GFA's COVID response, a Message from Tina M. Sbrega, President & CEO
To our valued members and neighbors,
We have truly missed seeing you in our branches and out in the community and, like everyone, we look forward to the day when we can return to the activities and routines we loved prior to the onset of this pandemic. Until that day comes, what has become our new normal today will be evolving continuously over the coming weeks and months. This will remain a time of uncertainty, and that is why it is more important than ever to keep the communication open to you, our members; because as your trusted financial partner, we are indeed - getting through this together. We are thankful for your patience and support over these past few months.
Over the past week, the Governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire have provided guidance about what each state’s phased economic reopening plans will look like, and what is expected of businesses for each portion of the reopening. We are taking a similar phased approach to returning back to how we once conducted business – for the safety of you, our members, and our dedicated employees. Our dedicated team has been hard at work over these past few months of stay at home orders and forced shutdowns. As an essential industry, our team has been working with many of you to assist as needed during this challenging period. We have assisted over 150 businesses in our communities, by providing more than $10 million dollars in Payroll Protection Program loans. I couldn’t be more proud of our team’s efforts and work in this regard, as we had employees volunteer to work well past midnight during this period to ensure we were able to process PPP applications through the SBA’s portal. In addition to that, we have worked with countless members in providing some financial relief by offering loan skip payments, supporting electronic banking transactions, responding to members’ needs and finding creative ways to make necessary in-person transactions safe and efficient. Our concern has been the health of our members and employees from the outset, and continues to guide our decision making. As the trusted financial services partner of our local communities, we’ve taken up the responsibility of providing for your financial health with equal diligence and concern.
On Tuesday, May 26th, we will be opening the lobbies of half of our GFA Federal Credit Union branch locations – Ashburnham, Keene (NH), Pearson Blvd. (Gardner), Rindge (NH) and Rutland – and excitedly welcoming members back in a safe and prudent fashion. We have implemented many different safety and sanitization measures, as well as security guidelines, to ensure a clean, safe environment for everyone. We know that it has been a tremendous challenge getting to this point, and we could not be more grateful for your patience and support. As we enter this next phase in response to Covid-19, we will continue to prioritize serving you to the very best of our ability despite continued challenging conditions. We have installed plexi-glass sneeze guards at every interaction point to keep a safe barrier between members and employees. We are limiting lobby traffic based on the size and flow of each of our locations, and have installed social distancing markers so that CDC guidelines can be followed. When visiting one of our locations, we will respectfully request that your face mask is lowered while entering the building for security purposes, and then can be put back on when the first social distancing marker is reached. Sanitizer will be available as well as single use pens. The hours of each location may vary, and may change as demand and circumstances evolve through this phased re-opening period. To find the most accurate information please check our Protecting Our Members and Team From COVID-19 blog post on gfafcu.com or call your local branch office.
We are continuously evaluating new self-sanitizing technologies such as door handle covers and surface barriers to keep everyone safe. We are proud to have partnered with a local business, Seaman Paper, to pilot their sanitary sheets. These sheets are a single use, recyclable paper barrier that we have installed at our locations for drive-up canister accessibility.
We still encourage using our drive-ups, limiting in-branch transactions, making appointments when possible, and using online and mobile banking options. Please also note that, as always, all GFA ATMs will remain fully stocked and available to provide you the convenience and safety of not leaving your vehicle if you need to transact business.
As your financial partner, if you experience financial difficulties, we have solutions to assist you so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
These are indeed extraordinary times for us all as we face the lingering effects of the pandemic and deal with the economic challenges it has created. Please know that GFA remains safe and strong, with capital well in excess of regulatory requirements. Further, we remind you that your deposits are insured in full. The National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) federally insures the first $250,000 and all deposits in excess of that federal limit are insured IN FULL through the Massachusetts Share Insurance Corporation (MSIC).
Again, I am truly inspired by our communities and, two months later am still in awe over the level of support from your entire GFA team as we work together to ensure our members are served, without interruption. On behalf of the entire GFA Better Banking Team, please be safe and be well.
Sincerely,
Tina M. Sbrega
President & CEO