Although there are two other Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union (PSFCU) branches in the vicinity of Greenpoint Avenue, Poles have a special attachment to the original location, where the credit union has been operating for more than two dozen years. The building, bought in 1981 from another bank, was at first the PSFCU's headquarters.

Customers were happy to see the end of the ten-month remodeling process and sounded pleased with the changes made to the interior of the building.

"It is more customer-friendly now," said Alicja from Queens, who visited the reopened branch for the first time on Tuesday. "The interior is more welcoming now and there is so much space and light inside," she added.

The branch is managed by Krystyna Figiel and has five customer service desks and seven cashiers. This location is the first of the PSFCU banks to offer 1,110 safety deposit boxes, available in three sizes. There, customers may deposit bank documents, or personal or valuable items. The branch is also equipped with large TV screens that display the products and services the bank offers.

At the opening ceremony, Tomasz Bortnik, chairman of the Board of Directors of PSFCU, also revealed that the Union is planning to open two new branches in Chicago early next year. "This will be a step forward in the credit union's expansion beyond the New York metro area," he said.

The Greenpoint branch was renovated by Victoria Consulting, a company owned by Dariusz Knapik. The structure of the facade was left intact because of the historical character of the building. Most remodeling changes have been done inside. The architectural side of the project was supervised by well-known architect Krzysztof Kozlowski, who made sure the new decoration was faithful to the building's overall style.

Bogdan Chmielewski, president of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, pointed out that the successes of the Union are the successes of its members, who are the institution's real owners and who make decisions regarding its future.