American Eagle Financial Credit Union, Connecticut’s second-largest credit union, has moved its nearly 68-year-old East Hartford branch a block down Main Street.
The credit union officially opened the 361 Main St. branch on Tuesday, with 3,500-square-feet of space housed in a building recently constructed by Goodwin University.
American Eagle has vacated its former branch location at 417 Main St., which it opened back in 1952, when it went by the name East Hartford Aircraft Federal Credit Union.
The branch move is the final piece of a real estate reshuffling and expansion in East Hartford in recent years for American Eagle, which in 2017 paid $6.6 million for its new headquarters at 333 East River Drive, where it also consolidated employees from a Glastonbury office.
American Eagle sold 417 Main to Goodwin in 2018 for $1.8 million, keeping its branch in place after the sale.
Teresa Knox, the credit union’s chief operating officer, said the location needed renovations and upgrades, but when Goodwin offered American Eagle officials a space at 361 Main last year, Knox said it seemed like the better option.
She said the new space is a bit smaller than the old space, but is better laid out for branch operations. Rebel Dog Coffee leased a space next door, which Knox said should be good for foot traffic.
American Eagle has also invested in video teller machines for the new location, which allow members to interact with a credit union teller through video chat.
That employee can be feet away inside the branch, or beamed in remotely.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the state after American Eagle committed to its new lease late last year, which led to many more employees working remotely, Knox said the decision was fortuitous.
”It turned out to be a really good decision,” she said.
