With the upcoming closure of the Washington Federal bank in Hawthorne, some residents are shifting their money to the only other option in town, the Financial Horizons Credit Union.
Located at 895 Sierra Way, the credit union offers its clients options similar to that of any bank, and the activity has increased in town since Washington Federal sent a letter to its customers in mid-August informing them that the Hawthorne branch will be closing in November.
“We’ve definitely seen an in-crease in activity, we’ve opened a lot of new accounts as of late,” said Financial Horizons president/CEO Barbara Reuter. “We are full service and can do anything the bank can do.”
They’re also just as accessible, if not more. In addition to the ATM machines in Mineral County, FHCU accounts can be accessed at any 7-11 convenient store across the United States.
While Hawthorne is the company’s biggest branch with the highest number of employees, 19, there are three other locations across Northern Nevada in Fallon, Yerington and Winnemucca.
“We’re pretty well staffed, 42 percent of our company’s employees are in this town,” Reuter said.
The Mineral County location originally opened in 1947 on the base in Babbitt before moving to its current location in Hawthorne in 1978. They currently have 2,553 accounts, and that number only figures to increase as residents decide on whether to do their banking in Fallon or make the switch to the credit union.
Even though their company will benefit from the Washington Federal closure, Reuter hates to see another business closing in downtown Hawthorne.
“It really is a shame,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a good thing for our community at all.”
