People wait in line for ice outside Rose Ice & Coal Co. after Hurricane Florence hit in Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S., on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg
As they say good riddance to Hurricane Florence, many credit unions in the Carolinas have reopened their branches. However, at least 10 credit unions reported to the Carolinas Credit Union League that some of their branches remained closed Monday because of power outages and flooding that is not expected to recede for days.
The storm, which claimed the lives of 20 people, damaged tens of thousands of homes and soaked the Carolinas with record rainfall.
According to the Carolinas Credit Union League, credit union branches along and east of Interstate 95, especially in the Wilmington and Jacksonville areas, were working to restore access amid the power outages and flooding that is severely limiting travel in some areas.
For example, the $1.5 billion Sharonview Federal Credit Union in Fort Mill, S.C., said its branches in Bladen, Fayetteville and Wilmington remained closed, while all of its other branches reopened at 10 a.m. on Monday. Although the $49.1 million Vision Financial Federal Credit Union said its main branch in Durham, N.C., and Roxboro branch were open, many roads remained under water.
North Carolina's largest credit union, the $38 billion SECU in Raleigh, listed about 20 branch closures or branches that were on a modified schedule.
South Carolina's largest cooperative, the $2.2 billion billion Founders Federal Credit Union in Lancaster, reported all but two of its branches were opened for business.
The $741 million Marine Federal Credit Union in Jacksonville, N.C., said its branches remained closed in the Tar Heel state, but its branches in South Carolina have been reopened. Additionally, while the $348 million Piedmont Advantage Credit Union in Winston-Salem, N.C., said its branches in Kenansville and Wilmington were closed, and the $98 million Riegelwood Federal Credit Union's Riegelwood, Leland and Whiteville, N.C. branches were inaccessible because of flooding and power outages.
Some credit unions reported minor water damage to their branches or ATMs that were not in service because of no power and/or flooding issues. The $239 million Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union in Myrtle Beach reported shared branching transactions were not available as of Monday afternoon.
"When we get more information, I think we'll have a better sense of how we can help credit unions in the coming days and weeks," Carolinas League President/CEO Dan Schline, said, who has reached out to credit union CEOs throughout the weekend. "We expect to hear more as they are able to get to their credit unions, assess damage, and take inventory."
The league asks that credit unions continue to send word of facility impact to [email protected].
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.