Financial Plus Credit Union opens new building

MORRIS — After months of construction, the Morris branch of Financial Plus Credit Union opened Monday at 1300 N. Division St., next door to the old location at the corner of Division and High Streets.

The new state-of-the-art facility is now home to 5,800 members of the Morris branch, according to branch manager Laurie Daniels. That makes it the second-largest branch in the Financial Plus family. They also have locations in Ottawa (the original), Diamond, Peru and Mendota.

"We are excited to be in our new space," Daniels said. "And, we are excited for our members, many of which have been with us for a long time."

The credit union began as the Federal Paper Mill, then became the Morris Community Credit Union before being acquired by Financial Plus in 2015. Financial Plus currently has $385 million in assets.

The credit union offers services similar to other banking institutions, such as checking and savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts, IRAs and loan products such as mortgages, auto loans, personal loans and credit cards.

"We have all the modern technology as well," Financial Plus CEO Tim O'Donnell said. "We have online banking and our loans like mortgages and auto loans are all handled in-house. We feel it gives us a more personal touch."

The new building covers 7,300 square feet, compared to 2,000 in the old building. The new facility has one entrance on Division St. (Route 47) currently, but once the old building is demolished, that space will be used for parking and for another entrance/exit onto High Street, which will be more convenient for customers. Also, instead of one drive-up lane at the old building, the new facility has four drive-up lanes and an ATM, located behind the building.

"That definitely makes things easier," O'Donnell said. "Before, if you had three cars in line at the drive-up, the tail end of the third car might be still poking onto Route 47."

The new building has offices for loans of different types, offices for account services, will soon have a technology desk for members who are having difficulty with online banking and an area for children when parents need to come into the facility.

Morris Mayor Richard Kopczick and State Sen. Sue Rezin were on hand Monday to cut the ribbon for the new facility, and both were impressed with their tour of the building.

"There is a lot more room in the new building," Daniels said. "There is room for us to grow, too, so we hope we can get some new members. We look forward to helping the people in the community."

The lobby hours for the new facility are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday. The drive-up opens daily at 8 a.m.