Community First Ups Its Expansions in Florida
Jacksonville-based credit union buys land for 23rd branch as part of an "historic investment in its branch network."
Community First Credit Union of Florida announced plans Thursday to expand its expansions in the Jacksonville area.
Also, two other credit unions have opened or announced plans to open new branches near Dallas and Detroit.
Community First of Jacksonville ($2.7 billion in assets, 171,682 members) announced Thursday it has bought 1.23 acres in Beachwalk in St. Johns County for its 23rd branch. Construction is expected to begin next spring on the 3,150-square-foot branch, which will be the credit union’s third in St. Johns County.
President/CEO John Hirabayashi said the branch will serve the nearly 4,000 Community First members living within five miles of the new location.
“Western St. Johns County has been growing exponentially,” Hirabayashi said. “The Beachwalk Branch will triple our branch footprint in St. Johns County and seeks to meet the evolving needs of our region and serve members where they are.”
Community First said it is making “a historic investment in its branch network” with now four expansion branches in the works or newly opened so far this year. The credit union recently opened its 20th branch at Northpoint Village in North Jacksonville and has nearly completed its 21st branch at Boulevard Crossing (Beach and University Boulevards) in Jacksonville. It recently started construction on its 22nd branch at Murabella in St. Johns County.
The new Beachwalk Branch is part of the credit union’s Branch Transformation Project, which aims to enhance member service by configuring spaces to create a modern retail experience. The Beachwalk Branch will feature an open floor plan with a full-service lobby and drive-thru, two ATMs (drive-up and walk-up) and Community First’s signature tower feature.
The two other credit unions announcing recent branch expansions were:
1. Dort Financial Credit Union of Grand Blanc, Mich. ($1.6 billion in assets, 108,983 members), which opened a new branch Oct. 18 in Orion Township, Mich., 26 miles southeast of its Grand Blanc headquarters. NCUA data showed Dort Financial had 11 branches in June: Nine in Genesee County, and one each in Lapeer and Shiawassee counties.
2. Neighborhood Credit Union of Dallas ($1.1 billion in assets, 62,008 members) broke ground Thursday for a new branch in Sherman, Texas, 67 miles north of its headquarters in Dallas. The credit union has not said when it expects to open the branch.
Neighborhood announced in September that it had bought the land for its first branch in Grayson County, citing the area’s “significant growth with major investments from companies such as Texas Instruments, whose $30 billion, 4.7 million-square-foot silicon chip factory is estimated to create 3,000 new jobs and will be the largest electronics production facility in Texas.”
“As a credit union that serves the state of Texas, it is our mission to identify where we can have the most impact in financial well-being,” President/CEO Chet Kummel said. “We want to be there to serve that growing and thriving community. It’s what we’ve been doing for our members the past 93 years.”
NCUA data showed Neighborhood had 15 locations in June: 10 in Dallas County, two in Collin County and one each in Denton, Ellis and Tarrant counties.
NCUA data showed the nation’s 4,780 credit unions had 21,835 locations as of June 30, having added 84 since Dec. 31. June’s count was still 134 fewer than in December 2019, before the pandemic.