Important Information About Financial Center Credit Union Merger

Financial Center notified our Members of the merger, sending information along with details of the Member vote related to the merger with Valley Strong Credit Union.  The Member vote was held in September 2021 with the final vote tally representing in the affirmative to join the Valley Strong team.  

Financial Center’s merger with Valley Strong enhances the credit union’s commitment to greater access, convenience and increased member value.  It’s a true collaborative partnership between two financially strong credit unions committed to our Members. 

With a competitive physical presence and Valley Strong’s strength in products, services and technology offerings, we’ll be better able to serve our Members and our communities.

As part of the transition, all account numbers will be changed, this includes short account numbers and your checking account (723) account/MICR numbers. You will be receiving a letter two weeks prior to May 2, 2022 when Financial Center will become Valley Strong. This letter will have information about the changes taking effect and specific account details.

For all fee changes, please refer to the Truth in Savings disclosure booklet and the detailed fee schedule that is included in this mailing.   

Yes, Financial Center will begin using the Valley Strong routing number of 322273722, effective May 2, 2022. Once you receive your new Valley Strong account number, if you have transactions referencing the old Financial Center routing number, please update your information to Valley Strong’s routing number as soon as possible. 

Your full account number (MICR account number) can be found in your online banking, the mobile banking app. You’ll need your MICR account number when setting up direct deposit, automatic deductions and ACH transactions.

Scheduled deposits and withdrawals will be processed as usual for a limited amount of time. To ensure minimal disruptions to your account, please make sure to update your scheduled and reoccurring transactions with Valley Strong’s routing number, and your new account number.  

No, new checks will not be required. Valley Strong has procedures in place to ensure your checks clear your new account. You will be receiving a voucher in the mail during the month of may that you may use to order replacement checks with your new account and routing number. Please wait until you receive your new account information before you order checks. Once you receive new checks, you may choose to destroy your existing Financial Center checks or take them to any Valley Strong branch for shredding. 

Necessary updates to the ATMs are required to provide the best possible experience. Updates will begin on may 2, 2022 and may take up to one week to finalize. until each ATM is updated, members can still withdrawal funds, but deposits must be made in branch or through remote deposit capture. The ATMs will be updated throughout several days to ensure availability of funds throughout this process. 

Valley Strong bill pay services do not have a monthly fee and will be free for all members. 

Your existing payees will be migrated to the valley strong bill pay platform. There will be no action needed on your part. Separate login for bill payment system will no longer be required with Valley Strong. Users will access bill payment services through online banking. 

Recurring and scheduled payments will be migrated to the Valley Strong online banking platform. You should not anticipate any disruption in your payments.  

Bill pay items will continue to post as they have in the past.

EZ pay for loan payments will be discontinued. Valley Strong is happy to offer account to account transfers through online banking. This service may be used to transfer funds to and from your account held at Valley Strong and any account you own at other us based financial institutions at no cost.  

All cd interest will be paid monthly, rather than quarterly. 

Yes. Both existing Financial Center debit cards and credit cards will continue to work until you receive your new Valley Strong cards. The new cards should arrive a few weeks after Financial Center becomes Valley Strong on may 2. Cards will be ready for activation upon receipt. The cards will arrive in a plain, unmarked envelope.

If you have any automatic/recurring payments associated with your debit card or credit card, make sure to update the payment method with your new Valley Strong debit card or credit card number. 

Yes, there will be a change to some limits. Valley Strong Credit Union is confident that the daily limits in place will meet the spend needs of the membership.  

Some of the items under this umbrella include: Zelle, online account opening, account aggregation, card management, mobile deposit, and real-time credit report monitoring – to name a few.  Valley Strong participates in the CO-OP ATM network, bringing fee-free ATM access through a broader network.

MAA will no longer be available. Account owners will be able to view and transact on cross accounts they own. Separate logins will no longer be needed. Cross account transfers can now be created in online banking.   

Yes, you will need to enroll in Datavoice with a new pin number by calling (800) 339-7828.   

Online banking, mobile banking, and Datavoice will be unavailable from 5 p.m. on Friday, April 29 to 9 a.m. on Monday, may 2. Financial Center will experience an entirely new suite of digital banking products with familiar and enhanced features for personal and business accounts. 

If your current online banking username is already in use, you will be prompted to update your username during your first login to online or mobile banking.

Cross accounts will no longer be available. Members will need to establish new transfer relationships in the transfers tab widget found either in online or mobile banking. 

All accounts are automatically configured to auto-transfer from the savings account to the checking account if a debit charge is going to overdraw the account, given there are funds in the savings to cover the charge.   

You may opt-in to have your account reviewed for one of several types of overdraft protection, which allows your account to go into a negative state for a specified time. To opt-in to have your account reviewed for this, please contact the credit union.  

No, Card Alerts will be active the following weeks after OD1.

No, Mobile Wallet must be added to go-live, but will be available in the coming weeks.

Recurring and scheduled payments will be migrated to the Valley Strong online banking platform. You should not anticipate any disruption in your payments.

Recurring and scheduled ACH deposits will be automatically migrated into your Valley Strong account. You should not anticipate any disruptions in your deposits; however, we ask that you please update any merchant or institution of your new routing and MICR numbers.

Valley Strong was named Kern Schools prior to our name change in 2020. Some external providers have not updated their records for Valley Strong. This may be true to any external aggregation/payment service, but not specific to mortgage processing.