Teller transactions at Erie General Electric FCU’s newest branch will be conducted “at ‘teller pods,’ where members and employees can communicate openly without the barrier of a counter,” according to the CU Times.

Other branch features:

• Two stories
• 18,000 square feet
• Flat screen TVs
• Electronic sign-in pad
• Full children’s play area with video game systems
• Fireplace
• Refreshment station

In an illustration on the credit union’s website, you can see the member lounge featuring a fireplace and large, flat screen TV. A recessed ceiling in the waiting area helps visually define the space, while a protruded ‘soffit‘ helps define the welcome desk.

The branch’s paths are carpeted, while the dwell zones are hardwood. Many financial institutions do the opposite: put hard surfaces in high-traffic areas, partly because they are easier to clean when they get dirty (as they will often).

Because hard surfaces reflect sound, carpet is commonly used to increase audio-absorbency in spaces requiring more privacy. Carpet is also more comfortable to stand on than hard surfaces, which can encourage prolonged engagement in sales and services zones.

With $87 million in assets and 13,000 members, Pittsburgh Teachers Credit Union will officially become ‘Riverset,’ effective January 2, 2008.

According to this article, President and CEO Christine Chojnicki said the credit union’s name was being amended to Riverset in an effort to broaden the organization’s appeal to groups other than teachers. Chojnicki said the name change will make the credit union “more inclusive” of all its members, as well as members or employees of some 60 companies and organizations representing health care, retail, hotel and public sector employees.

She said the credit union isn’t moving toward a community charter or away from its core members, even thought it will be open to anyone who lives on Pittsburgh’s South Side, where the credit union is based.

Chojnicki is quoted as saying, “Our members have been very receptive to the change.”

Michael Wishnow, senior vice president of communications for the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, said there’s a trend among credit unions to move toward community charters and away from select employee groups, or SEGs.

“When you look at how credit unions grew up, it was usually around a single, large employer,” Wishnow said. “But there are fewer and fewer large employers.”

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