FirstLight credit union doing software converrsion this weekend; here’s how it could affect you

FirstLight Federal Credit Union has an advisory to its members.

A software conversion this weekend means services will be limited from close of business Friday until they reopen next Monday.

Online banking and branch offices will be unavailable over the weekend, and debit cards will be subject to limits at ATMs and stores.

Check below for complete details, and do your banking at FirstLight during business hours Friday afternoon.

Here is the email FirstLight sent to its members.

Dear Valued Member:

Great news! The time has come for our systems conversion weekend! We are excited with the improvements that this new system will bring to your experience as a FirstLight FCU member. Your patience during this conversion process has been greatly appreciated! As we complete the behind the scenes “remodel” of our systems, the following activities will be taking place from Friday October 31st to Monday November 3rd.

Rest assured that even though we will have some closures to complete the conversion, we will have several ways for you to access your funds during this time.

Please note the impact to you highlighted in RED below.
• Branches
o Regular business hours on Friday October 31
o Closed on Saturday, November 1
o Closed on Monday, November 3
o Regular Business hours on Tuesday, November 4
• Drive ups – Same as branches.
• Call Center – Same as branches.
• Online Banking
o Unavailable starting 6 PM, Friday October 31 until Monday November 3, around10 AM
• Bill Pay
o Unavailable starting 1 PM, Friday October 31 until Monday November 3, Afternoon.
• FirstLight Finance Manager
o Unavailable starting 6 PM, Friday October 31 until Monday November 3, around10 AM
• Mobile App
o Unavailable starting 6 PM, Friday October 31 until Monday November 3, around10 AM
• Debit Card use from end of day (6:00 PM) Friday October 31 to afternoon on Monday November 3
o Using your PIN number at a store or ATM? You will have a daily limit of $500, combined for PIN and ATM transactions.
o Signing for your purchase? Your balance as of Friday October 31 at 6:00 PM will indicate your available balance for purchases.
o Actual balance availability will return on afternoon on Monday, November 3.
• ATM access
o ATMs at the FirstLight FCU branches will be unavailable from Friday October 31 at 8 PM and will be back on Saturday morning. Co-Op Network ATMs will be working normal and will be subject to $500 daily limit mention above.
• Online Payments for Credit Cards and Home Loans
o Unavailable starting at 5 PM on Friday October 31 and comes back up on Mondaymorning November 3, around 10 AM. Payments must be made before 5 PM on Friday October 31 or after 10 AM Monday November 3.
• Personal Access Line (PAL)
o Unavailable starting 6 PM, Friday October 31 until Monday November 3, around10 AM.
• Share Branching
o Unavailable – 4 PM, Friday October 31 until Monday November 3, 7 AM.

Please note

• Auto Pays for Loans (ex. automatic payments from your FLFCU Saving or Checking Account to your FLFCU Loan) that are scheduled any day during conversion weekend will go through as normal.
• Loan payments not made before services go down on Friday, October 31 will accrue interest until the payment is posted on Monday, November 3. We advise you to make your payments on Friday, October 31 before our branches close or our online services become unavailable.
• Direct Deposits received by FirstLight on Saturday November 1 will be credited on Friday October 31, so you will have access to those funds earlier. This includes any payroll direct deposits as well as Social Security Payments.
We understand your concern on the timing for this conversion and would like to give you an explanation as to why we chose the selected dates. The least inconvenience for members is to do it over a weekend, when all credit union staff can focus on the conversion, as opposed to trying to serve members during a time when all systems will be down. The systems have to shut down, to cut from one to the other, and there is never a “good time.” However, the “best time,” is when we have Friday night,Saturday and Sunday to focus on nothing but providing a successful conversion to the membership when opening the following week.

The end of the month limits the confusion by calculating one set of dividends on the old system and starting a new month on the new system. This eliminates two sets of interest calculations and two sets of statements for every member. It allows all the bill-pay activities to take place for the members before shutting down the system, but also facilitates the credit union in balancing and reporting month end figures. Again, this creates the least inconvenience for members. We hope this helps give a better understanding of our timing for conversion.
We have an expert team working on this “remodel” of our technology. We have committed extra resources to keep this impact at a minimum and know you will enjoy the positive impact this will have on your experience as a FirstLight FCU member.

The result will be the following improvements:
• Unplanned outages and down time will be virtually eliminated.
• Our employees will be more efficient and accurate with each transaction or inquiry.
• Faster transactions times means shorter wait times
• Shorter wait times mean our staff can invest more time with you on your financial journey.

If at any time during this process we can answer your questions or help you with a challenge, please contact us immediately at 915-562-1172 in El Paso, 575-526-4401 in Las Cruces or toll free at 1800-351-1670

Thank you for your patience,

Karl T. Murphy
President/CEO