Membership increase

Membership of the parish’s credit union which also serves Knockbridge and Kilkerley grew in the last year.

The branch recorded an increase of 260 members, with the overall membership standing at 6,411 at the end of the financial year at the end of September last.

A merger steering committee has been set up by the branch as part of a continuous process in considering how best to safeguard the future interest of members.

This has taken place with re-structuring of credit unions becoming commonplace. The move is with a view to discuss the possibilities of mergers with like minded credit unions.

The board and chairman in their report for the annual meeting express the view that the branch can become stronger, more competitive with pricing and are in a position to offer a wider range of services by combining with other credit unions.

The board are seeking approval at the meeting on Tuesday, April 11 to proceed with any merger by board resolution. The venue is Saint Oliver Plunkett School, Sandy Lane, and proceedings will start at 8pm.

The branch has introduced new services, including online banking and an electronic fund transfer facility which allows payment of utility and other bills.

With a healthy surplus returned for the year, the meeting will be asked to endorse a 0.1% dividend on shares and a 10% rebate on loan interest.