FDIC data showed commercial banks had 59,695 offices in 2024, representing a loss of 14,388 locations in 2024 alone, a 19% drop for the year. CU Times has asked the FDIC to verify that number.

Credit unions lost 449 branches from December 2019 to December 2020, and since then have gained 450.

The South and West made the strongest recoveries, while the Northeast has deepened its losses. All four regions had gains from September to December. The data showed:

• The South had 7,981 branches on Dec. 31; 24 (+0.3%) more than the previous quarter. It lost 159 branches (-2%) in 2020 and since then has gained 268 (+3.5%).
• The West had 4,822 branches on Dec. 31; 5 (+0.1%) more than the previous quarter. It lost 106 branches (-2.2%) in 2020 and since then has gained 187 (+4%).
• The Northeast had 3,578 branches on Dec. 31; 19 (+0.5%) more than the previous quarter. It lost 87 branches (-2.3%) in 2020 and lost another 103 (-2.8%) since then.
• The Midwest had 5,585 branches on Dec. 31; 7 (+0.1%) more than the previous quarter. It lost 96 branches (-1.7%) in 2020 and since then has gained 99 (+1.8%).

In the Midwest, where growth has been weak, Wright-Patt Credit Union of Dayton, Ohio ($9.1 billion in assets, 521,206 members) opened a new branch this month on Polaris Parkway in the Columbus, Ohio area.

The Polaris branch joined existing member centers in the Columbus area, including: Canal Winchester, Graceland, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg, Grandview Yard, Lane Avenue, Grove City and the Hilliard Member Center that opened in 2024. Wright-Patt’s news release said the Polaris Member Center is the most recent step in the credit union’s expansion efforts in Central Ohio.

“This new Member Center will give even more people in Central Ohio the opportunity to experience benefits that go beyond banking,” President/CEO Tim Mislansky said. “From providing better value and personalized coaching to helping people reach their financial goals and improve their well-being, Wright-Patt Credit Union is proud to be the caring financial partner for over 500,000 members and counting.”

NCUA data showed Wright-Patt had 39 branches and other locations on Dec. 31 — one more than a year earlier.

Also in the Midwest, Members First Credit Union of Midland, Mich. ($850.6 million in assets, 65,769 members) opened a new branch March 12 in Saginaw, Mich. It was the credit union’s 11th branch in Saginaw County and the surrounding area. The credit union had 10 branches on Dec. 31, one less than a year earlier.

In other branch news:

• Technology Credit Union of San Jose, Calif. ($4.8 billion in assets, 201,138 members) announced Monday that it has opened its first branch in the Treasure Valley in southwest Idaho, which its news release described as “one of the nation’s growing technology hubs.” The credit union has served Treasure Valley members through a virtual branch for the past two years. NCUA data showed Tech CU as of Dec. 31 had nine branches and its headquarters in California plus one branch in Austin, Texas, unchanged from a year earlier.
• Addition Financial Credit Union of Lake Mary, Fla. ($2.7 billion in assets, 187,897 members) announced March 12 that it has begun building a branch near Cagan Crossings west of Walt Disney World near Orlando. When it opens later this year, The Four Corners branch will be Addition Financial’s 27th full-service branch and its fourth branch in Lake County, joining branches in Clermont, Leesburg and Eustis. “We consider many factors when deciding where to open a new branch, and it is clear this is an area of tremendous growth where people will need access to a community banking partner they can rely on,” President/CEO Kevin Miller said. It had 26 branches on Dec. 31, unchanged from a year earlier.
• Suncoast Credit Union of Tampa, Fla. ($17.8 billion in assets, 1.3 million members) opened a branch March 12 in Ellenton, Fla., its fifth branch in Manatee County. The 3,200-square-foot branch at 7204 U.S. 301 in Ellenton is 42 miles south of Tampa and has bilingual team members, two drive-thru Interactive Teller Machines and a 24/7 ATM. It had 82 branches on Dec. 31, three more than a year earlier and two more than in September.
• Truliant Federal Credit Union of Winston Salem, N.C. ($5.2 billion in assets, 340,656 members) announced March 11 that it has opened a branch in Boiling Springs, S.C., its first in Spartanburg County, which is just east of Greenville in Upstate South Carolina. Truliant had 37 branches on Dec. 31, two fewer than a year earlier.