RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The $539 Million Riverside County's CreditUnion is partnering with a local Hispanic services organization tostart a branch in an almost entirely Hispanic community. Accordingto the credit union, 97% of Coachella's 22,000 residents areHispanic, with an additional population of 62,000 more or lesspermanent migratory workers. That population makes the community aperfect site for a credit union branch, only it will not officiallybe labeled as a branch. “The formal name will be the Good NeighborServices Program presented by the Riverside Community CreditUnion,” said Colleen Finn, spokeswoman for the credit union. “TheGood Neighbor Services Program has such a good reputation that theydidn't want to diminish it by making it seem like there was a newfinancial institution just popping up in the community,” sheexplained. The Good Neighbor program is an outreach of the DesertAlliance for Community Empowerment, a non-profit that had beenawarded federal funds to help develop the Coachella Valley region.Through a leased agreement with the Alliance, Riverside will berenovating and thereby, preserving a local landmark, a firehouselocated next to the Coachella City Hall. Employees and educators ofboth organizations will be housed within this building. The branchscheduled to open in early 2004, will offer accessible checkcashing services, checking and savings accounts and provideapplications for low interest loans to residents with acceptedidentification, including the Matricula Consular. More importantly,international remittances or “remesas” will be on-site, allowingmembers to easily provide monetary benefits to family members intheir country of origin. Statistics show $9 billion is sentannually to Mexico through wire transfers.