Inspire Federal Credit Union celebrated the grand opening of its fifth branch location in Bucks County on Saturday as it marked a significant expansion into Bensalem Township.

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Saturday, CEO Jim Merrill expressed excitement about joining the Bensalem Township community and highlighted the warm reception the credit union has received since opening.

Inspire FCU CEO Jim Merrill speaking.

“This is a big day for Inspire Federal Credit Union,” Merrill said. “The support, the feedback, everything that we’ve gotten so far from the folks in the community has been positive. They’ve welcomed us very warmly, made us feel right at home.”

The new branch at 3933 Hulmeville Road represents the credit union’s continued commitment to physical locations at a time when many financial institutions are reducing their brick-and-mortar presence.

The building, formerly a chain bank location, has been retrofitted and rebranded. It features a three-lane drive-through and an updated interior designed for personal and business banking services in a secure and inviting environment.

The new Bensalem location is part of the credit union’s commitment to maintaining a physical presence, a strategy Merrill emphasized as crucial for a community-chartered credit union, even as many financial institutions scale back their brick-and-mortar operations.

The new location joins existing branches in Bristol, Langhorne, Newtown, and Warminster.

“This is the fifth branch that we will have opened in the last 10 years in an environment where financial institutions are really trying to figure out how important is a branch,” Merrill said. “As a community charter credit union, someone who is in business to serve the community, be part of the community, branches are an extremely important part of our strategy.”

For Inspire Federal Credit Union, the path to establishing a presence in Bensalem wasn’t straightforward. Merrill explained that this was approximately their “fourth crack at Bensalem,” with previous location attempts falling through for various reasons.

“Good things come to those who wait,” Merrill said. “The wait that we had to get into the Bensalem community, I’m very, very appreciative of that because I think we’ve got the perfect location here on Hulmeville Road that we can make a big impact here in Bensalem and serve the folks in this community.”

Bensalem Township Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo and State Sen. Frank Farry welcomed the credit union to the township during the ceremony.

Bensalem Township Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo addressing the audience.

Merrill took time to acknowledge the credit union’s staff and attributed Inspire Federal Credit Union’s success and reputation to their dedication and community involvement.

The credit union’s leader cheered on the staff who demonstrate their commitment not only to members but also to the broader community through volunteer work and community engagement.

“I’m blessed to be surrounded by a staff of people who really, really, really know what it means to be different,” Merrill said. “That tagline that we use, ‘Bank Local, Bank Better,’ we mean that. We’re here for the local community and we really do believe we deliver a better banking experience.”

The grand opening celebration included food, live music, giveaways, promotions and a visit from local radio station 92.5 XTU.

Inspire Federal Credit Union serves more than 15,000 members in Bucks and Philadelphia counties and has been in business since 1936.