(Image: King County)
First Hill is losing a bank. The Bank of America at Madison and Minor is slated to close to start 2025, the global financial giant is telling customers.
In an automated message to bankers, B of A says the closure is planned for January 2025.
A check of city and county records show no changes in ownership and no redevelopment activity for the 1970s-built, one-story commercial building owned by Swedish.
CHS has reached out to Bank of America to learn more. Continue reading
Capitol Hill’s Bullitt Center — the greenest office building in the world — now has a bank. In a bid to focus a real world financial center on digital banking and hopefully cut down on waste in the process, Beneficial State Bank says its new location is cashless, except for the ATMs.
“When our Washington branch first opened in a trailer in Ilwaco, we couldn’t have imagined that one day we’d bank from the world’s most sustainable building,” CEO Randell Leach said in the announcement of the new financial center. “It’s the result of a decade of proactive investments in environmental sustainability and climate justice coming to fruition.”
Beneficial says the bank “will help its customers do their banking electronically without relying on paper transactions.” Continue reading
Banks can fly Pride flags but a group trying to create a new credit union traditional banks are not meeting the special financial needs of LGBTQ+ customers (Image: CHS)
LGBTQ+ activists Andrew Tasakos and Philip Endicott are heading into pioneering territory just days away from their first major fundraiser to create a credit union they will call Equality Financial. Tasakos and Endicott started their effort to build a financial center serving LGBTQ+ communities four years ago.
Their next move begins Friday, February 16th with a “Party for Equality” fundraiser. The rallying cry of the movement is “Equality for All.” “You don’t have to be a gay, you just need to believe in equality to be a member,” Tasakos says.
“I’ve been very fortunate to live in a region that does not discriminate, but 37% of our community live in the South,” he said. “If we can teach our community to tithe back to ourselves, and teach each other, then we can have a safety net in this country.”
Community organizer and financial advisor Noemi Chaparro agrees. “It’s time that we show-up and stand-up, and create a physical manifestation of this portion of society,” she said. Continue reading
(Image: Coppins Well)
We’ve reported on the proliferation of financial institutions along Capitol Hill’s main commercial drag on Broadway. The commercial boulevard takes a jog at First Hill where Friday morning a new bank is celebrating its opening in the neighborhood.
Along with cutting the opening ribbon, Chase officials will be handing over a $75,000 donation to nonprofit developer Capitol Hill Housing. Perhaps CHH will use the newfangled new Chase ATM documented in the announcement below to receive their payment in coins.
Chase joins a recently opened Top Pot and a sandwich shop in the Coppins Well development that opened in fall 2012. In addition to the thousands of health and medical workers who populate the area, these new merchants also serve a growing residential population — with more on the way. Last summer, we reported on the opening of a new grocery store to serve First Hill’s workers — and residents.
Chase celebrates opening of new branch in First Hill Neighborhood
Investment in customer service and innovative technology
SEATTLE (January 27 , 2013) — On January 31, Chase will celebrate the official opening of its new First Hillbanking branch with a Chamber of Commerce Ribbon cutting at 9:30 am, which is open to the public. The new branch will employ seven full time employees and is located at First Hill – 1200 Madison St. in Seattle.
The First Hill branch will mark Chase’s 215th branch in Washington. The new 2,680 + square foot branch will provide a full range of services, including checking
and savings accounts, business banking, mortgages, investment products and advisors. Additionally, it is one of the first branches in Washington to offer
customers the new next generation ATMs.
Features of new ATMs
- · Allows customers to request “custom denominations”
- · Dispense bills ranging from $1 to $100
- · have the capability of dispensing coins, a service that will be piloted soon and eventually rolled out nationwide.
- · Offers customers the service of paying credit card bills and loading Chase prepaid cards with cash.
“The opening of our new First Hill branch represents Chase’s long-term commitment to serving the community,” saidChase District Manager, Chante Dysart-Lee. “Chase has vast experience in helping consumers and businesses with their financial needs and our branch is proud to be the newest addition to the community.”
The First Hill branch is open 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to the next generation ATMs, the branch will also feature safe boxes as well as a conference room that is open to the community pending branch manager’s permission.
Store manager Geena Sigsimondi knows what she is doing. She was there when the only Bettie Page Clothing store was in Las Vegas. She is behind the counter, now, on Broadway, where the national chain’s 15th store has opened its doors on Capitol Hill.
We first told you about the plan for Bettie Page to take over the former state liquor store on Broadway back in February. Last week, with walls fully awash in pink — and still waiting for art to complete the look, the retail operation debuted and is now celebrating its grand opening amid the changing retail fashion mix on Broadway. Nearby, Aprie continues to offer local fashion at its Capitol Hill location and fellow indie Mishu is in the middle of its third year on Broadway while vintage is still a big deal at Red Light and Crossroads Trading. Old schoolers like Metro Clothing continue to also hold down the fort.
Equally prevalent now, of course, are Broadway’s banks. Another institution of finance joins Bettie Page with a recent Broadway opening. 1st Security is now resident in what was the temporary north Broadway set-up for Bank of America. With all of this fashion for sale, we expect the many new tellers to be dressed to the nines.
