The Golden 1 Credit Union Opens First In-Store Branch

IBT assists California's largest Credit Union in expanding its service

International Banking Technologies (IBT), a retail branch design/build and consulting company that works with financial institutions to place branches in supermarkets, supercenters and storefront locations, announced The Golden 1 Credit Union has opened its first in-store branch in a Sacramento California Wal-Mart Supercenter.

With more than 440,000 members and 60 branches, The Golden 1 is the largest credit union in the state of California. The Golden 1 established an in-store presence in order to complement the service that it offers members through its brick and mortar locations.

"In-store branches afford us new growth opportunities by opening the door to potential new members such as Wal-Mart shoppers and employees. In fact, one week prior to opening, we had access to the employees of Wal-Mart and a number of them signed up for an account with us before we opened the doors to the general public. Once our doors were open, the store drew between 40,000 and 50,000 people a week, so the foot traffic was tremendous. We averaged 8 to 10 new sign-ups a day," said Steve Stapp, senior vice president of branch operations and call center.

"The Golden 1 has an aggressive growth strategy in place," he added, "but until this branch, we had only been promoting our membership through traditional channels like direct mail and ad campaigns."

The in-store branch is a full service branch staffed by two tellers, a new account representative, a loan representative and a branch manager. The branch offers extended hours including evenings and weekends.

"We received excellent guidelines on how to staff and maintain an in-store branch," Stapp said. "The logistics of an in-store branch are different from a traditional branch in that it is a more sales-oriented environment."

"In-store branching allows The Golden 1 Credit Union to reach members and potential members that were inaccessible before," said John Nicola, senior vice president of International Banking Technologies. "The fact that the largest credit union in the state of California is opening an in-store branch demonstrates the tremendous benefits available through in-store branching."

About The Golden 1 Credit Union

Sacramento, Calif.-based The Golden 1 Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of California and the sixth largest credit union in the nation with more than $3.4 billion in assets. The Golden 1's 60 branches are centralized in the Sacramento and Fresno areas, but the credit union has locations throughout California. The Golden 1 consistently received a superior rating from IDC Financial Publishing, Inc. and a five-star rating from Bauer Financial Reports, Inc. For additional information visit the credit union's Web Site at www.golden1.com.

About International Banking Technologies

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, International Banking Technologies (IBT) is a retail branch design/build and performance consulting company that offers construction, training and consulting services to financial institutions. Aiding organizations to expand their presence through the placement of branch facilities in supermarkets, supercenters, and storefronts, IBT has worked with 450 financial institutions and 175 retailers in Latin America, Canada and the United States - representing more than 2,000 branches.

Established in 1985, IBT is the largest in-store branching consulting company and is a recognized industry leader. IBT is owned by Howard Via, LLC. Via also owns Viacon, Inc., a leading construction and custom millwork company based in Stockbridge, Ga.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Business Wire, 2002 Gale Group

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