Systems Conversion Information
One community, evolving together.
The last step of the merger between Lexington Avenue Federal Credit Union and Alternatives Federal Credit Union is to merge our computer systems together.
Beginning Friday, February 28, 2025 at 4:00 p.m., both credit unions' computer systems will undergo a conversion to bring the two systems together. There will be some service interruptions during this process. We expect to complete the conversion on Monday, March 3, 2025 at approximately 8:00 a.m.
Please take a few minutes to read this information to find out how the conversion will impact you and your accounts.
Branch Closing and Service Availability
It will be necessary for us to close the branch at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025, until the morning of Monday, March 3, 2025.
The following services will not be available from 4:00 p.m. Friday, February 28, 2025, until the morning of Monday, March 3, 2025:
- Online and Mobile Banking
- Bill Pay
- Telephone Banking
The following services will remain open and accessible during this time:
- Lexington Avenue FCU ATMs
- Debit cards (with reduced daily limits)
- Credit cards (with reduced daily limits)
- Lexington Avenue FCU website for information only
How to access funds during conversion weekend:
- Write a check.
- Use your new debit card at any ATM or merchant location.
- Make the appropriate cash withdrawals at the branch prior to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2024.
- Use your new Lexington Avenue FCU Credit Card.
Debit Cardholders
You will receive a new Alternatives branded Visa® debit card in mid-February prior to conversion weekend. Follow the instructions to activate your new debit card upon receipt. You will not be able to use this new debit card until Friday, February 28, 2025. Please continue using your current Lexington Avenue FCU debit card until then. Your existing Lexington Avenue FCU debit card will be deactivated at that time.
During conversion weekend, you will be able to perform ATM withdrawals and make purchases with your new debit card with reduced daily limits. However, you will not be able to do balance inquiries or balance transfers at any ATM beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025. You will see a message “Transaction Currently Unavailable” should you try and perform a balance inquiry or transfer during conversion weekend.
Please note: a debit card will not be reissued if you do not have a checking account. You may open a checking account and request a new card by visiting the Rochester branch.
Credit Cardholders
You will receive a new Alternatives branded Visa® credit card in mid-February prior to conversion weekend. Follow the instructions to activate your new credit card upon receipt. You will not be able to use this new credit card until Friday, February 28, 2025. Please continue using your current Lexington Avenue credit card until then. Your existing Lexington Avenue FCU credit card will be deactivated at that time.
Important Debit and Credit Card Information: If you have set up online or recurring payments with your existing Lexington Avenue FCU debit card or credit card (ex. gym membership, Netflix subscription, utility bills, etc.), these payments will no longer work after 8:00 a.m. on February 28.. Please update the card number, expiration date, and CVV number with the merchant(s) to ensure no disruption in service. Review your monthly statements for a list of your preauthorized recurring card payments.
Updated Member Numbers
After conversion, all member account numbers will have a prefix of 1,000,000,000 added before the number. For example, #1234 becomes 1000001234 and #12345 becomes 1000012345. Please begin using your updated member account number on March 3, 2025.
You will need this new number to enroll in digital banking.
You will need the following information to re-enroll:
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- New Member Number with the prefix of 1,000,000,000 added. Example: #1234 becomes 1000001234 and #12345 becomes 1000012345.
- Phone number and email address we have on file
A full enrollment tutorial is available at afcuconversion.org.
Attention Bill Pay Users
After you re-enroll in Digital Banking on or after March 3, you will need to re-establish your online payments.
- Your payees and payments will not migrate to the new system. It will be necessary for you to set up your payees up again.
- Your Bill Pay history will not carry forward to the new system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are my funds secure? Yes. Your funds are safe and secure. Administered by the NCUA, the Share Insurance Fund insures individual accounts up to $250,000.00 and a member’s interest in all joint accounts combined is insured up to $250,000.
Can I continue to use my Lexington Avenue FCU checks during and after the conversion? Yes. You may continue to use your Lexington Avenue FCU checks. Your checks will be updated on your next reorder. Contact the credit union to place a new check order.
Will Overdraft Privilege limits change? Yes. Effective March 3, 2025, all overdraft privilege limits will be changed from a maximum of $500 to $300 for eligible member accounts. Accounts that are eligible for Alternatives FCU overdraft privilege will receive a welcome letter.
Will direct deposits and automatic withdrawals continue as scheduled? Yes. Your direct deposits and automatic withdrawals will continue to post to your account just as they do today.
What information do I use to set up a new direct deposit or automatic withdrawal after conversion? You Starting March 3, 2025, if you set up any new direct deposits or automatic withdrawals, please use your new routing and transit number of 221381867 and your new Alternatives account number. (See Updated Member Numbers section above).
Will payroll deductions, automatic payments or scheduled transfers continue as scheduled? Yes. You should see no change in your payroll deductions, automatic payments, or scheduled transfers. Everything should still come into the same accounts and distribute to the accounts requested. For transfers set up yourself via digital banking, you may need to contact the credit union to make changes.
Will I be able to access websites lexfcu.org and alternatives.org during conversion? You can still access the websites during the conversion, but digital banking will be unavailable Saturday, March 1 at 8:00 a.m. until Monday, March 3 at 8:00 a.m. After Saturday, March 1, the lexfcu.org website will route to the alternatives.org website, and will eventually be discontinued.
Will I be able to complete an online consumer loan application during conversion? No. Our online consumer loan application will not be available during the conversion process.
Will my eStatement history be available after the systems conversion? Yes. If you are enrolled in eStatements prior to the system conversion, 18 months of eStatement history will migrate to the converted system. Once you re-enroll in digital banking, you will be able to access your eStatements as you do today.
Telephone Banking
Will I be able to use Telephone Banking to access my accounts during the conversion? Telephone Banking will not be available during conversion. On or after Monday, March 3, please dial (607) 273-4611 or (877) 273-2328 to access Telephone Banking.
Will my current Telephone Banking PIN work after March 3? No. When you call on or after March 3, 2025, you must follow the prompts to set a new PIN to use Telephone Banking. You will need your updated member account number and SSN to set a new PIN.
If you are using a smart phone, we strongly encourage using the Alternatives FCU Mobile Banking app, which provides easier access and more comprehensive account management features than Telephone Banking.
Paper Statements and eStatements
Will member statements change? Beginning in March, your statements will look the same as they do today, with the addition of the Alternatives FCU logo and contact information.
Will I receive paper statements or eStatements? If you receive paper statements or eStatements today, you will continue to receive your statements in the same manner after the conversion. Alternatives charges a $2 maintenance fee that is waived if you elect to receive eStatements.
To enroll in eStatements:
- Login to Online/Mobile Banking
- From the dashboard, click the Documents icon
- Read the documents agreement, then click Accept
- Check the box to enroll all accounts
- Click Enroll
New System Features and Benefits
Nationwide Shared Branching access
· Over 5,600 Shared Branch locations
· Over 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs
Improved Digital Banking experience including:
· Free credit score monitoring
· Mobile check deposit
Important Conversion Dates and Times
The new online and mobile banking system upgrade will require that you make changes to your QuickBooks, Quicken or Mint software. Please take action to ensure a smooth transition.
February 28, 2025
A data file backup and a final transaction download should be completed by this date. Please make sure to complete the final download before this date since transaction history will not be available after the upgrade.
March 1, 2025 This is the action date for the remaining steps on the conversion instructions. You will complete the deactivate/reactivate of your online banking connection to ensure that you get your current Quicken or QuickBooks accounts set up with the new connection.
Intuit aggregation services may be interrupted for three to five business days. Users are encouraged to download a QBO file during this outage. The following services may not work during the outage:
- Quicken Win/Mac Express Web Connect
- QuickBooks Online Express Web Connect
- Mint
Please carefully review your downloaded transactions after completing the migration instructions to ensure no transactions were duplicated or missed on the register. If you have any questions, please contact us at 877-723-AFCU.
Visit this page for the most up-to-date information regarding these exciting changes.
Federally Insured by NCUA