St. Jean’s Credit Union opens new headquarters

LYNN ? St. Jean’s Credit Union, the oldest institution of its kind in Massachusetts, today opened the doors to its new headquarters at 250 Maple St.The grand opening of the credit union’s main office comes only days after the former headquarters at 527 Western Ave. was permanently closed.St. Jean’s Credit Union was organized in 1910 to service Lynn’s burgeoning community of French-speaking Canadians. It was the state’s first credit union, the nation’s oldest state-chartered credit union, and the second oldest institution of its kind in the United States.”We’re proud of the fact we could invest and continue to be part of the Lynn community,” said David Surface, the credit union president and chief executive officer. “Our roots are here in Lynn.”According to Surface, the credit union has 15,000 members, of which 7,000 are Lynn residents.”We were originally established to serve the French community of Lynn and for over 100 years we have been helping families become home owners, buy cars and obtain college tuition loans. We’ll never leave Lynn,” Surface said. “We’re proud to be a Lynn institution. We’re approaching our 100th anniversary next year.”St. Jean’s Credit Union has branch offices in Revere, Salem and Newburyport. Membership is open to anyone living or working in Essex, Middlesex or Suffolk counties, to state employees, and to employees of H.P. Hood and their families.The new headquarters encompasses 4,100 feet of floor space, a drive-through with two lanes, a drive-through ATM and a night depository. It stands at the corner of Maple and Chestnut streets on a site formerly occupied by a church.”We’ll have over $2 million invested, probably closer to $3 million by the time it’s all done,” Surface explained late last week as landscapers, painters and carpenters finished last-minute details.The City Council recently voted to allow the credit union to assume ownership of a sliver of land adjacent to the new building since it was too small for development. The land has since been made part of the overall landscaping scheme, enhancing the overall property, Surface said.The former main branch on Western Avenue was closed last Friday, the property for sale or lease. “We have a few parties interested in it,” said Surface, noting that while that site had adequate parking, customers frequently complained of difficulty entering and exiting onto Western Avenue or Franklin Street. “The new site has plenty of parking and it’s very easy to get in and out on both Chestnut and Maple streets.”St. Jean’s Credit Union has 55 full-time and part-time employees in its four locations. About 12 will work at the Lynn headquarters.The drive-through window at the credit union will open at 7:30 a.m. on business days. The entire branch office will open at 8:30 a.m. It will close at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.The drive-through window will open at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday while the branch office will open an hour later, closing at 1 p.m.Surface said St. Jean’s Credit Union has more than $130 million in assets.”Even though the economy is tough, we are still lending,” he said. “We offer car loans, credit cards, and what’s really new and exciting for us is the ability to help small businesses with service like checking checking accounts, business credit cards, lines of credit, and if they quality, purchases of property.”The credit union can be reached by calling 781-592-5420 or visiting its Web site atwww.stjeanscu.com.