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Back to our Roots
Dear Valued Members,
I would like to take a moment to share some exciting news on changes happening at your credit union. Financial Access FCU was created over sixty years ago with the primary mission to serve Tropicana employees. We eventually expanded to include other employment groups. As times change and peoples’ needs change, we too had to evolve. That evolution resulted in over a decade ago moving away from serving groups exclusively to serving the at-large community. We have had success being there to support the financial needs of all of our new and old members. We are very proud of our time serving the at-large community along with all of our old friends from Tropicana/PepsiCo. My time as your President/CEO has taught me that sometimes there can be value in looking back as you move forward. In that vein I would like to announce that NCUA has approved the credit union’s request to go back to its roots allowing us to once again serve employment groups as well as retaining the ability to serve parts of Manatee and now Sarasota Counties.
We have changed our charter from community to multiple common bond, requiring the credit union to remove Community from our name. Though we are excited to continue to serve our community, we eagerly look forward to once again being able to serve employment groups as well. Credit Unions have thrived for almost a century focusing on serving groups. We have had the good fortune to experience success serving employment groups and more recently serving the community. We are fortunate to have identified wonderful employment groups eager to join our family. Changes bring excitement and new opportunities.
As we seek to grow and provide our members with better products and services we felt our institution would be better served by not limiting our reach to simply Manatee County residents. With that being said I would like to proudly announce the credit union has had its new name approved by NCUA. As of December 1, 2020, we will be known as Financial Access Federal Credit Union. We are a mission-based institution and our name now reflects that mission. We are committed to providing our members with access to the best products and services in order to achieve their individual and collective financial goals. This is an exciting time and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your membership. You will still be able to invite your family, friends, and even some neighbors to join the credit union. In December you will also be able to invite your employer to become a part of our family. We look forward to getting through the remainder of 2020 with good health and look toward prosperity in 2021. Be on the lookout for more news on this exciting development in the coming days. As always thank you for trusting us with your financial services and stay safe.
Sherod A. Halliburton
President/CEO
Financial Access Federal Credit Union
You can still continue to use your checks that have Financial Access Federal Credit Union on them. The checks will still clear your account. The new name will be on any new checks ordered after 12/1/2020.
Yes. We will issue debit cards with our new name on it when your card expires.
We have changed our charter from community to multiple common bond, requiring the credit union to remove Community from our name. Though we are excited to continue to serve our community, we eagerly look forward to once again being able to serve employment groups as well. Credit Unions have thrived for almost a century focusing on serving groups. We have had the good fortune to experience success serving employment groups and more recently serving the community. We are fortunate to have identified wonderful employment groups eager to join our family. Changes bring excitement and new opportunities.
No. This will be a change in name only. There will not be a change to staff, branches, products, or member account numbers. There will be no need to order new debit cards, credit cards, or checks. Our routing number will not change.
Yes. Once your cards expire or you run out of checks, the new ones will carry the new logo. Since account numbers and our routing number are not changing, the cards and checks will still work.
Financial Access FCU was created over sixty years ago with the primary mission to serve Tropicana employees. We eventually expanded to include other employment groups. As times change and peoples’ needs change, we too had to evolve. That evolution resulted in over a decade ago moving away from serving groups exclusively to serving the at-large community. Resulting in the name change from Tropicana Federal Credit Union to Financial Access Federal Credit Union. We have had success being there to support the financial needs of all of our new and old members. We are very proud of our time serving the at-large community along with all of our old friends from Tropicana/PepsiCo.
NCUA has approved the credit union’s request to go back and change our charter from community to multiple common bond, requiring the credit union to remove Community from our name. Though we are excited to continue to serve our community, we eagerly look forward to once again being able to serve employment groups as well. Credit Unions have thrived for almost a century focusing on serving groups. We have had the good fortune to experience success serving employment groups and more recently serving the community. We are fortunate to have identified wonderful employment groups eager to join our family. Changes bring excitement and new opportunities.
We have changed our charter from community to multiple common bond, requiring the credit union to remove Community from our name. But our new name goes deeper than just removing the community and expanding our charter.
As we seek to grow and provide our members with better products and services we felt our institution would be better served by not limiting our reach to simply Manatee County residents. With that being said as of December 1, 2020, we will be known as Financial Access Federal Credit Union. We are a mission-based institution and our name now reflects that mission. We are committed to providing our members with access to the best products and services in order to achieve their individual and collective financial goals.
You will still be able to invite your family, friends, and even some neighbors to join the credit union. In December 2020 you will also be able to invite your employer to become a part of our family.
Current Credit Union law does not require a membership vote for a name change.
We wanted a name that is simple and not geographically constraining. We worked to create a name that is welcoming and reflective of our mission to provide financial access to more people.
We have changed our charter from community to multiple common bond, requiring the credit union to remove Community from our name. Though we are excited to continue to serve our community, we eagerly look forward to once again being able to serve employment groups as well. Credit Unions have thrived for almost a century focusing on serving groups. We have had the good fortune to experience success serving employment groups and more recently serving the community. We are fortunate to have identified wonderful employment groups eager to join our family. Changes bring excitement and new opportunities.
It will be www.financialaccessfcu.org. Those trying to reach the old address will be automatically forwarded.
No. We have chosen to change our name so that it better reflects our expanded member base. Several credit unions nationwide have pursued name changes following field of membership expansions. This is not the first time we have changed our name.
Your member number(s) and account number(s) will remain the same.
Absolutely! We have been a strong financial institution for over 60 years and continue to be. In fact, this re-brand will allow for continued growth and stability.
Yes. The new name isn’t about outgrowing our roots or moving away from the things that are important to our team and members, it’s about including groups to join our credit union family.
We put careful thoughtful consideration into this. This allowed us to deplete many of our materials like letterhead, envelopes, and more. The new materials are a sound investment in our future growth.
Neither your rates nor fees will be affected by the new name. Rates and fees do fluctuate, but they are adjusted in response to market conditions.
Our phone numbers will remain the same. However the emails will include the new website. For example, information@financialaccessfcu.org will become information@financialaccessfcu.org
If you have an outside Bill Pay service, we recommend that you update the information to Financial Access Federal Credit Union as of December 1, 2020.
Your accounts are still insured by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government through the NCUA — National Credit Union Administration. The funds in your accounts at the credit union are insured up to $250,000.
The name change will take effect on December 1, 2020.
Your loan will remain with the Credit Union.
Your credit union is getting better! We are keeping your needs in mind and the future needs of the communities and groups we serve. Same great service, new name and new look.
There should be little impact to you as a member. Your member number(s) and account number(s) will remain the same, as will all of your products and services.
You can see we still have the same colors and our recognizable and strong icon.
All direct deposits, payroll deductions, automatic drafts and other ACH services are transmitted using the Credit Union's Routing number and your account number. Since these numbers have not changed, your payments should process without any change on your part.
We have met the legal deadline to change our name on our articles of incorporation. The actual change to signage, documents, etc will occur in December 2020-February 2021. You will begin to slowly see our new logo on signs, statements, emails, website etc.
Our website will look and feel exactly the same with the exception of name change. You should be able to log into your account with no changes. As of 12/1/20 our old web address will link to the new website, which will be www. financialaccessfcu.org. Please note as of 12/1/20, the online banking platform will still have the old name of Manatee Community Federal Credit Union and will not change over right away. You will still be able to bank safely on this platform and you will see the change soon. Thanks for your patience.
Yes. Once the rebranded app is finalized and released, members will be redirected to download the new app the first time they log into the old app. Members can continue to use their current logon ID and Password with this new app. The name change/rebranding for the Mobile App is not finished yet. You will continue to see the old logo and name. That is ok! You can still safely and securely use this current app for your remote banking needs. Thank you for your patience.
