Credit union office moves off campus

The Mississippi State branch of the Jackson USDA Federal Credit Union located in the Lloyd-Ricks Building closed its doors Oct. 17, but university customers will continue to be served by the credit union's Starkville office at 333 Highway 12 West.

The credit union office on campus was originally part of the Government Employees Credit Union operated by and for university employees, but that organization later was absorbed by Jackson USDA FCU, a private non-profit corporation that serves a large non-university clientele.

Once the credit union ceased to be a university service organization, its rent-free occupancy of university facilities and receipt of related services posed a conflict with state law and Institutions of Higher Learning policy, said Leah Norman, vice president for business affairs.

The opening of a Starkville office of the Jackson USDA Federal Credit Union allows the campus office to be closed with a minimum of inconvenience to university customers of the credit union, Norman said, at a time when campus space is at a premium.

Jackson USDA FCU officials say their full-service credit union offers university members and non-university members access to more services than they had with the Government Employees Credit Union.

The Starkville office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and may be reached by telephoning 323-5020.