EXTON, PA — Citadel Credit Union has signed a lease to open its third Philadelphia branch in 2027 at 133 W. Hunting Park Ave., extending the Chester County-based institution’s expansion into North Philadelphia through a partnership with Esperanza.
The Hunting Park location will offer personal and business banking, mortgage lending and financial counseling, along with financial education workshops and community programming.
Citadel is developing the branch with Esperanza, a Hispanic, faith-based nonprofit that owns the building and has operated in Hunting Park for four decades.
The expansion follows Citadel’s entry into Philadelphia earlier this year. The credit union opened its first city branch in Overbrook Park in January 2026 and plans to open a second location at 4900 Baltimore Ave. in Cedar Park later this year.
The Hunting Park branch will extend that footprint into a neighborhood where Citadel says more than 17,000 of its members already live, work or study.
Citadel President and CEO Bill Brown framed the Esperanza partnership as a way for the credit union to establish local relationships rather than enter the neighborhood independently.
“Partnering with Esperanza means we’re not arriving as an outside institution,” Brown stated. “We’re coming in as neighbors, ready to listen and grow alongside the people we’re here to serve.”
Esperanza serves about 35,000 low-income Philadelphia residents annually through housing counseling, workforce development, education, economic development and arts programs, according to the organization. It has invested more than $300 million in community resources over its 40 years in Hunting Park.
Rev. Luis Cortés Jr., Esperanza’s founder and CEO, characterized the new branch as another avenue for residents to establish financial assets locally.
“This branch gives our neighbors a place to build wealth in their own neighborhood,” Cortés stated. “That’s what real investment looks like.”
Beyond conventional branch operations, Citadel plans to use the location for community events and neighborhood programming. The approach mirrors its strategy for its other Philadelphia locations, which the credit union is positioning as both banking branches and spaces for local partnerships.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents the 7th District, also backed the partnership, citing Esperanza’s established presence in the area.
“Citadel is coming in alongside Esperanza, with the right intentions and the right partner,” Lozada stated.
The Hunting Park location is scheduled to open in 2027. Citadel did not provide a more specific opening date in its release.
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