Community Credit Union Coming to Pugwash
The Board of Community Credit Union approves the proposal to open a branch in Pugwash.
The President and CEO of the Community Credit Union recommended a satellite branch of Amherst as a starting point with the possibility of a full branch in the future.
Georg Oberprieler said the credit union board would vote on his recommendation at a meeting on March 26. The board approved, and the satellite branch will be set up at the coop in the former Cooperator’s Insurance office, just inside the front door.
Limited space will mean some discomfort and juggling on the short term, but the CEO says they are reviewing a possible solution that would allow space for a full branch that could be in place by the end of the year.
Community Credit Union has flourishing memberships and modern services in Amherst and Truro. Bringing similar services — comparable to what some call “traditional banking services” — is straight forward but given office possibilities in the village, it will take a while to get fully up to speed.
The credit union has its roots in the cooperative movement and shares a certain synergy with the local coop. With the departure of the Bank of Nova Scotia, it was the board of the coop that invited Oberprieler to consider filling that void in Pugwash.
A public meeting drew a large crowd on January 17th, but poor acoustics and an inadequate sound system marred the presentation.
The CEO told that meeting that he had a good feeling about Pugwash.
Meanwhile, residents were encouraged to transfer their business and personal accounts to the Amherst branch where they would be flagged as Pugwash to determine overall interest.
Credit Union staff will assist with the transfer from any bank, though their interest is in Scotiabank which will automatically transfer any remaining Pugwash accounts to their Oxford Branch in June.
The photo shows the CEO, Georg Oberprieler, addressing the public meeting at the Cyrus Eaton Elementary School in January.
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