Community First Credit Union Expands ATM Network

ATMs include new standalone and drive-thru locations  

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 25, 2023 – Community First Credit Union, one of Florida’s largest credit unions, has expanded its branch and ATM network at a historic pace. In addition to currently having three new branches in development, it has expanded its standalone and drive-thru ATM locations, adding five new institution-managed locations in the last month. 

“ATMs continue to play a large role in members’ daily financial lives,” said Melissa Thomas, Sr. VP of operations and payments. “Expanding the freestanding ATM footprint is critical to serving them where they live, especially in between branch locations and outside regular branch hours.”  

Recently, Community First installed three ATMs at the Jacksonville International Airport making it the institution with the largest number of ATMs in the airport. It has also purchased and/or leased former Chase ATMs which include prime outparcel drive-thru locations in retail centers in Mandarin and Riverside.  

In addition, Community First has expanded its regional and national ATM partnership to provide more than 85,000 ATMs surcharge-free, including the Publix Presto ATM locations which offer convenience locally, across the state and beyond. 

Thomas has been leading an aggressive expansion of payment options and services since she joined the credit union in 2022. She has been planning for innovation and evolution in the rapidly expanding real-time payment realm. Real-time payments include digital applications and other back-end payment support for things like real-time cash transfer, integrated services, and payment choice. ATMs also support members’ cash needs like withdrawals and deposits 24 hours a day.  

Community First is undertaking the most aggressive branch network expansion plan in its history, which represents an unprecedented capital investment in serving more members in more places across the region. It currently has three expansion branches in construction and development. In 2022, Community First had strong growth in assets and membership and a 20% growth in total loans, an institution record. 

Community First Credit Union of Florida, named Florida’s 2022 Credit Union of the Year by the LSCU, is a state-chartered credit union based in Jacksonville serving anyone who lives or works on the First Coast. Community First is one of the largest credit unions in Florida with $2.7 billion in assets and serving 171,000 members. Community First has 20 locations and more than 400 employees and is also a 2023 “Best Places to Work.” A not-for-profit, Community First is a full-service financial institution offering banking, loans, mortgages and investments for consumers and businesses across the First Coast. 

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