Our Community Credit Union leases Bank of America building

By the end of the year Vashon Island residents will have the option of two credit unions on Vashon Island. Our Community Credit Union based out of Shelton, Washington has announced its plans to expand to Vashon Island. OCCU will offer services to residential and business customers, offering commercial loans and merchant account services. The new Credit union will also be making safe deposit boxes available to both residential and business customers.
 
Patte Wagner at Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union welcomed the addition of another credit union to serve the Islands needs. She noted that this will greatly improve the offerings to businesses on Vashon that wish to bank with credit unions.
  
OCCU emailed this statement to the Vashon Loop.

Our Community Credit Union is pleased to announce that they will be partnering with Vashon East Shopping Center to begin leasing the building that Bank of America will depart on November 1, 2013.   The 25,000 member, $270 million credit union based out of Shelton Washington, answered the call of Norm Mathews, managing partner of the Vashon East Shopping Center to become a part of the Vashon community.  "We felt it was a good fit, says Norm, I spoke with CEO Bert Fisher over the course of several weeks and really liked the credit union's philosophy of local involvement and hands-on approach to member service."
 
OCCU formally Simpson Employees Federal Credit Union was formed in 1941 by a group of loggers who were unable to get a loan through traditional banks.  Since then the philosophy of people helping people has been the guiding principle of how the credit union operates. As a cooperative credit union they help families and business owners save money by offering low or no fee services.
 
"We're excited to get to know the people of Vashon and develop relationships with the families and businesses in the community." says Bert Fisher, President/CEO of OCCU. 
 
The credit union hopes to open their branch by the end of the year. This is their 7th branch with other locations in Shelton, Union, McCleary, Elma and Montesano. You can learn more about the credit union and the services they offer at  www.ourcu.com.
 
Bank of America is currently installing a new automated banking center in the parking lot of the Vashon  Market Fresh IGA, located on the Westside of Vashon town off 100th Ave. The new bank machine should be operational before the closing of the Vashon Bank of America branch.  The new automated banking center will be the only Bank of America location where customers can still withdraw money, make deposits or transfer funds on Vashon Island without incurring fees.