Hummel’s Office Plus acquires Utica–area location of Swish White River

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MOHAWK, N.Y. — Hummel’s Office Plus announced it has acquired the Utica–area branch of Swish White River Ltd. Financial terms of the deal remain confidential,

BAE Systems to provide power and propulsion system for superyacht company

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Regional News, Technology

ENDICOTT, N.Y. — BAE Systems says it will provide the electric-hybrid power and propulsion system for a new superyacht manufactured by a company called Southern

New York State reports 1,830 COVID cases, highest daily total since mid-May

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Health Care, New York News, Regional News

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State on Friday reported 1,830 new cases of COVID-19 in the last day, the highest daily total since the middle

Centro to offer scaled-down park-n-ride service to this year’s State Fair

New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Centro says it will offer “park-n-ride” service from downtown Syracuse, Destiny USA, and Long Branch Park for the upcoming New York State

Greater Binghamton Airport awarded $1 million federal grant to help promote service to Washington, D.C.

New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a $1 million grant for the Greater Binghamton Airport. The funding comes from the Small

Ithaca Area Economic Development invests in local energy company

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Insurance & Financial Services, Nonprofits, Regional News, Small Business

ITHACA, N.Y. — Ithaca Area Economic Development (IAED) announced it has approved a $50,000 convertible-debt investment for Dimensional Energy, a company that extracts carbon dioxide

Syracuse Fire Department Employees FCU offers Zelle digital-payment network

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only, Technology

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union announced it is offering its members a “fast, safe and easy” way to send money digitally with Zelle. More than 6,000 of its members now have access to Zelle via online banking or in the credit union’s mobile app. The credit union is the 1,000th

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union announced it is offering its members a “fast, safe and easy” way to send money digitally with Zelle.

More than 6,000 of its members now have access to Zelle via online banking or in the credit union’s mobile app. The credit union is the 1,000th financial institution nationally to offer Zelle, per its June 17 news release.

To mark the milestone, the credit union on May 28 hosted an onsite, member-exclusive launch party at its office at 211 Wilkinson St. in Syracuse.

The credit union said the convenience of the new service appeals to its members.

“Our members have jobs that are anything but 9 to 5 and need to be able to send money quickly and easily, at the time and place that is most convenient for them,” said Andrea Thune, CEO of Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union.

Money sent with Zelle goes directly from one bank account in the U.S. to another, using only a recipient’s email address or U.S. mobile number. Funds are “typically available within minutes” when both parties are already enrolled with Zelle.

“Zelle turned four years [old] in June, and what better way to celebrate than welcoming our 1,000th financial institution to the network,” said Al Ko, CEO at Early Warning Services, LLC, the network operator of Zelle. “For more than 70 years, Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union has served local first responders with financial services, and it is an honor for Zelle to now be a part of that experience.”

Early Warning Services is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union is offering Zelle via a turnkey service for Zelle offered by Brookfield, Wisconsin–based Fiserv (NASDAQ: FISV). It “optimizes” the path to go live so that banks and credit unions can get their customers and members using Zelle “faster than ever before.” Fiserv enables Zelle for more than 600 financial institutions, the local credit union said.

“Consumers are embracing the speed, convenience and security of real-time payments, and financial institutions are ready to deliver,” Matt Wilcox, president, digital payments and data aggregation at Fiserv, said. “We’re proud to be part of this milestone as Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union enables their hard-working members to take the next step in their digital payments journey.”

The Zelle network includes financial institutions of all sizes. Consumers who are not enrolled and receive a payment notification or a request for payment can enroll through their financial institution or by downloading the Zelle app if their financial institution does not offer Zelle. Consumers should only use Zelle to send and receive money with friends, family, and people they know and trust, the credit union said.

The Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union was chartered on March 24, 1950.

First Source Federal Credit Union interactive ATMs now available in downtown Utica

Banks & Credit Unions, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

UTICA, N.Y. —First Source Federal Credit Union recently announced it has expanded into downtown Utica by launching interactive ATMs. They’re similar to standard ATMs, but with more capability, First Source said in a news release. Located on Cornelia Street, the interactive ATMs are accessible from Cornelia, Court and Genesee streets, the credit union noted. In

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UTICA, N.Y. —First Source Federal Credit Union recently announced it has expanded into downtown Utica by launching interactive ATMs.

They’re similar to standard ATMs, but with more capability, First Source said in a news release. Located on Cornelia Street, the interactive ATMs are accessible from Cornelia, Court and Genesee streets, the credit union noted.

In addition to standard ATM functions such as withdrawing cash and checking balances, these machines allow members to perform other transactions. On these machines, members can cash a check, transfer funds within First Source accounts, make payments on First Source loans, view transaction history, make envelope-free deposits of cash or checks, and withdraw cash in multiple bill denominations, which are “not limited to 20s.”

If using the machine during business hours, members will also have access to a First Source member-service representative live on-screen through video chat.

“When COVID-19 emerged, it made it even more imperative to be able to offer additional full-service virtual banking solutions to our membership,” Tom Neumann, president and CEO of First Source Federal Credit Union, said. “We are thrilled to be able to give our members a new convenient way to access their First Source accounts in the downtown area.”

First Source is in the process of converting all its ATMs to the interactive version. Besides the ones in downtown Utica, interactive ATMs are also currently available in the New Hartford and Rome lobbies.

Those who aren’t members of First Source Federal Credit Union can still use the machines, but they will simply function at the standard ATM level for non-member use, First Source said.

About First Source

First Source Federal Credit Union has served its members since 1938. Originally founded as Utica Teachers Federal Credit Union, it changed the name to First Source in 1992 to better reflect a broader membership.

The credit union serves more than 50,000 members with current branches in New Hartford, South Utica, North Utica, Herkimer, and Rome, a member-care contact center, and online and mobile banking.

Five Star Bank gets regulatory approval for Elmira branch move

Banks & Credit Unions, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ELMIRA, N.Y — Five Star Bank in late June received state regulatory approval for the planned relocation of its Elmira branch to 100 West Water St. from its current location at 150 Lake St. The New York State Department of Financial Services on June 22 granted approval to Five Star Bank to change the location

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ELMIRA, N.Y — Five Star Bank in late June received state regulatory approval for the planned relocation of its Elmira branch to 100 West Water St. from its current location at 150 Lake St.

The New York State Department of Financial Services on June 22 granted approval to Five Star Bank to change the location of its branch office at 150 Lake St. in Elmira to 100 West Water St. in Elmira, on or after June 23.

Five Star Bank is a subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), which is headquartered in Warsaw in Wyoming County in Western New York.

Five Star Bank first announced the planned branch relocation in late April, anticipating it would happen in July.

“We are very pleased to support the revitalization of downtown Elmira with our move to 100 West Water Street,” Martin Birmingham, president and CEO of Five Star Bank, said in a late April release. “In this new and redesigned branch, our associates will continue to provide the personalized service that customers have come to expect from Five Star Bank as well as advanced digital banking services. We look forward to growing our presence in the Elmira community as we offer education, advice and banking, investment and insurance solutions to help customers improve their financial well-being.”

The branch will be the second to feature Five Star’s new “reimagined” design, including a mix of new technology and community banking with branch staff available, the release stated.

The branch will have an exterior ATM kiosk and vestibule ATM, which will be accessible to customers around the clock. The ATMs will also function as “interactive teller machines,” enabling customers to video-call customer-service representatives to complete basic transactions.

Five Star Bank has more than 45 branches throughout Western and Central New York. Its CNY branches include offices in Auburn, Seneca Falls, Geneva, Ovid, Horseheads, and Elmira. Financial Institutions and its subsidiaries employ about 600 people.

Tompkins Financial Advisors names Green CNY managing director

Banks & Credit Unions, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Insurance & Financial Services, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Financial Advisors announced it has recently promoted Jennifer Green to VP and managing director of its Central New York region. In this post, based in Ithaca, Green is responsible for growing the number of customers and assets under management in the region by “ensuring each of the company’s team of advisors

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Financial Advisors announced it has recently promoted Jennifer Green to VP and managing director of its Central New York region.

In this post, based in Ithaca, Green is responsible for growing the number of customers and assets under management in the region by “ensuring each of the company’s team of advisors provides clients with the highest level of care,” the company said. She previously served as a senior wealth advisor and sales manager with Tompkins Financial Advisors, responsible for the growth of its Syracuse market.

“We had been carefully considering who would be ideal for this leadership position,” Brian Howard, president of Tompkins Financial Advisors and previous interim managing director for the CNY region, said in a release. “Jennifer has proven to be an invaluable asset to the company, as well as her team members, and has earned the respect of our clients and internal teams alike. She has deep connections in Central New York, a clear vision for growth and a passion for client service, so we know she’ll thrive in this position.”

A resident of Marcellus, Green has 20 years of experience in wealth management and financial services. Recently, she authored an article, titled “Post-Pandemic Money Moves: Financial Considerations for Business Owners & Leaders,” published in the April 26 issue of CNYBJ.

Prior to joining Tompkins Financial Advisors, Green served as managing director of Stratos Wealth Partners. She has also worked in several leadership roles at MetLife, most recently as regional director for the northeast, and in various roles at HSBC Bank and ADP.

Green holds an associate degree from Onondaga Community College. Active in her community, she served several years as an active board member for March of Dimes’ Central New York Chapter, leading its annual Bikers for Babies Ride and other fundraising efforts.

Tompkins Financial Advisors is the wealth-management firm of Tompkins Financial Corp. (NYSE: TMP) a banking and financial-services holding company headquartered in Ithaca. In business for more than a century, Tompkins Financial Advisors says it provides customized wealth-management strategies. Its locations include Ithaca, Rochester, and Buffalo. Wealth advisors are also available by appointment at Tompkins Financial affiliate locations, including branches of Tompkins Trust Company, Tompkins Mahopac Bank, Tompkins Bank of Castile, Tompkins VIST Bank, and Tompkins Insurance Agencies.

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