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Pen Air Permanently Closing Century Branch, The Only Financial Institution In The Town
October 23, 2021
The Pen Air Federal Credit Union branch in Century will permanently close, leaving Century without a financial institution.
The lobby of the Pen Air location will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30, according to an email sent to Pen Air members. A “Pen Air LIVE” interactive video ATM will remain open.
“Thank you for letting us be a part of your community all these years. We look forward to serving your banking needs, today and for many more years to come,” Pen Air Century Branch Manager Angie White said in the email.
“I hate they are closing,” said Sandra McMurray-Jackson, longtime Pen Air members, a Century business owner and member of the Century Town Council. She joined Pen Air in the late 1990s with her late husband, with both of her sons becoming members as they grew older.
“I consider Pen Air to be part of my family,” Jackson said. “We need Pen Air in Century.”
In their email to members, Pen Air said banking behavior has changed, with a dramatic shift in the past year. The credit union said an “overwhelming majority” of members now use online banking, a mobile app and other digital services when possible.
Pictured: The Pen Air Federal Credit Union branch in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
34 Responses to “Pen Air Permanently Closing Century Branch, The Only Financial Institution In The Town”
This is so sad and so frustrating especially for the elderly population of the community. Most of them are not familiar with computers or ATMs. This is going to be so confusing/frustrating for them. The elderly depended on the dedicated employees at the Century branch to help them and they did a fantastic job. Just goes to show that big branches really don’t think about the people or the community or the employees in these small branches . It’s a business period. Small rural communities need to be a priority!!! This small town needs all the prayers they can get!
last one out of Century shut off the lights please
Thats soo sad
I understand it’s hard on the members that need a free cup of coffee and want to chat while cashing a check that they wrote to themselves to buy multiple money orders with their social security to pay bills that they will not pay online. Yes, I’ve been a teller.
Don’t think this decision was thought through at all. Permanently closing, but keeping the property just to have Live ATMs? Employees did not lose their jobs, but just forced to go to a Pensacola location. Literally only money saving is on some utilities that’s it and maybe the occasional money runs which actually will still have to be done for the ATMs. Really all it comes down to is they’ve sadly only become money hungry trying to compete with a bigger company they’ll never be able to compete with, but have lost their true community commitment they like to preach. Yes having worked here before it is largely used as a check cashing place, but even losing that membership during these times makes absolutely zero sense.
BoA branches have closed all over pensacola, I have to drive 10 miles to get to the nearest location, so it’s not just Century.
@Dewane. And what would be their “very very good reason for leaving”?
People need the bank in Century it’s literally the ONLY ONE on the north end. Not a lot of people have the time or the means to get to Pensacola to just do their banking. I think this is stupid of the corporate to do this. We need this bank open up here.
Pen Air can not suffer loss after loss from the surrounding area.
With businesses, industry and any institution that has to have influx that is growing in the community to survive… Century is not an investment but a liability concerning stability and growth.
Century doesn’t have that.
You do not see other financial institution shutting down operations in a town in any mile radius shutting down or moving to another viable location.. operations and moving across the landscape to the towns and cities are more prosperous
Century is stagnant and polluted with certain elements of management or lack thereof .default…
Lots of financial liabilities for any financial institution.
No financial institution can tolerate as such.
We need pen air i bank with them dont want to have to drive to pensacola to pay my car payment
I first joined PenAir back in 1982 when you had to have a military connection. Sadly I have seen them decline through the years. Several times through the years I tried to give them loan business but they had silly restrictions that forced me to give my business to another lender. I haven’t tried to use them again in years and can’t say I would even try again.
Polled???
You didnt frequent it enough to justify it being there.
That…kind people was the economic indicator.
Your little snide surveys…that was a poll.
You are never happy and it showed.
Done!
Sad we as members of the credit union were not polled. Closing the ONE branch at the north end of the county while having several in P’cola makes no sense.
Perhaps now that the lobby is opened again, we can bombard them with business!
I don’t like going to the live teller I rather go inside
when I need a bank check to pay a bill or get money out. I hate see I g them close.
Another company using Covid as an excuse to either cut services, or raise prices, or both. You can bet that this has been talked about for years and Covid gave them the excuse they finally needed to close the branch.
Nooooooo!!!! WTH are members supposed to do now? Do t have time to go to Pensacola when I have to go in for something! Guess it’s time to change banks…
Maybe you should have kept your doors open instead of locking them during covid. You brought this on yourself.
I am surprised they did not close down years ago. Half the time I went there to use the ATM is was down, because some local resident thought they could bust it up and try and get free cash.
In reading PenAir’s website and with a bit of personal experience added:
ATM dispenses cash.
ATM accepts deposits.
ATM is “live” interactive.
Checks can be deposited using the app.
Accounts can be managed by app or phone, including live person or touchtone commands.
Loans can be applied for online or over the phone.
If signatures are needed, e-documents can be signed.
These processes require no additional transportation for customers. A debit card is all that is necessary. Any hard copies can easily be mailed in a single business day.
Having an internet connection is not necessary so long as a phone can be accessed.
For the very elderly with little computer training or smart phone savvy, or where dementia or disability is an issue, I understand the concerns, but only to an extent (because trustworthy caregivers can easily assist). For those under 70 howling to the moon about not being able to go to a teller, hang it up… and welcome to the 21st Century about 22 years late.
Kudos, PenAir, for all the financial technologies you already have in place in North Escambialand.
I hate their live drive through. I have a loan with them I guess I’ll be paying online.
We always find out about these things after the fact…..we are never given the chance to protest or fight or even submit ideas to bring in more membership. It’s always about the bottom line……..community commitment is a farce.
They have a very very good reason for leaving Century
You can get a much better interest rate getting a loan from the city council. PenAir couldn’t compete.
I guess i’ll have to go to Century town concil to get my next loan. Plus the interest rate is better.
I hate this for the employees that have worked there for years, they now have to drive to Pensacola to work. They have always been helpful and friendly to work with!
So this is pen airs community commitment they always talk about? They always preach that but it painfully obvious they don’t care about commitment. They closed they lobby most of last year, forcing people to go online instead of going inside a lobby. Tucking their tail and running.
The only reason things has changed is because of the pandemic, that was our only option due to the lobby being closed but now you have people that do not have a primary means of transportation that can’t get to Pensacola and being in century it’s much more convenient. I feel that this is another way to tear century down by taking everything from us
I have been a member since around 1974. All my family are members.
Pen Air is making Navy Federal look better all the time. If one has to travel from Century to Pensacola for in-bank services just may as well transfer all business to Navy Federal. Much bigger and very highly respected credit unit all over the US.
Welcome to the future.
My guess is the number of members with Century addresses nor branch transactions per day warrant a Century branch. There are also banking options across the bridge in Flomatom, ATM’s for cash, and since most people have to travel elsewhere for their job, they probably bank going to/from work. While this may inconvenience some it is probably not a huge deal for most.
Handwriting on the walls of our long-time banking institutions as they move to the on-line and plastic = cashless means of doing business.
How easy then for tracking of our smallest purchases to larger ones? Know what we buy where we buy when we buy.
So….wonder who or what is really behind this move?
Or, are people just too dang lazy to go to their banks nowadays?
I hate hearing this. I have a loan with Pen-Air as well as a savings and checking account. I do not have a debit card nor checks with my account as I mainly use the money in my accounts to pay my car loan. Sometimes I do need some of the funds out of the account and go to Century. I wish they would reconsider this. Maybe if enough members complain they will re think this decision.
I don’t understand this. I bank with Penair. I don’t have to go inside very often but when I do, there is always someone ahead of me. I haven’t ever been inside where I didnt have to wait.
Century continues to die.
We had know choice but to use online services they kept the front door lock for covid for another a year