EL PASO, Texas GECU introduced a new branching concept this week combining a credit union branch with a local tea and coffee café.
While dozens of credit unions operate branches inside supermarkets, schools and a few pharmacies, this is believed to be one of the first full-service branches located inside a tea/coffee house.
The project, created by local Kinley's House Coffee & Teas, features GECU's ATMs and a small office with a virtual loan officer at one end of the ground floor of the 3,300-square-foot, two-story building, which is owned by the café and leased to GECU, the one-time Government Employees’ CU.
This is the third GECU branch using the automated Personal Teller Machine technology. About five GECU employees work in the tea house branch, and a GECU employee greets people at the door. The tea house has 12 employees and eventually will have 20 employees.
The coffee house, which also serves some teas, focuses on coffee, while the adjacent tea house, located in the same building is focused on specialty, Asian teas and some dishes.
