BAY RIDGE: Making change — Brooklyn-based lender moves to new Bensonhurst location

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By Will Bredderman

Brooklyn Daily

Give credit where credit’s due!

The Bay Ridge Credit Union moved into its new digs on 86th Street at the corner of Bay 17th Street in Bensonhurst on March 8 — but says its heart is still on Fourth Avenue and the corner of 92nd Street.

The homegrown lending institution’s president, Gene Brody, pointed out at the champagne- and food-filled opening celebration that the 79-year-old business had moved three times in the past, following investors originally from East New York to East Flatbush to Midwood to Bay Ridge, and it had changed its name with every relocation. But Brody vowed that the credit union — which moved this time to accommodate more staff — would keep its current moniker despite the neighborhood change, out of a sense of loyalty to its home of 21 years.

“We’re keeping our name because we love it,” said Brody, adding that he regretted that the credit union couldn’t find the space they needed in Bay Ridge.

State Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge), one of several pols who came out for the event, also said he wished the business could have stayed in his home neighborhood — but was glad that Brody was adding more employees.

“I’m saddened you left Fourth Avenue, but I’m happy for you because you grew,” said Golden.

The pol also praised the idea behind the credit union, which functions like a bank but is owned by the people who deposit their money in it, which he said makes the institution more invested in the community.

“What are credit unions all about? The little guy,” Golden said.

And the business may not have made such a big transition after all, according to a declaration Borough President Markowitz made at the party.

“Henceforth, I declare 86th Street between 17th and 18th avenues to be Bay Ridge,” Markowitz announced, invoking what he claimed was a little-known power of his office.

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