On March 23, the governor of Massachusetts issued an order for all businesses and organizations that do not provide “COVID-19 Essential Services” to close their physical workplaces and facilities to workers, customers and the public as of March 2 at noon until April 7 at noon. Financial institutions are considered an essential service, so our operations as well as our drive-up locations will continue to remain open to serve you during this order. Our goal is to continue to help you with your daily financial transactions – so you can focus on staying healthy and safe. Be assured that we are doing everything we can to keep our members and our staff safe as well with precautionary measures and guidelines set by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for social distancing and sanitation.
We continue to stress the importance and convenience of managing your finances from the comfort of your home with our various options to access your accounts including online, mobile and telephone banking, online loan payment services and more. Visit https://www.firstcitizens.org/covid19
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation reminds us all that businesses, our employees, operations and customers can all be affected by the changes this virus has brought to our country. As your credit union, we are prepared to serve our members and small businesses during the COVID-19 situation while ensuring the security and safety of your deposits with us.
- Our credit union is financially strong. Your deposits are safe and insured up to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). For added protection, First Citizens’ provides excess insurance through the Massachusetts Share Insurance Corporation (MSIC).The safest place for your funds right now is in your account with us.
- We have initiated our business continuity and pandemic plans to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on financial services to keep our employees and members safe. We’ve done this while continuing to give our members access to their accounts, money and services they need in various, convenient options.
- We don’t believe its necessary to make large cash withdrawals; your money isn’t safe under the mattress. The safest financial transactions are through online and mobile banking, debit cards, electronic payments, and ATM/ITMs. Many of our services can be conducted remotely while you are in the comfort of your home, giving our members access to their accounts at any time. We are utilizing drive-through services to help “flatten the curve” and protect the health of both members and employees.
- We also understand that many of our members are facing financial hardships due to local businesses having to close or have to adjust hours or services, creating difficulties and harming the overall financial health. We are offering our members, with eligible loans, the option to request to skip a loan payment. We have also waived online loan payments fees for our members.
- We ask you to be aware of fraudulent activity. Fraudsters take advantage of situations like this. Be cautious when ordering from websites, clicking on emails from unknown senders, or donating to charities. The Federal Trade Commission has a list of tips on their website to help you avoid coronavirus scams.
Despite the threat posed by COVID-19, First Citizens’ Federal Credit Union remains committed to serving you and your families and we are confident that together we will get through this.
Leslie Poulin is Senior Director Of Marketing at First Citizens Federal Credit Union, based in Fairhaven. For more information visit www.firstcitizens.org
