Sundie Seefried Appointed to Serve on Colorado’s Financial Services Board

Sundie Seefried, CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union, was named a board of director of the Colorado Division of Financial Services by Colorado Governor Jared Polis. The five-member board is the policy and rulemaking authority for financial services in Colorado. As a Division of Financial Services board member, Seefried will help oversee the examination and supervision of state-chartered credit unions and state-chartered savings and loan associations.

Seefried joined the credit union industry in 1983 and has served as a CEO for eighteen years.

“I was considering retirement in 2014 when a new challenge came my way,” said Seefried. “As a banker, I understand the critical role financial institutions play in public safety and in accountability within our financial system. When cannabis companies, their vendors and employees were unable to bank rapidly growing revenue dollars, it created a public safety crisis. Additionally, the lack of banking meant that considerable amounts of cash were not subjected to the scrutiny and controls inherent in our state and federal banking systems.”

Working with the staff and the Partner Colorado Credit Union board of directors, Seefried and her team designed Safe Harbor Private Banking to launch a full scope cannabis banking program that has withstood the scrutiny of eight federal and state exams. Safe Harbor Private Banking has successfully removed hundreds of millions of dollars of cash from the streets of Colorado communities and into bank accounts.

To assist other financial institutions interested in serving this emerging market, Seefried published "Navigating Safe Harbor – Cannabis Banking in Uncertain Times" in 2016. As an established exert on the topic, she regularly provides cannabis banking education to legislators, regulators and financial institutions. In January 2018, Safe Harbor Private Banking was featured in the New York Times Magazine, and also the recent Bloomberg video, "She Roars, the Cannabis Bankers."

About Partner Colorado Credit Union

Established in 1931, Partner Colorado Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative with total assets exceeding $420 million. The credit union offers a wide range of financial services and serves 35,000 members throughout the Denver metro area. Partner Colorado actively supports the community by donating funds and employee volunteer hours to many Denver Metro area organizations. For more information, visit partnercoloradocu.org.

About Safe Harbor Private Banking

Safe Harbor Private Banking is a compliance-based banking program for the cannabis industry, and a subsidiary of Partner Colorado Credit Union. Safe Harbor makes it possible for legal cannabis businesses to bank cash. Each dollar is validated, transparent and accountable for legitimate licensed entities. Safe Harbor pioneered the turnkey program to help keep communities safer and stay true to the credit union philosophy of “serving the underserved.” For more information, go to safeharborprivatebanking.com.