Maui County FCU Reports All Employees Safe After Wildfires

Image of Maui County FCU's branch in Lahaina. Credit/Denise Thayer of Maui County FCU

State officials have said the fires that spread across the islands of Maui and Hawaii last week have killed at least 99 people and more than 1,200 are missing.

The small town of Lahaina, on the west coast of Maui, has experienced the state's largest loss of life and property after wildfires rushed through its downtown, trapping residents and tourists and destroying a large portion of the historic town.

Maui County Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Wailuku ($407 million in assets, 20,251 members) and Valley Isle Community Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Kahului ($144 million in assets, 13,131 members) each have a branch located in Lahaina.

Satellite images reviewed by CU Times after the fires showed the two credit union branches located in downtown Lahaina are still standing. It's unclear what damage the structures may have incurred. But, despite the destruction surrounding the branches, the images showed the structures are still there.

In a post on its LinkedIn page Monday evening, Maui County FCU posted this statement: "We are so grateful that all of our employees are safe and accounted for. There are so many who need help right now."

The only post from Valley Isle Community was Friday on its Instagram feed, which stated, "Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the family impacted by the wildfires. You are not alone! We are here for you!"

Both Maui County FCU and Valley Isle Community branches in Lahaina are closed until further notice.

Maui County FCU Chief Development and Communications Officer Denise Thayer created a GoFundMe page on Friday to raise $10,000 for her credit union co-workers.

"Aloha, we are gutted and devastated by the loss of lives, homes and businesses. I'm raising funds to help four of my fellow Maui County Federal Credit Union co-workers and their ohanas who lost their homes and belongings in the Lahaina fire. We are grateful and relieved that they are all safe and accounted for, however, they have a long road of recovery and rebuilding ahead," the post read.

As of Tuesday afternoon, $8,000 has been raised.

Two other Hawaii-based credit unions have announced its wildfire relief efforts. The Honolulu-based HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union ($2.3 billion in assets, 132,844 members) created a Maui Fire Relief Fund.

HawaiiUSA's website stated, "To support the residents of Maui during this difficult time, we have established a Maui Fire Relief Fund that will go to those in need, providing food, housing and essential services. We encourage you to join us by making a donation today.

"HawaiiUSA will match all donations we receive up to $50,000, for a potential total of $100,000. 100% of the donations and match will be given directly to The Maui Strong Fund, administered by the Hawai`i Community Foundation, a local non-profit. An additional $50,000 will also be donated to the Hawaii Credit Union League for relief and recovery efforts of our fellow Maui credit unions."

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union ($2.3 billion in assets, 126,945 members), also headquartered in Honolulu, announced it is offering emergency financial assistance for its members who have been impacted by the deadly fires. The credit union also launched a virtual fundraiser for the Maui Food Bank.

"Our thoughts remain with the Maui community and those who have suffered any loss as a result of this devastating tragedy," Andrew Rosen, president/CEO of Hawaii State FCU, said. "We are committed to supporting the recovery efforts and will be helping in any way we can through donations to the Maui Food Bank and by offering emergency financial assistance to our members in need. We understand the difficulties many members are facing, and we are fully committed to helping them navigate these unimaginable challenges."

According to Hawaii State FCU, the credit union has donated $50,000 to the Maui Food Bank and "are asking their vendor partners, members, employees and the general public interested in supporting the Maui community to help them reach this fundraising goal."

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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.