St. Paul, Minn.-based Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union is getting a branch makeover – the $1.6 billion credit union plans to install teller cash recyclers (TCRs) from Duluth, Ga.-based technology company NCR Corp. as part of a pilot branch redesign project, NCR announced.
Affinity Plus FCU's branch redesign will include 11 individual teller stations with TCRs located throughout the center of the branch space instead of the traditional teller line format, NCR said.
This open landscape environment, the company said, will be conducive to one-on-one consulting along with the safe handling of cash, checks and money orders.
"We want to create a unique and comfortable member experience in our branch that puts an emphasis on our relationship with the member," said Sarah Mason, senior vice president for Affinity Plus FCU.
"Several years ago, we realized that our traditional branch design was isolating our member advisers from truly interacting with our members. Standing in line and talking to a person behind a wall didn't achieve the level of personalization and relationship building that we would prefer for our members," Mason said.
A kid's play area will also be included in the pilot branch redesign, NCR said. The company's TCRs dispense and deposit cash and are designed to interface with a credit union's teller application through NCR's APTRA Cash Connect software, the company said.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
