STCU's Ponderay branch to offer full services

PONDERAY — Saying the credit union is confident of a strong future in Bonner County, STCU has announced it will expand to full services at the branch it opened three years ago in Ponderay.

Laurel Rollins, manager of Bonner County Branch, said STCU made a smart decision in 2009, when it opened the branch at 477181 N. Highway 95. The not-for-profit credit union has been well-received, and credit union officials have been impressed by community efforts to spur economic development, and provide residents with a great place to live, learn, work and play.

“Bonner County is a place where local government, the business community, educators and the media work well together for a common good,” Rollins said.

Rollins noted ongoing work to improve infrastructure, such as the long-awaited Sand Creek Bypass, which opens this year, the upcoming Sandpoint-to-Kootenai cutoff project, and efforts by the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation to establish a fiber optic network. Each of those will improve the business atmosphere, she predicted.

STCU’s Bonner County Branch was the credit union’s third in Idaho. It opened as a loan service center. “We have gradually been adding capabilities, such as the ability to accept payments and deposits by check and to complete cash deposits or withdrawals via ATM,” Rollins said.

When the branch expands its services on Monday, April 2, members will be able to cash checks, make deposits, get travelers’ checks and money orders, and obtain cash advances from Visa cards, among other services.

Children age 11 and under who are credit union members can join STCU’s Kids Club, which gives them special benefits, such as age-appropriate information about financial management.

“We’re so proud to have STCU as a member of our business community,” said Ponderay Mayor Carol Kunzeman. “STCU has helped so many who live and do business here in Ponderay and it does our hearts good to see them thriving and being so successful.”

STCU is a Festival at Sandpoint sponsor and plays a major role in the Bulldog Financial Fair for Sandpoint High School seniors. The credit union is a member of the Ponderay Community Development Corporation and the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation, and supports the Panhandle Alliance for Education.

It is an Executive Elite member of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, helping sponsor many chamber events. Last May, the chamber named STCU its business of the month for demonstrating superior service to its members and “ongoing dedication to the community.”

For six consecutive years, STCU has been voted the region’s best credit union by readers of the Pacific Northwest Inlander newspaper. (That may improve to seven consecutive years when the Inlander publishes this year’s list, on March 22.) Last fall, it received the “Service with a Smile” award for best credit union, as voted by readers of Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living magazine.

STCU is the region’s largest credit union with 15 branch locations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, more than 100,000 members and $1.6 billion in total assets.