AURORA, Colo. -Fitzsimons Federal Credit Union (FFCU) members are now able to apply for a car loan while purchasing Martha Stewart sheets and a gallon of milk during their one-stop visit to the newly renovated Super Kmart here. The almost $110 million asset credit union has opened Colorado's first ever CU branch inside a retail store becoming part of the one-stop shopping trend. The location inside Kmart, which invited community financials to bid for inclusion in the project, is FFCU's first branch. In a growing trend combining retail stores with financials, Kmart Corp. has also started offering a general purpose MasterCard through Capital One Financial Corp. This offering follows the implementation of welcoming community financials to partner with the store. "We're very proud of Fitzsimons for taking the initiative to do that," according to Carroll Beach, president of the Colorado Credit Union System. The new location for the community-chartered credit union will make it easier and more convenient for some of its 16,566 members to deposit a paycheck or get cash without ever leaving the store. The ATM is available any time the 24-hour Kmart store is open. The full-service branch is open 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. "Instead of being on this campus, which is just a block or two off the beaten path, we're now right in the center of things," said Lori Huett, Fitzsimons FCU's marketing specialist. The location is a visible and busy one, said Colorado CU System Vice President of Marketing Nancy Bunte, who recently attended the branch's grand opening ceremony. "There was a lot of activity there," she said. "It's very well marked. There is a billboard as you approach and a sign on the side of the building. It was very impressive." FFCU has gone through a number of changes since its inception. It once served military families in the area, but when the base closed, the board and staff sought options. This CU became a community chartered credit union in 1996, serving the cities of Aurora, Watkins, Bennett and Strasburg. The old gate that exists in front of its location, which was once an army hospital and is now part of a local university, is foreboding rather than inviting, said Greg Fickas, the credit union's marketing director. "When you change to a community charter and find yourself off the beaten path, it makes it hard for the public to really see you," he said. When a letter arrived inviting FFCU to join bidding to be a new financial institution inside Kmart, they welcomed the thought while still analyzing options, Fickas said. The new branch has one manager, an assistant manager and two tellers. "It's been really exciting so far," Fickas said. "It's solved the visibility problem." Since the branch first opened in late October, they have been opening as many accounts and maintaining ATM traffic similar to their main location. The credit union has even used the opportunity to experiment with new technologies such as teller line automated cash dispensers. "It also lets us change the way we offer service to members," he said. "For example, loan origination can be started with the online banking service. You can finish loan paperwork at the branch until 7:30 p.m." -
mmundy@cutimes.com
