ZEPHYRHILLS — Steve Shaffner calls them the moments that matter.
A first-time homebuyer sitting across the desk. A young driver sorting out an auto loan. A longtime member who just wants to talk something through before signing.
Seventy years in, that’s still how San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union does business. On April 17, the CEO stood inside a freshly renovated Zephyrhills branch to say so.
“Our goal is not to sell a product,” Shaffner said at the grand reopening of the branch at 7301 Gall Blvd. “Our goal is to help people, and if we help people, they’ll come back to us.”
The six-month renovation is part of a longer evolution for the credit union, which was federally chartered Dec. 12, 1955, by Joe Collura, Joe Herrmann and fellow community members. At 70 years, it is the longest-operating financial institution in Pasco County, with branches in San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel.
Shaffner, who moved to East Pasco a year ago, said the cooperative model is what sets the credit union apart.
“Credit unions are different from a bank because it’s cooperative. We’re not for-profit,” he said. “We don’t have shareholders, and we want to take care of our membership. So you’ll see lower rates, better CD rates, better savings rates. Plus, we’re local. All of our underwriting, all of our decision making is done in this community. We are part of the community.”
The founders’ guiding principle — “Neighbor helping Neighbor” — still shapes how clients are greeted when they walk in for financial advice.
“We’re going through an interesting shift,” Shaffner said. “They said years ago that the branch was dead, that branches were going away. Then they said mobile banking would be the future. But sometimes people just want to come in and have a conversation.”
“Most of the time, they’re not familiar with a mortgage or buying a car for the first time, and they just want to talk it through. We’re big about financial education. We’re big about helping people navigate things.”
Shaffner said the credit union will continue to evolve and renovate, aiming for warmer, more open spaces, especially for those crucial financial meetings.
“It’s a different mindset for us as a credit union,” he said. “I’ve heard several stories today about how we helped someone get a home or a car. That’s the stuff that matters to us. It’s not the number.
“It’s a big honor to be able to help somebody, to educate them and help them navigate things financially.”