Flushing Bank to open branch in Chinatown

Uniondale-based Flushing Bank said Thursday it is opening a branch in Manhattan's Chinatown in the fall.

Flushing Financial Corp., the bank's parent, said it signed a lease at 183 Canal St., on the corner of Mott Street.

The new location will include interactive video teller machines.

Other area financial institutions, including Westbury-based NEFCU, also have installed video terminals that allow for some of their teller functions to be handled by an employee at a remote location. Branches with video tellers also have employees. 

NEFCU has opened multiple branches under that model, including in Bay Shore, Levittown and Deer Park. All future NEFCU branches will operate under the new model, according to the credit union.

Teachers Federal Credit Union, based in Hauppauge also has multiple branches with video tellers.

The new Flushing Bank branch will be 1,000 square feet.

"Flushing Bank has a long-standing relationship with the Asian community beginning with our roots in Flushing, New York," John R. Buran, president and CEO of Flushing Bank, said in a statement. "Our employees speak over 30 languages with Cantonese and Mandarin being prevalent in the Chinese markets we serve."

Flushing, which has branches in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County, has about $6.2 billion in assets.

Shares of Flushing Financial closed up 1 percent at $27.40.