The fast-moving wildfire ripped through an affluent neighborhood in Los Angeles, forcing thousands of people to evacuate. (Credit: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg)
As multiple fires were burning in Los Angeles County Wednesday several credit unions closed some of their branches, while others that remained opened reported their operations were being affected by intermittent power outages, evacuations, and other emergency disruptions that were causing a high volume of calls and longer than usual wait times at member contact centers.
“Due to the ongoing wildfire and severe weather condition in the Los Angeles area, we have made the decision to close the Los Angeles branch for the remainder of Wednesday, January 8, to ensure the safety of our employees and our members,” the $2.1 billion Firefighters Federal Credit Union in Pasadena, posted on its website.
California’s largest financial cooperative, the $31 billion SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union in Tustin, was forced to close some branches because of power outages.
Because of the unpredictable nature of the extreme weather, the $988 million First City Credit Union in Altadena warned members that some of its locations might not be available.
The $364 million Pasadena Federal Credit Union was forced to close its Rosemead and Lake branches and warned its contact center might be affected, while the $2.5 billion Partners Federal Credit Union in Burbank also had to close its Burbank and Glendale branches, and the $9.9 billion Logix Federal Credit Union in Valencia closed its branches in Pasadena, Newbury Park and Simi Tapo.
But other credit unions, such as the $170 million E-Central Credit Union in Pasadena, said that even though its branch operations have been impacted by the Eaton Canyon fire, they remained opened on Wednesday.
The $1.3 billion Los Angeles Federal Credit Union in Glendale posted a “service alert” on its website Wednesday that noted all of its branches and contact center were open for regular business hours.
But some credit unions weren't taking any chances, such as the $2 billion Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union in La Canada, which closed all of its locations because of the fire and mandatory evacuations, and the $43.3 million Adventist Federal Credit Union in Glendale also shut down its operations on Wednesday.
California credit unions are also posting messages on their websites to help members impacted by the fires.
“If you have been financially affected by the recent fires, please call to discuss to potential options and solutions,“ the $1.3 billion billion Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union in Van Nuys posted on its website. “LAPFCU is here to help.”
According to local media reports, the Los Angeles fires have damaged more than 1,000 structures and have claimed the lives of at least two persons.
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