The Martin Luther King Jr. University Union branch of First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust is being closed June 28 so more services can be offered to Eastern students at the two other branches here in Charleston.

Mandy Lewis, vice president of marketing, said the administrators at First Mid had been considering what to do with the Union branch for some time.

“We have been looking at the EIU banking center for a little bit of time now,” she said “And it’s one of those things when we look at it and evaluate it, it’s a win-win for us.”

Lewis said there are two branches in town, one at 500 West Lincoln Ave. and one at 701 Sixth St., and both are still located close to campus and offer more services than the Union branch offers.

“It’s a good opportunity to be able to move those customers to facilities that are better able to suit their needs,” Lewis said.

William Weber, vice president of business affairs, said the closing of the Union branch will have little effect on Eastern.

“I don’t see any major impact on the campus overall,” Weber said.

Weber said there will be a small adjustment period, but the transition will be a minor change.

He said he does not know yet what may go in to replace First Mid-Illinois, but it will be the decision of the student affairs office.

Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, could not be reached for comment.

Lewis said the Lincoln branch is close to a Panther Shuttle stop, along with online and mobile banking options, and the inconvenience should be minimal.

“A lot of our customers aren’t coming to the branches as much as they used to in the past,” she said.

Lewis said customers that need to deposit checks have the option of going to one of the branches or using one of the ATMs that accept deposits.

Weber also said there is greater use of online banking by people in general nowadays.

“These days many people, not just students, handle most of their banking needs electronically,” Weber said.

Lewis said the employees at the Union branch will be transitioned to other locations and most of the part-time student employees were not going to be returning.

“We truly value our relationship with Eastern and we look forward to continuing to serve the needs of our customers, whether that is the staff, faculty or the students,” Lewis said.

Marcus Smith can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].