SAN DIMAS, Calif. - Financial Service Centers Cooperative, thenational shared branching network headquartered on the West Coast,will distribute $415,000 in December to its member credit unionsthat acquired shared branching transactions in 2001. The paymentrepresents part of the balance of the 2001 patronage stilloutstanding and is the largest cash payout to date, theorganization said. Barring unforeseen circumstances, FSCC expectsto proclaim more than $1 million in patronage for 2003, said SarahCanepa Bang, FSCC's CEO. Bang said FSCC has continued its stronggrowth, adding relationships with 18 new credit unions across thecountry since the end of September. Some of the credit unions werealready FSCC members and added branches to the shared branchingnetwork in different states and one had been an issuing creditunion which has since begun acquiring transactions as well, Bangexplained. The network has either added or scheduled to added 190new branches in 2003, a rate 39% above the new branch rate in 2002,Bang said. "As of the end of September we had 522 branches on theFSCC network, soon to be in 22 states and seven countries. It was amere four years ago when we were in barely six states and thoughtadding 30 branches was a big deal," she said.