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More than two dozen people have died since the wildfires began on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. Fires rushed through the western island town of Lahaina, where most of the victims reportedly have perished and numerous homes and businesses have been destroyed.
According to the Wailuku, Hawaii-based Maui County Federal Credit Union ($407 million in assets, 20,251 members), its branch in downtown Lahaina is closed until further notice. There has been no word concerning the status of the staff or the condition of the branch.
Images published by national and local media outlets showed massive destruction of homes, businesses and vehicles across most of Lahaina.
A statement on Maui County FCU's website said, "Kahului and Wailuku branches are open and accepting monetary donations as well as emergency relief supplies of non-perishable food, bottled water and drinks, baby items (diapers, wipes, formula, clothing), toiletries, pet supplies, tents, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, generators and clothes. Our hearts go out to those who have been affected by the fires."
Valley Isle Community Federal Credit Union also has a branch located in the heart of Lahaina. According to a message posted on the $144 million credit union's website, "Valued Members and Community, our Lahaina Branch is CLOSED until further notice. Our Kahului and Wailuku branches are open and collecting emergency relief items as well as monetary donations."
The $2.3 billion HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union's branch several miles away from Lahaina in the town of Kihei is also closed, according to the credit union's website. Reports showed Kihei has been nearly surrounded by a massive wildfire just to the east.
There are no reports from Valley Isle Community or HawaiiUSA about the status of its staff and branches at this time.
The National Credit Union Foundation and the Hawaii Credit Union League have joined together to assist credit unions and staff members who have been impacted by the deadly fires. The efforts are going through the Foundation's CUAid disaster relief program, where donations are being accepted.
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
