ATLANTA — Members of credit unions that participate in shared branching now have the largest number of branches in the country from which to choose, second only to Bank of America.

CO-OP Shared Branching, the shared branching arm of CO-OP Financial Services, announced that, nationwide, members of shared branching credit unions have 3,400 other credit union branches from which to choose. The 3,400 branches belong to credit unions affiliated with CO-OP Network as well as those affiliated with Financial Service Centers Cooperative, the other nationwide shared branching network.

"Despite the rise of new technologies, members still consider physical locations a top priority in the selection of a primary financial institution," said Carroll Beach, president/COO of CO-OP Shared Branching. "With the growth and cooperation ofshared branching, credit unions are on an even playing field to meet member demand for access closer to work or home while avoiding the capital expense of building proprietary brick and mortar."