The other day, I had to conduct business at my credit union. I went to the branch that is still open, in a commercially-owned building that the Government rents. When I entered, there were security guards. I had to show my ID and then take the elevator to the third floor, where the credit union office was located. When I approached the credit union, there was another security guard monitoring the floor; I guess to make sure that people were in fact going to the credit union and not trying to get into their offices. It was very weird.

Update: I had occasion to go back to the credit union. In the past, when I’ve gone, it’s been pretty quiet. This time, the clerk was surprised to see me deposit a check (Christmas money). There were a few grim faced people filling out paperwork on the chairs. I have a feeling they were availing themselves of the following assistance that my credit union offers:

Special Assistance for Consumer Loans – Members affected by the shutdown may be able to defer payments on their (credit union) consumer loans during the furlough period with the Skip-a-Payment option.* Contact the credit union at (202) 479-2270 or email (credit union email) for more information.

Furlough Line of Credit –  You may be eligible for a Furlough Line of Credit. For details click (link disabled).

• 0% APR Line of Credit with no credit check
• Amounts from $400 to $6000
• 60 day term
• Have an existing biweekly direct deposit of at least $400