On September 16, Whatcom County celebrated the opening of its first BECU Neighborhood Financial Center (NFC). To mark this exciting expansion, BECU hosted a virtual grand opening event and ribbon cutting ceremony.
Founded more than 80 years ago, in 1935, BECU started when a small group of Boeing employees began working together. It has since become the fourth largest credit union in the U.S. and the largest nonprofit credit union in Washington. It’s now expanding its reach to serve more than 7,500 patrons in Whatcom County.
While BECU is only starting with one new location in Bellingham, they look forward to partnering with others in the future. The new location on Lakeway Drive will offer BECU patrons better access to their accounts as well as more direct support.
As a nonprofit credit union, decisions at BECU are always based on what is best for its members.
“BECU’s strength comes from our members. We also realize that the financial wellbeing of our members is tied to the strength of their community,” says Sarah Nuanes, branch manager of the Bellingham Lakeway NFC. “That is why we are committed to partnering with nonprofits and investing in programs that help build the communities where our members live, work, and play.”
For starters, BECU is partnering with Junior Achievement (JA) of Washington, Northwest Innovation Resource Center, and the Opportunity Council to provide community resources to the neighborhood.
“As a financial cooperative, we are focused on putting our ‘people helping people’ philosophy in action in Bellingham,” Nuanes says.
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