SECU, Maryland’s largest credit union, has expanded into the Washington metropolitan area. Last year, it opened a physical branch in the Maple Lawn community in Fulton and another in Frederick, for a total of 25 financial centers across the state.
Michele Moore, senior vice president of member services for SECU, said the credit union is looking to raise its profile in the community and better serve its 250,000 members.
SECU also launched a virtual financial center last year. Designed as a way to connect with members during the COVID-19 pandemic, the center includes a Branch Manager, Deputy Director and staff able to meet members online.
Traditional brick-and-mortar branches have weekday hours, plus a few hours on Saturdays. The virtual center offers extended hours throughout the week and on Saturdays, a boon for members with non-traditional work schedules, such as those in health care, Moore said.
To use the SECU Virtual Center, members go online to schedule an appointment and then receive a link that takes them to their face-to-face virtual meeting with a SECU Advisor.
“(The Virtual Financial Center) has helped us bring members into this community, which really helps us see that there’s an opportunity for us to grow more here in this market,” Moore said. “As we consider the future of our virtual financial center, we expect these hours to increase significantly, as we want to make things very convenient for our members.”
The credit union also seeks to improve its relations with its members in other ways.
“What we hear from our members is that they want to be rewarded for their relationship,” Moore said. “We are really focused on creating rewarding relationships. If a member has a checking, savings account (or) credit card (with us), they are rewarded for the relationship in the form of rates, cash back and other reward services.
Last year, the credit union also launched SECU Financial Partners, which matches members with wealth management consultants who help with financial planning. Moore said SECU saw the need for the service during the pandemic as many clients saw their incomes change or considered early retirement.
Moore said one of SECU’s main goals is to improve the financial health of not only its members, but also the communities it serves.
“It’s important, it’s our commitment and we will continue to listen and think about the needs of members,” Moore said.
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