BRONX, N.Y.–One credit union’s mobile banking van was profiled in a series of photos and related reporting by the New York Times.
The van, operated by Lower East Side People’s FCU, was accompanied by a Times reporter as it crisscrossed the Bronx and helped residents to open accounts and apply for loans.
“The borough has the fewest bank branches in the city, so the service has been popular,” the Times report stated.
The Times reporter shared that a “steady stream” of members met the van, including a number of newly arrived immigrants. Some had made appointments, others were walk-ins. One young man, Adrian Ramos-Aparicio, 11, was there to open his first youth savings and checking account.
Another member, Margarita Castro, told the Times, “I feel much more comfortable speaking in Spanish. That way I understand everything.”
Castro wanted information on a savings account, but inquired about starting a business one as well, according to the Times.
The Day’s Tally
On the day the reporter accompanied the van, the mobile service helped with 83 savings accounts, 70 checking accounts, 32 loans and 16 applications for tax IDs, the Times said.
During the winter, the report added the van will visit affordable housing buildings in the Bronx. The van is operated in conjunction with the Bronx Financial Access Coalition.