Summerville branch is the credit union’s first in the fast-growing Charleston region.

Self-Help Federal Credit Union opened its first branch Wednesday the fast-growing coastal region of South Carolina.

The Durham, N.C.-based credit union ($2.3 billion in assets, 136,214 members) occupies a former branch of SunTrust Bank at 741 North Main Street in Summerville, 25 miles northwest of Charleston.

“Opening a new branch in the Lowcountry isn’t just an expansion of our footprint—it’s an investment in the financial well-being of a growing, diverse, and dynamic community,” Charleston Regional Manager Rebecca Walker said.

“Opening a Summerville branch represents Self-Help's commitment to providing fair, affordable financial services to the community that puts people first,” Walker said. “This effort will help families build wealth and stability, enable small businesses to thrive, and neighborhoods to grow stronger.”

In South Carolina, Self-Help FCU already has three branches in Greenville, in the west near the mountains and one in Columbia, the capital city in the center of the state.

Plans for two Charleston-area branches were announced in 2023 by Kerri Smith, president of Self-Help CU's South Carolina region. She said many families in the fast-growing area were finding soaring home prices was making the possibility of ownership more difficult.

Self-Help expects to open the second Low Country branch in about three to five years in Mount Pleasant, just east of Charleston across the Cooper River. It will be in a former BB&T branch.

Besides its five branches in South Carolina, Self-Help Federal has 40 other branches: 22 in California, nine in Illinois, five in Washington, and two each in Wisconsin and Connecticut. Its sister state-chartered credit union is Self-Help Credit Union of Durham ($2.1 billion in assets, 100,668 members).

They are part of the Self-Help family of nonprofit organizations, which includes its policy arm, the Center for Responsible Lending.

Three others with branch news were:

  • Lake Trust Credit Union of Brighton, Mich. ($2.7 billion in assets, 175,638 members) announced Wednesday that it has opened a new branch in Monroe, Mich., 60 miles south of Brighton on shore of Lake Erie between Detroit and Toledo, Ohio. It had 23 branches in June, unchanged from a year earlier.
  • New Horizons Credit Union of Mobile, Ala. ($273.4 million in assets, 22,854 members) opened a replacement branch Nov. 19 in the Publix grocery shopping center at 100 N. Florida Street in Mobile. The credit union said it moved the former Midtown branch for better accessibility and visibility. It had eight branches on June 30, unchanged from a year earlier.
  • Ent Credit Union of Colorado Springs, Colo. ($10.3 billion in assets, 576,089 members) opened a branch Monday Nov. 17 in Alamosa, about 160 miles southwest of Colorado Springs and its first in the San Luis Valley. It had 59 branches on June 30, one more than a year earlier.
  • BrightStar Credit Union of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ($961.8 million in assets, 59,671 members) opened its first branch in Miami Beach on Nov. 17. A credit union news release said the 1,100-square-foot new micro-branch at 827 Arthur Godfrey Road has a “sleek, technology-forward design offering personalized service, digital banking tools and self-service kiosks.” BrightStar had nine branches on June 30, unchanged from a year earlier.
  • Soarion Credit Union of San Antonio ($571.1 million in assets, 56,540 members) opened a new branch Nov. 14 on San Antonio’s Southside. The Brooks City Base Financial Center at 2603 SE Military Drive is its eighth branch.

“Our Southside community has voiced the need for accessible financial education and trusted banking solutions,” Soarion President/CEO Ric Ledezma said. “Our new Brooks City Base Financial Center is a direct response to helping fill that need.”

Soarion had eight branches on June 30, unchanged from a year earlier.

Contact Jim DuPlessis at JDuPlessis@cutimes.com.

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