Financial Service Centers Cooperative added a second location in Southern California's high desert region, deploying a Vcom terminal July 26 in an Apple Valley, Calif. 7-Eleven store.
The High Desert's 30,000 credit union members found themselves without shared branching access in late June, when the $4.1 billion Alaska USAFCU discontinued FSCC access in branches it had purchased from the San Bernardino, Calif.-based Arrowhead Central Credit Union.
The $332 million Vons Employees FCU opened a full-service, in-store branch in a Hesperia, Calif. Vons supermarket July 6.
FSCC credited shared branching partner Cardtronics with a quick response in installing the Vcom terminal. The self-service kiosks located inside select 7-Eleven stores are rarely moved, FSCC said.
"This could have been a devastating situation for thousands of members and a black eye for the concept of credit union cooperation," said Sarah Canepa Bang, FSCC president/CEO. "The power of the FSCC network and its ability to bring together credit unions and partner organizations to provide credit union access was once again displayed here."
FSCC said a group of about a dozen California credit unions areworking with FSCC to bring additional access points to the area.
