Hawaii State FCU to Open Four Branches in Grocery Chain

Hawaii’s second-largest credit union said it plans to open four new branches in Safeway grocery stores, its first in-store branches.

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union of Honolulu ($2.2 billion in assets, 121,177 members) announced Monday the branches would open by the end of 2022 on the islands of Oahu and Maui. The new Safeway locations will mark the credit union’s first move to the in-store branch model.

“As our credit union continues to grow, we look forward to expanding our presence in Safeway stores across Oahu and Maui to provide more convenient options to bank with us,” President/CEO Andrew Rosen said. “We’re always looking for new ways to better serve our members, whether it’s through the convenience of our mobile app, to having more options for in-person banking. The decision to open branches at some of Hawaii’s most frequented Safeway store locations was a natural next step for Hawaii State FCU.”

The Safeway branches will cover 281 to 425 square feet, and provide services including mortgages and investments.

Hawaii State FCU currently has 10 branch locations across Oahu and one branch in Kahului, Maui.

As of June 30, Hawaii State FCU was the second-largest credit union based in Hawaii. It was just $24.3 million in assets shy of the largest: HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union ($2.2 billion in assets, 132,934 members).

Other branch openings were announced by City Federal Credit Union of Amarillo, Texas ($56.2 million in assets, 2,761 members) and Spokane Teachers Credit Union (STCU) of Liberty Lake, Wash. ($4.4 billion in assets, 229,162 members).

City FCU announced Wednesday it has opened a branch on Amarillo’s western edge that has seven private offices, a 42-person capacity community room and a peaked roof lined with skylights.

The Soncy branch relies heavily on interactive teller machine (ITM) technology. This allows its drive-thru to be self-serve, and enables members to request a teller to assist or perform transactions remotely.

“We are excited about implementing the state of the art in contactless technology,” President/CEO Frank A. Frazzitta said. “Today’s announcement is another reminder that City FCU stands ready to serve all of Amarillo. Our western location supports the development of Heritage Hills and our eastern location continues to serve both the downtown members from the City of Amarillo and to continue as our hub to serve the underserved.”

STCU on Wednesday opened a 3,157-square-foot branch halfway between the 16 miles from Spokane east to its headquarters at Liberty Lake.

The new branch, adjacent to the credit union’s existing Argonne Home Loan Center, includes five drive-through lanes for teller and ATM access.

STCU purchased the 2.5-acre Argonne site in 2012, and opened the home loan center on a small portion of the land in 2018.

President/CEO Ezra Eckhardt said the credit union has added nearly 50,000 members since 2018, and demand for a full-service branch there steadily increased.

“Spokane Valley continues to grow, along with traffic at our Spokane Valley and South Valley branch locations,” Eckhardt said. “While use of online banking and our mobile app has sharply increased during the pandemic, our members of all ages continue to value in-person service from an STCU representative.”