Brown County’s only credit union is open and ready for business in Nashville.
Centra Credit Union celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting on March 4 at the former First Merchants Bank building, 189 Commercial St.
First Merchants closed its branch in Nashville last March.
“We are always on the lookout for opportunities such as this one, and with another financial institution vacating the location, we knew that we’d have a chance to better serve our current Brown County members with an easily accessible location,” said Chrissy Bailey, vice president of marketing for Centra.
The Nashville branch is Centra’s 25th.
“We were also enthusiastic about the prospect of introducing credit unions to non-members in the area, since there isn’t another credit union in Nashville,” Bailey said.
“Opening this location is also a logical expansion of our footprint. Anyone who lives or works in Brown or the surrounding counties is already eligible to bank with Centra, so this new branch creates more opportunities for us to introduce Centra to potential members.”
A credit union differs from a bank because it is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution that is managed by a group of elected members who make up a board of directors.
“This means that the members, our customers, are the shareholders and the profits are returned to members in the form of new services, better rates and lower fees,” Bailey explained last week.
“When it comes to giving back to the community, credit unions often support local causes that are important to and have an impact on members and team members alike.”
Credit unions are cooperatives. Many credit unions, including Centra, work together through a co-op network of more than 30,000 free ATMs and more than 5,000 shared branches, Bailey said.
“These resources allow members of participating credit unions, like Centra, to use the ATMs and do their banking nationwide, without getting hit with fees,” she said.
“The co-op network is one of the largest in the United States and offers access to branch locations in all 50 states.” Centra is among the five largest credit unions in Indiana, according to a press release.
Visitors to the Nashville branch will be able to do their regular banking there, as well as schedule appointments with mortgage lenders, business services representatives and Centra Financial Servcies advisers.
Centra Credit Union’s headquarters is in Columbus.
Bailey said Centra is looking forward to being active in this community.
“Centra was founded on the principle of ‘People Helping People,’ and we look forward to being able to support the Nashville community with scholarships, grants and sponsorships,” she said.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays. The branch is also open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Drive-thru service is also available.
