Published: July 18, 2008 02:01 am      

FFCU serving Morgantown out of Pineview Drive office

MORGANTOWN — Fairmont Federal Credit Union looks forward to serving the Morgantown area with its new office, CEO Stanley Rittenhouse said.

The not-for-profit financial organization celebrated the grand opening of its Pineview branch Thursday morning. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house with refreshments, prizes and giveaways, and special coupon offers.

“We’re just glad to be in the community,” Rittenhouse said.

The $1.6 million structure, located at 1254 Pineview Drive in Morgantown, covers about 2,100 square feet and has a lobby and three private offices. It also features four drive-thru lanes and a drive-up ATM. The building, which is modular, was designed and built by Grafton Homes in Fairmont.

Butch Osborne, chief operations officer of Fairmont Federal Credit Union, said experienced workers make up the staff of the new location, which opened for business mid-April. He believes the site will be successful.

“We are very pleased so far about the progress,” he said. “We have been very encouraged with our reception.”

“Business has increased,” Rittenhouse said. “We grow monthly with new members and picking up more loans and other activities.”

Fairmont Federal Credit Union, started in 1939, is a full-service financial institution with offices in Marion, Monongalia, Harrison and Taylor counties.

The credit union has an office in Westover, and Osborne said the new facility was a way to create a second full-service access point for customers in Monongalia County. The Pineview office provides the same services as the other branches, although safe deposit boxes are not available at the new site, Osborne said.

For a couple years, Fairmont Federal Credit Union operated a temporary storefront and lobby across the street on Pineview Drive. This transitory location allowed the organization to get to know the area while making plans for the brand new facility, he said.

Osborne said the Pineview office is in close proximity to neighborhood development and some professional office buildings. The site is convenient for clients and has given Fairmont Federal Credit Union the chance to serve people in a less congested area.

“They’ve got a financial institution right here that can handle all their needs,” Rittenhouse said.

For some time, the credit union also had an office inside of Mon General Hospital and served the employees there. The new location continues to be conveniently located for hospital workers and provides them with expanded services and a more private atmosphere, Osborne said.

When the Pineview facility opened, Fairmont Federal Credit Union closed both the temporary branch and the office in Mon General. The credit union will continue to have two ATMs at the hospital.

In early August, Fairmont Federal Credit Union will open a second location in Harrison County at the Shinnston Shop ’n Save.

“We’ve been on a very aggressive expansion program basically to take advantage of the opportunities created” by being a regional financial institution, Osborne said.

E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timesw.com.