the Board of Directors who admitted they selected him because of what Priority One "needs a Black President." The fact is, the Board should have been colored blind and their reasoning for choosing Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. was absurd and smacks of racism. The President statements suggest the Board is so unintelligent that the easily manipulated each Director because in his words, he "played the game and won." 

The President also admitted to Mrs. Loiacano that he terminated the former Director of Marketing because she "complained about Liz Campos." and continuing to speak abou the former Director of Marketing, he arrogantly asked, "The one who complained [about Mrs. Campos] isn't here anymore. Do you see her?"

What President Wiggington failed to state during his bragging session is that Mrs. Campos was found guilty of kiting and thus, violated federal law, She should have been arrested, booked and prosecuted but for some reason, the gabby President failed to mention this. 

About Former President, William E. Harris

Later, that same day, while lounging on a love seat located alongside the VISA Card Specialist's desk and while the Loan Department staff were all president, The President criticized his predecessor, William E. Harris alleging that Mr. Harris was "always jealous of me" and describing his predecessor as "old school" and lacking the vision that would carry Priority One into the future. 

We can't imagine anything that Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. possesses to be jealous of. Can you? I can't be his ghettoization of the English language. I certainly isn't his hygiene. And its certainly not his keen abilities as a strategist. Does he believe people are jealous of his sexual escapades he once bragged about on a daily basis until an investigation proved he sexually harassed a former employee? The President should know that no one at any branch has ever believed his stories about sex. 

Under Mr. Harris, the credit union consistently grew in size and in membership. He introduced technologies and Priority One was a credit union for offering quality products and services. Why then, would Mr. Harris ever feel even slightly jealous of an uncouth officer who in 2008 was found guilty of sexual harassment?

President Wiggington is a man whose personal habits are an embarrassment and include the public scratching of his genitalia or his enunciation which caused him to pronounce Indianapolis not Annapolis! By the way, its Toyota not Tajota.

While speaking to the Card Specialist (and the entire Loan Department staff) he described the merger with Inland Counties Postal Credit union as "a mess" and "bad move" orchestrated by his predecessor and said that the had spent months and months “trying to clean up Harris' mess.” Why did should the VISA Card Specialist have been privy to this information?

About Lynnette Fortson, AVP

The President also disclosed that he recently decided to prohibit the AVP of the Los Angeles and Airport branches, Lynnette Fortson, from accessing PEMCO but chose to return it to her “to keep her mouth shut” and avoiding listening to her complain for "taking (PEMCO) it from her and having to listen to her complaints is more trouble than it’s worth."

About O. Glen Saffold, Board Member

He expressed his disdain for Board Director, O. Glen Saffold who in his words, "had the audacity" to advise that the President "to dress more like a CEO." He described Mr. Saffold as "having some nerve" and said Mr. Saffold should focus on his own fashion and added that Mr. Saffold is "useless." 

We don't disagree with Mr. Saffold. His advice was sound. What we disagree with is Mr. Saffold's hypocrisy and his constant racist declarations that "the White man is the cause of all of the Afro-American community's problems. We also advise that the self-proclaimed Christian take an introspective at his beliefs because we're certain that supporting the illegal acts perpetrated by and under Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. is a violation of t he commandments upon which his spiritual beliefs are allegedly based. 

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The President recounted an incident that occurred during a receent visit to the home of Senior Vice President, Rodger Smock. While in Mr. Smock's bedroom, located on the second floor of his home, the President noticed a framed photograph standing atop one of the Senior Vice President's night stands. The photograph was of  former FSR, Henry Campos. 

The President exclaimed, "I don't get the guy (Rodger Smock). Can you believe him and his lifestyle? 

The only question we have is, what was the President doing in Mr. Smock's bedroom?

February 2008

While visiting Rodger Smock's office, the President tells the Senior Vice President that earlier that day, he received a telephone call from Board Chair, Diedra Harris-Brooks, and informed him that though Director, Fernando Kelley, lost the recently held election, she was going to try and reinstate him as a non-voting member. He laughingly declared that this was a wonderful plan that would personally, help him out. 

February 2008

Senior Vice President, Rodger Smock, informs President Wiggington that Board Chair, Diedra Harris-Brooks, has ordered that all advertising mock-ups be submitted to her for review and approval before these are sent to the credit union's contracted printing company. Irked, the President says, "Diedra is an ass. She can't tell me what to do!"

November, 2008

During a credit union luncheon, President Wiggington tells some of his staff that while in his early 20's, he and a friend went to a night club. Later that evening, they returned to his apartment with three women in tow. One of the women, "a fat girl" took Mr. Wiggington by his hand and "dragged" him into the bedroom." While he and the woman had sex, his friend and the other two women left the apartment because, according to the President, "they felt uncomfortable." He tells the employees who were forced to listen to his story that the experience taught him that "fat women are good in bed" and "always grateful.”

To describe President Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. as merely incorrigible is a huge understatement. The highest officer of the credit union has proven time and time again that he is uncouth, vulgar and clearly, not what any company should ever want in a President. 

There's no argument, the man has issues- many personal issues. There is some disturbing about a man who continually feels a need to talk about the most confidential and personal subjects. He is a brute who forces his staff to listen unendingly to his distorted opinions and perverse stories. 

His disclosures are also a clear violation of credit union policies and his statements are fodder for gossip which nowadays rages across the once thriving credit union. Maybe if he focused on resolving the many problems he's intentionally and unintentionally created. Choosing to act as a dictator and not an elected officer is what differentiates President Wiggington from other Presidents. Clearly, he's exceeded his appropriated authority. What's more, its difficult if not impossible to understand why the highest officer of the credit union deemed it appropriate to stretch comfortably across a loveseat and divulge highly confidential information about credit union personnel to the VISA Card Specialist and in the presence of 5 members of the Loan Department. Should he be subjected to disciplinary actions described under policy? Yes, of course. 

Mrs. Rivers Slams Us

One Reader's Criticism

Earlier today, we received an email from "Mrs. Rivers." The contents are a scathing criticism of the former Marketing Director who was harassed, subjected to abuse and finally laid-off by Priority One Credit Union's President, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. We don't know who Mrs. Rivers is but based on the writing, our guess is its one of Priority One's managers. Here is Mrs. Rivers message: 

"The Marketing Director is not the innocent angel you have made her out to be. If she did not like you  you better believe she would make working intolerable. She never really did any Marketing (that's what Andermahr was for). She had her defender (Mr. Harris). She did not have a Marketing degree either by the way, you forgot to mention that John. That's why $500,000.00 was spent with them [Andemarhr] each year, you forgot to mention that too. If you are going to put something out there and ruin peoples lives, then stick to the thruth, the whole thruth and nothing but the truth."

We've reviewed our posts and can't find anything that insinuates the former Marketing Director was an angel. Mrs. Rivers also failed to provide where in our posts have we alluded to the former Director as an angel. 

According to the writer, the former Director apparently had employees she favored and those she didn't. The latter were allegedly subjected to intolerable working conditions. That is an interesting allegation as there are apparently no complaints filed with the credit union, State's Labor Board or Department of Fair Employment and Housing, documenting intolerable working conditions created by the former Director. 

The writer is evidently confused in stating that the Director of Marketing did not actually do anything related to marketing. While she served as Director over marketing, the credit union was the recipient of dozens of awards issued by the industry and recognizing Priority One for its innovative marketing strategies, promotions and advertising. Since the Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. was appointed President on January 1, 2007, the credit union has not received a single aware. 

And though its true, that the credit union contracted the services of Andermahr and Associates, hiring marketing consultants is not unusual for any credit union. In the case of the Priority One, it helped garner recognition from industry peers. 

And it was Mr. Harris who appointed the Director of Marketing and it is not unreasonable to view him as her defender but Mrs. Rivers is hypocritically defending President Wiggington. 

And $500,000 was never spend per year on the services of Andermahr and Associates. The credit union's Monthy Income Statement reveal annual expenditures were a tenth of this at most. 

And Mrs. Rivers asks that we tell the thruth. Unfortunately, we have no idea what thruth is. Is it a city in Norway? 

We ask that in the future use some other pseudonym. May we suggest, Sodger Rmock. 

 

Where is Human Resources?

STIRRING THE POT

The posts on this blog describe incidents that have occurred at Priority One Credit Union starting on January 1, 2007, the date Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. began his appointment as President and CEO of a then successful credit union and incidents which are currently ensuing and contributing to the credit union's decaying infrastructure. 

Since the inception of this blog in January of this year, the President and some members of his staff and the Board of Directors have moved quickly to denounce our reports, labeling what we disclosure as lies and conjecture and threatening to "shut you down." One department participating in the President's campaign to stop us is Human Resources who is under direction of Senior Vice President, Rodger Smock. 

With this in mind, does it at all seem peculiar that Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. has spent years violating Priority One's policies and state and federal laws without Human Resources ever interceding to try and stop behaviors that may soon place the credit union in a legally precarious position? 

One has to ask, where was Human Resources when the President committed his assault against the former Director of Marketing and during the first six months in 2007, expelled her from her former office and reassigned her to a desk in the company's file room? Following a surge of complaints by employees that he move her back to the executive wing, he demoted her from Director to Marketing Coordinator and placed her under supervision of AVP, Aaron Cavazos, who had for years expressed his disdain for the Marketing Director. 

Where was Human Resources during the years he sexually harassed a then Real Estate Loan Officer, frequently threatening to "whip your ass", "spank that ass", "give yo what you want" and "sop you up like gravy." 

Where was Human Resources when the new Van Nuys Branch Manager, D. Centeno, discovered that employees of the branch were not adhering to state-mandated security procedures? The employees complained to their former Branch Manager, Sylvia Perez, who on January 1, 2007, was promoted to the post of AVP by President Wiggington. Mrs. Perez reacted by concocting fraudulent accusations against D. Centeno and using the fabricated excuses, terminated the Branch manager with the assistance of Human Resources' Director, Rodger Smock.  

And what about former Business Development Representative ("BDR"), C. Freed, who was constantly subjected to harassment by President Wiggington and AVP's, Sylvia Perez and Liz Campos, and by Burbank Branch Manager, Linda Nisely? C. Freed sought help from Director, Rodger Smock, but the aged Director refused to document any of her complaints and in the end, used fraudulent accusations documented by Mrs. Perez and President Wiggington, to terminate the BDR. 

In a forthcoming post, we will describe two incidents in which employees filed complaints against the former Director of Lending and were immediately afterwards retaliated against by the Director and forced to endure a hostile working environment. In both cases, the employees visited Human Resources and reported the abuses to Rodger Smock. The Director never documented either complaint, never initiated investigations and in the end, ignored each employee's concerns. 

Mr. Smock never considered that his decision to don an apathetic attitude and squash the complaints by not responding to either grievant, might become public. Mr. Smock has proven to be an ineffective director, allowing the President and preferred managers to violate credit union policies and state and federal laws, why seeking to stringently enforce policies violated by staff members who are disliked and targeted for termination by the President. It is a fact, President Wiggington could never have carried out scurrilous campaigns against certain staff members had Rodger Smock not willingly allowed him to do so. It is also Mr. Smock who has consistently allowed the President to divulge highly confidential information about current and past employees, including disclosing why he terminated certain staff and making inflammatory statements about the characters and physical appearances of employees he disliked. 

Under Rodger Smock, Human Resources has become the means by which President Wiggington and his cronies are able to abuse employees without fear of ever being cited by the deplorable Senior Vice President. Since Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. was appointed President, gossip, the maligning of employee reputations, and conflicts amongst staff members have become commonplace and part of what was once a healthy and wonderful working environment. In fact, there was probably a lot less intrigue in the court of Louis XVI.

Marketing, Schmarketing

A SHOT IN THE FOOT

Most people might agree that a Marketing Department is a critical component of any credit union and that the department is necessary in understanding an organization's marketplace and developing products, services, and promotions that satisfy the needs and wants of its members. Evidently, this truth is not one shared by Priority One Credit Union's President, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. 

In 2007, President Wiggington decided on his own and without input by any of his officers that he would dismantle Priority One's prize-winning Marketing Department and remove its Director and instead, install a marketing committee staffed by employees of the Loan, Card Services and Member Services departments, none of who had an education or any experience in anything related to marketing. It was an unadulterated doltish decision that would prove detrimental to what had been a thriving credit union. 

The President unveiled his new creation, declaring it would be far more effective in helping develop new business than had been the former prize-winning Marketing Department. He also placed tremendous emphasis on the fact that the marketing committee would save the credit union tens of thousands of dollars. In his words, "I'll show them how to get results for less money." He was wrong. 

The President also appointed Aaron Cavazos, the AVP of Lending, to head the new marketing committee despite the fact Mr. Cavazos had no experience or education in anything related to Marketing. To date, the once highly touted committee has done nothing more than select language and graphics for impending promotions, reducing them to an advertising committee. Clearly, Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. does not realize that marketing and advertising are not synonymous. It is his ignorance which is contributing to the credit union's current decline.  

Priority One's largest sector of members are the employees of the United States Postal Service. It is after all postal carriers who founded Priority One, then known as the Credit Union of Los Angeles, in 1926. 

Priority One's territory which President Wiggington has divided into regions, extends from the Santa Clarita Valley in the north to the Riverside/San Diego border in the south. The vast territory is compromised of varied demographics. The credit union is community chartered in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys which means, anyone living, working or worshiping in the regions is eligible for membership.  In the city of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, a person must be an employee or have a relative employed by the United States Postal Service or being employed by a contracted Select Employer Group. 

The Marketing Director displaced by the President had more than ten years of experience in marketing and over the years, had developed strong ties with representatives of other credit unions, with marketing companies, and with vendors. As stated previously, while serving as Director, she garnered numerous awards for promotions and advertising commissioned by her. 

Last December, Priority One posted an advertisement for a "Holiday Relief Loan." Under former President William E. Harris, the same loan was known merely as a Holiday Loan. Based on its amended name, the loan is intended to appeal to members who are in financial straits. Is this correct? A better name might have been the Priority One Holiday Welfare and Debt Relief Loan.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Last week, President Wiggington was busily involved in revamping all job descriptions for non-exempt personnel. To be correct, the President isn't involved in rewriting any of the descriptions, he's just constantly calling Human Resources to ask if they are working an amending the descriptions. 

He recently disclosed that that he plans on running a tighter ship than that managed under his predecessor, William E. Harris. He has said the revised descriptions will ensure that staff are fulfilling all of their assigned responsibilities. We happen to know this is not the real reason for amending the descriptions. Priority One is losing business and is struggling to generate new business. The 2007 Inland Counties Postal Credit Union debacle and security breach that occurred when the President allowed ballots to be mailed to members in envelopes on whose exterior were printed member account and social security numbers had an adverse impact upon business. The 2008 investigation of the President which confirmed he sexually harassed a former employee also had an adverse impact upon business. It is the current ongoing cycle of losses which have prompted the President to recently declare that he will have to escalate expense reductions and may even have to reduce staff size. Thus his plan is to identify and terminate employees who are not fulfilling of all their assigned responsibilities. If production is key to retaining or ending a person's employment, then dare we ask, "Who is going to review President Wiggington's performance?" 

We recently happened upon the following article, Marketing by Committee, Thursday, March 03, 2005  and writeen Chris Houchens, a marketing speaker, writer, and owner of Shotgun Concepts.  We thought it worth sharing since the subject pertains to the topic of marketing committees. 

I was just speaking to a friend who is a marketer. She was dreading a meeting with her company's "marketing committee."

Many companies have a marketing committee to help brainstorm and provide input to the marketing department. Management feels that this allows employees to "be involved" in marketing. This is a bad idea. Why don't you have an office supply committee to pick out the colors of pens you order? How about an accounting committee to help figure out where the credits and debits are posted? Or even better, what about a human resources committee to help decide who is hired and fired?

Committees, by nature, are full of compromises so solutions from a committee are usually watered down versions of the original. Marketing by committee leads to lots of bad ideas and poorly thought out plans. Instead of bold strokes from the marketing brush, you get a wall of beige.This is not to say that the marketing department should be sitting on the mountaintop handing down dogma to the rest of the company. A good marketer in a company will already be engaging other departments about their needs and concerns. Good marketers will always have an ear to the ground about what the feel of the company is. Hopefully, you hired the people in the marketing department because they're good marketers who know how to market. Let them do it.

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President Wiggington created a marketing committee without any prior research to determine how and if it would help the credit union to develop more new business. His decision to replace the Marketing Department and its accomplished Director with a committee was based on what he believes to be true. There is not rationale behind his decision other than he believes that a marketing committee is far superior to a Marketing Department. Unbridled emotion and misdirection seem to be at root of many of the President's fantastical and unsuccessful creations. 

The real reason he eliminated the Marketing Department was revealed in September 2006, just 3 months before he started his appointment as President. At the time, he informed Director of Human Resources, Rodge Smock, and CFO, Manny Gaitmaitan, that when he became President, he intended to rid the company of "Harris' people." He of course was referring to former President William E. Harris' executive staff. 

In February 2009, it is evident by plummeting sales that the President's marketing committee is completely ineffective. President Wiggington lacks the business savvy or understanding of the credit union's marketplaces to qualify him a an effective administrator. 

In mid-2007, we witnessed the President's not-so-clever imagination at work. At the time, he distributed large white-colored badges on which were printed the words, "Just Ask." He told employees that they must wear the badges while at work and declared that he knew for a fact, the badges were going to create a surge of new business. Not surprisingly, the badges failed to achieve their purpose. The pins which would fit perfectly on a clown's lapel could never have succeeded because they lacked the magical properties needed to conjure up new business. 

From a psychological perspective, what can be said about a President who would eliminate the Marketing Department in his zeal to rid the company of officers he associated with his predecessor. His actions should be deemed disturbing and one has to wonder, what more destructive acts will be committed by the President if his reign of incompetence continues, unchecked. 

"Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he doesn't have a mind to grasp anything?" - Proverbs 17:16

Where's the Evidence?

CRIMINAL PROCLIVITIES

Since January of this year, Priority One Credit Union’s President, Charles R.  Wiggington, Jr. and Board Directors, Thomas Gathers and O. Glen Saffold, have leveled accusations against this blog, including, ”It’s nothing but a bunch of lies”, “Its nothing but a bunch of jealous employees”, and “They've got nothing better to do.” We wish we could be that petty, but we’re not.

What the three officers maybe insinuating is that in their opinions, there is no evidence to prove that our assertions are true. Of course, the overly verbose President may have recently and inadvertently, admitted to the veracity of what we report when he said, “I’m going to find out who’s leaking information to the blog” and “I know they've put bugs [electronic surveillance equipment] in my office.”  If the President wants to stop the leak, he need only desist from divulging the confidential information that is making its way to the Internet.

At Priority One, evidence of wrong doing is always deemed highly disruptive to the President and Board’s agendas. Both the President and the Directors seem to spend more time forging plots than trying to develop strategies to that reap new business and generate real profit.

Evidence to the President’s failures or as we witnessed in 2008, evidence he sexually harassed a former employee will not be tolerated and will always be squashed. At least, that is what Board Chair Diedra Harris-Brooks did when a detective provided evidence proving President Wiggington sexually harassed a former employee.  Here are other incidents involving President Wiggington, that have been unsuccessfully covered up by the President and Mrs. Harris-Brooks.

Justice Auto Sales

In 1999, President Wiggington introduced his close friend, Henry Justice, the owner of Justice Auto Sales to Priority One. Mr. Justice soon became an automobile broker of the credit union. In 2002, the credit union sent Mr. Justice a check approximately $80,000 for vehicles purchased from his dealership by 4 of the credit union’s members.

Mr. Justice was to surrender the titles for each automobile so that Priority One could add its name as lienholder on each pink slip until the vehicle loans were fully satisfied. Mr. Justice refused to surrender the titles, alleging his daughter had made off with the monies paid to his dealership.

When the credit union filed a lawsuit, Mr. Justice filed for bankruptcy protection which was eventually granted and Mr. Justice escaped having to  repay the monies paid to him by the credit union.

Recently, Mr. Justice and his son visited the South Pasadena branch and was happily met at the reception desk by the President. The three proceeded to the Board Room where they remained for about an hour. After leaving the room, the three left the branch to go and have lunch at a local South Pasadena restaurant.

A few days later, the President announced that he was reinstating a business relationship between the credit union and the dealership which was now owned by Mr. Justice’s son.

Evidently, President Wiggington  was unconcerned by the fact that Mr. Justice made-off with approximately $80,000 which he never paid back.

The President also didn’t care about the tremendous inconvenience 4 members were subjected to when Mr. Justice refused to surrender the pink slips.

And Mr. Wiggington didn’t care that 3 different DMV Specialists were forced to visit the DMV office in Lincoln Park on a monthly basis for over a 2 year period to pick-up temporary registration cards for  4 members.

President’s intended reinstatement of Mr. Justice crumbled after we reported what he intended to do. Not only did he bring an immediate end to his plans to reinstate Mr. Justice but he instructed Mr. Justice to deny that they had ever planned to resurrect a working relationship.

Danny Wafa, Member (Victim)

In the early 2000’s member,  Danny Wafa’s loan payment became delinquent due to illness in his family. At the time, the Supervisor of Credit Resolutions visited Mr. Wafa at his home during he structured a repayment agreement.

The supervisor returned to South Pasadena and presented the repayment agreement ot his supervisor and owner of the credit union’s contracted collection agency. When the  owner realized the vehicle was a BMW, he immediately visited Mr. Wiggington in his office. Mr. Wiggington ordered that the repayment agreement not be approved and ordered the car repossessed.

The President and the owner of Credit Resolutions drew up phony papers to make it appear the car was sent to auction. The evidence that the car was never sent to auction is found in the fact that when a car is sold at auction, any monies recuperated from the sale, are applied to the outstanding balance. In 2009, the member’s online loan file shows that no payments were ever applied after the vehicle was repossessed and proving the car was never sold. DMV records also show that Mr. Wiggington became the owner of the vehicle immediately after Mr. Wafa.

The President would later state that he purchased the vehicle from a dealership but that is an utter lie as attested to by the DMV. What’s more the member’s file has disappeared from the main branch and was not located on microfiche or at the collection’s agencies headquarters in Glendora, California.   

Here is additional information about the former member’s automobile

Year/Make: 1989 BMW

VIN: WBAGC4310K3317406

Last 2 Owners: Charles R. Wiggington, Sr. and Danny Wafa

License Plate # at time of Repossession: 4NRM325

Incense Platte # after Repossession” WINKS589

"WINKS" is also referenced on the license plates found on some of the President’s other BMW’s.

We recently spoke to Mr. Wafa and he describes the repossession as one of the worst things to ever affect his life. So where is Mr. Wafa’s file?

Patrice Polley, Member

In the early 2000’s, President Wiggington was enraptured by a beautiful member named Patrice. He first met her when she visited the South Pasadena branch to try and obtain a $27,000 automobile loan but unfortunately, did not qualify because her FICO score was 520. Though she did not satisfy the credit union’s eligibility requirements, Mr. Wiggington offered to meet her at Fat Burgers in Los Angeles to discuss her request. On the day of their meeting, Mr. Wiggington was accompanied by his uncle. He would later say, “When Patrice entered the place, every eye turned to look at her but she came to us.”

 The President approved Ms. Polley’s request so that she could purchase a used Mercedes from a Beverly Hills dealership.

Like Mr. Wafa’s loan file, Ms. Polley’s file has also disappeared. How is it possible that the records for these two important transactions have disappeared entirely from the credit union’s files?

Employee (Victim)

Former Real Estate Loan Officer

In 2008, the Assistant Branch Manager of the Los Angeles branch sent a letter to credit union attorney, William Adler, informing him that she had been sexually harassed for a number of years by Charles R. Wiggington, Sr.  The President was placed on an approximate 6-week paid suspension during which an investigation was conducted to determine if he had indeed violated federal law. At the end of the investigation, evidence was presented to the Board proving that Mr. Wiggington had sexually harassed the employee, however, Board Chair, Diedra Harris-Brooks squashed the evidence and with the assistance of Directors, O. Glen Saffold and Thomas Gathers and Supervisory Chair, Cornelia Simmons, voted for his reinstatement.

The Director of Marketing

On January 1, 2007, the date Charles R. Wiggington began his appointment as President, he launched a scathing campaign against the Director of Marketing. As part of his attack, he placed the Director under authority of AVP, Aaron Cavazos, knowing that for years, Mr. Cavazos had expressed his disdain for the Director.

Next, he had the Director’s desk moved to the dusty file room located in the South Pasadena branch’s back officers. However, staff at the branch rose up and complained and three days later, he moved the Director to a desk located in the executive wing but he gave her former office to Mr. Cavazos.

A few days later, the President had the Director demoted to Coordinator of Human Resources.  

A few days later, AVP and Director of Human Resources, Rodger Smock, informed the former Director that her salary would be reduced commensurate with what is usually paid to a coordinator.

Director, Janice Irving interceded and prohibited the President from reducing the former Marketing Director’s salary.

A week later, then Human Resources “clerk”, Esmeralda Sandoval informed the former Director of marketing that she was being stripped of her exempt status and would from here on, have to clock-in like all other non-exempt personnel.

A few weeks later, the President ordered that the former Director be laid-off, stating that she did not fit his “vision” for the credit union. So was ruination of the credit union part of his vision?

An Unattended Child (Victim)

In 2008, a member visited the credit union and left a baby locked in her car which was parked in the parking structure located under the South Pasadena branch.

Members entering the branch heard the baby crying and immediately reported to the staff in the Loan Department. The staff informed the member that the baby was crying but the member who was sitting in the member services department involved in a person conversation with an FSR, merely replied, “I’ll be down shortly.”

Because both the President and Mr. Smock were not in the office, the VISA Card Specialist informed Robert West, the Training and Education Manager, about the incident including the member’s refusal to go to the car to pick-up the baby. Mr. West told her, “Call the police.” Both police and firemen quickly descended on the branch and retrieved the crying baby form the locked car and arrested the member.

The following day, the President was informed about the incident. He went into an uncontrollable tirade, yelling and demanding that every employee involved in calling the police be brought to his office individually.

Each employee was informed that they would be terminated should they choose to call the police should another such incident occur. He also told each employee, “Poor member, you have no idea what you’ve done to her” and said that the police should only be called if a baby is left in a locked car that is NOT parked on credit union property.

President Wiggington’s childish and irrational temper tantrum was inexcusable and his directives threatening termination should the police ever be called again was just plain stupid. The President is immensely ignorant of the fact the law requires that police must be called whenever a baby is left unattended in a locked car.

The President’s proclivities for dishonesty and his erratic and disruptive behaviors should be a point of concern but unfortunately, Priority One’s Board of Directors is made up of amoral, apathetic and corrupt Directors who are just deplorable as the person they appointed President of what was once a respected and thriving credit union.