News

Jun 4, 2012

On May 30, 2012, a property closing in a private sale of 35 Bradbury Street in Biddeford was completed transferring ownership from PeoplesChoice Credit Union to Good Shepherd Parish Catholic Church.  Good Shepherd already owns the adjacent property - St Joseph Church .

PeoplesChoice was founded as the St. Joseph’s Federal Credit Union at this location and still provides banking and financial services to a large number of area parish families. However, when PeoplesChoice customer needs changed beyond the capabilities of this residential neighborhood branch, with its limited parking and lack of drive-thru, the decision was made to close the location April 1, 2012.  Diocese representatives and credit union officials saw an opportunity to support each other’s future and current missions.  PeoplesChoice already has a branch on Elm Street in Biddeford, as well as three other area locations. The Bradbury Street branch closing has gone smoothly with no loss of employees or any customer service issues.

“The acquisition  was important for the Parish because it allows us to better control our parking situation while also considering alternative uses for the building”,” said David Gadbois, Business Coordinator for Good Shepherd Parish. “We were fortunate to have PeoplesChoice as a neighbor all these years because of the compatibility of our parking needs and their business hours. Going forward we know that we will have more spaces not less to better serve our  parishioners and their families.”

“A great deal of work went into making this transaction work for both sides,” said PeoplesChoice President Luke Labbe. “But in the end, it just made sense for the parish and for us.  They really are best suited to optimize use of the property.  I believe both sides are pleased with the outcome of the sale and we were happy to help make it all happen.”

As of the date of the sale closing, no definite plans have been made by Good Shepherd for the recently acquired property; but according to Gadbois, a number of interesting plans for improvement have already been proposed.

PeoplesChoice Credit Union, NCUA, currently serves nearly 15,000 members through its 4 locations in Biddeford, Saco, Wells, and Sanford, and through its complete online/mobile banking community at PeoplesChoiceME.org.  PCU is also a part of a shared branch network in Maine with over 120 locations, and over 4,000 nationwide.  In addition, their CU24 SURF ATM Alliance allows for more than 200 surcharge-FREE ATM locations within Maine.  For more information, please call 1-877-785-6328, email llabbe@peopleschoiceme.org, or visit PeoplesChoiceME.org.
For more information on Good Shepherd Parish of Biddeford, visit GoodShepherdParish.us online or please call, 207-282-3321.

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