PASADENA, Calif.–Wescom Financial has shared an update on what’s happened to date after it announced its partnership with ForgiveCo last year to erase $10 million in consumer debt for Californians impacted by the wildfires.
According to Wescom, of the $10 million in total debt relief, $5 million has already been relieved, with beneficiaries notified of the news by letter, email, and text in November 2025. The remaining $5 million of debt will be relieved in impactful moments to come. Just over 2,000 individuals will benefit from the first round of debt forgiveness, the credit unions said.
A year after the fires ravaged Southern California communities, UCLA Women’s Basketball Head Coach Cori Close, whose mother grew up in hard-hit Altadena, Calif., participated in an event to highlight the initiative.
Coach Close personally met with debt relief recipients and their families, listened to their stories, and hosted them at UCLA Women’s Basketball games—an experience made possible through Wescom’s role as the Official Banking Partner of UCLA Athletics, the credit union said. It added the event also served as an acknowledgment of the one-year anniversary of the wildfires, reinforcing our shared dedication to recovery and hope.
Homes Lost
“Some of our most treasured supporters of our program lost their homes,” Close said. “We were actually on a plane on the way back from a game at Purdue with one of the families who lost their home in the fire. They got off the plane, and it was confirmed, and we were with them, and we just hugged them, experiencing that moment with them.
“Before each of our last two home games, I had the honor of meeting with members of our community affected by last year’s wildfires,” Close continued. “One year later, the impact is still real. That’s why I’m proud of my longtime partnership with Wescom Financial.
“These moments in life remind us of what it’s all about. We all get busy…Being with these families reminded me of what’s important, and it makes talking about this initiative very easy because I mean it deeply. And I’m proud to get to learn from these incredible families,” Close said.
