FHC commissions new branch for St Thomas
Published:Sunday 1:05 AM
First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union, FHC, is now operating a new permanent office in Morant Bay, the St Thomas parish capital.
This comes eight years after the business and operations of St Thomas Co-operative Credit Union Limited were taken over by FHC. The new office, which houses 14 staff members, replaces the cramped two-storey building with no parking at Main Street.
CEO Roxann Linton says the previous building was about 4,300 square feet, while the replacement is 5,500 square feet, with available parking and spill-over parking at the nearby Anglican Church Hall.
“The old St Thomas building, while it had a good amount of space, was not always accessible to us,” said Linton. The new building is “cheese to chalk in terms of the aesthetic profile and comfort for our members,” she said.
FHC invested $100 million in the structure.
“When we looked at the business case for creating this permanent home, we saw ourselves aligning with the needs of our members, and importantly, with the development that is taking place in the area with the highway and the new commercial centre,” Linton said.
Morant Bay is in the process of adding new commercial activity, with Linton touting the larger St Thomas branch as being more accessible to members whose financial needs would be evolving alongside the expanding town.
FHC is one of only three financial institutions operating in the parish of St Thomas, the others being Scotiabank and National Commercial Bank.