We are closed for the bank holiday, reopening on Tuesday morning. You can still access your account online, submit an online request, apply for loans and access your loan application online at any time through our website.
Please remember, that the 1 hour response for an online request is for working hours, so you won't get a response during the bank holiday.
Tom Arthur MSP, Cabinet Minister for Employment and Investment congratulated us on our 20th anniversary:
“I am delighted to give my warmest congratulations to Kingdom Community Bank on its 20th Anniversary. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting greater financial inclusion, including through championing our credit union sector and community lenders."
“Kingdom is a fantastic Scottish business success story and has had an incredible journey over the last 20 years. From its beginnings in Glenrothes back in 2004, it is now Fife’s largest credit union with more than 8,000 members and three branches across Glenrothes, Leven and, as of this year, Dunfermline.”
“Kingdom is a real Living Wage employer that exists for and consistently gives back to the local community. I continue to be impressed by its dedication to improving financial inclusion across Fife.”
We've added a new page to our website to showcase some of the things we did during our 20th anniversary celebrations! Click here to read more and see some pictures.
We're delighted to have been presented with our Stop Loan Sharks Scotland Charter Mark from the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit (SIMLU).
We were presented the Charter Mark at our 20th anniversary event earlier this week by John Pollock from SIMLU.
The aim of the Charter Mark is to create a network of organisations actively seeking to uncover and tackle illegal lending, but most importantly, that network will help to stop people from ever using loan sharks in the first place.
Loan sharks operate in Fife and what they do is illegal. Please report any loan shark activity that you are awre of - they prey on the vulnerable and are often behind some horrific crimes in our communities. Borrowing from a loan shark isn't illegal, so don't worry about getting into any trouble - it's the illegal lender that has broken the law and should be held to account. You can contact SIMLU on their confidential 24/7 helpline on 0800 074 0878, or text 'loan shark' to 07741 701 325.
For more information, you can visit their website at: www.stopillegallending.co.uk
We are celebrating our twentieth anniversary during the week beginning 24 June 2024!
We've come a long way since starting up as a small community credit union with under 100 members back in June 2004, in Glenrothes.
We will be holding a few events during the week in our branches - so please do pop in to see us and help us celebrate this milestone:
We also have a few other things planned to take place during the week, including a special event for senior leaders in Fife's civil society, to raise awareness of the work we do at KCB. We'll be posting updates throughout the week here, and also on our Facebook page.
As a regulated financial firm, we are required to undergo a thorough external, independent audit of our finances each year. The auditor signs those accounts and we submit them to the Financial Conduct Authority. These are available to everybody, at no cost, online through the FCA's Mutuals Register.
We have taken the decision to publish them here, on our website, to make it easier for Members to see our financial position and what the auditors say about our finances. We have made them available on the Members' Meetings page.
If you have any queries about your local credit union, how it is run, our finances or anything else - please just get in touch.
We're delighted to announce the opening of a new branch in Dunfermline. From 27 February, it will be available 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Please pop in to see us - we're located within the new Community Support Hub, which is beside Superdrug and Boots in the Kingsgate Shopping Centre.
You can read more about this in our latest newsletter.
Our latest Newsletter is available to view online now - just click here.
Please take a few minutes to have a look through - there's information about our new branch in Dunfermline, some statistics from your community bank during 2023 and much more!
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday 08 March 2024 at 1300hrs using Zoom technology - so you can join from your home. This is an opportunity for our members to have a say in the running of their community bank.
To read more about our AGM, see Minutes of the previous meeting and to book your free place, click here.
We are hosting a number of information sessions for Members to share some ideas on how to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis. These initial sessions are being held across SW Fife.
These sessions are free, informal and interactive. Our experienced staff will be on-hand to make suggestions, provide explanations and answer any queries. We'll also be organising other sessions around understanding numbers and finances, to help members with valuable life skills to reduce any money worries, avoid financial pitfalls and make our members better off.
To view the list of sessions, the dates and venues click here.
We are closed for the bank holiday, reopening on Tuesday morning. You can still access your account online, submit an online request, apply for loans and access your loan application online at any time through our website.
Please remember, that the 1 hour response for an online request is for working hours, so you won't get a response during the bank holiday.
Our first Making Ends Meet session will take place on Tuesday 29 August at the Parkgate Community Centre in Rosyth.
To find out more, and to book your free place, please click here.
We're about to launch a number of information sessions for Members to share some ideas on how to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis.
These sessions will be free, informal and interactive. Our experienced staff will be on-hand to make suggestions, provide explanations and answer any queries. We'll also be organising other sessions around understanding numbers and finances, to help members with valuable life skills to reduce any money worries, avoid financial pitfalls and make our members better off.
You can register your interest in attending a session here (without any obligation to attend!). Once the venues, dates and times are confirmed, we'll be updating our website and our Facebook page.
The Bank of Scotland has dramatically increased how much we have to pay for every single transaction we process, and we process thousands every month. This will have a huge impact on our operating costs and make it less likely that we'll be able to return a dividend to Members if we don't make some changes.
We have developed a new policy which introduces limits on transfer requests and/or possible charges for some transfers. This policy is likely to affect less than 1% of our Members.
Our priority is to make sure that we manage our costs and ensure Members continue to receive excellent value and service.
You can find the new policy here or ask for a copy in the branch.
If you have any concerns or suggestions on how we can best manage this huge increase in operating cost, please do speak to us.
We have a vacancy for a Loans Officer. This is a full-time position, normal business hours - a great role for somebody who wants to help others, is committed to fairness and great customer service, and who is accurate with great number skills.
Please click here for the job description, person specification and application form.
We'll be closed for the bank holiday, reopening on Tuesday morning. You can still access your account online, submit an online request, apply for loans and access your loan application online at any time through our website.
Please remember, that the 1 hour response for an online request is for working hours, so you won't get a response during the bank holiday.
Members are advised that we will be undertaking essential work on our telephone lines and system on Friday 26 May. The phones will be out of operation at various points during the day. Contacting us by telephone on Friday is therefore not advised - please try to use the website and e-mail wherever possible. Thank you for your patience whilst we complete these upgrades.
We have a vacancy for a Loans Officer. This is a full-time position, normal business hours - a great role for somebody who wants to help others, is committed to fairness and great customer service, and who is accurate with great number skills.
Please click here for the job description, person specification and application form.
We've just published our latest Newsletter, which you can view online here (PDF file).
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 08 March 2023 at 1800hrs using Zoom technology - so you can join from your home. This is an opportunity for our members to have a say in the running of their community bank.
To read more about our AGM, see Minutes of the previous meeting and to book your free place, click here.
We've just secured funding for an exciting new project that will require a part-time (28 hours, hours flexible and to be negotiated) Learning and Development Officer to develop and deliver learning around household financial management and budgeting.
Please click here for the job description, person specification and application form.
We've just secured funding for an exciting new project that will require a full-time Outreach Officer to engage with communities and groups across South and West Fife to promote the benefits of credit union membership.
Please click here for the job description, person specification and application form.
We've just secured funding for an exciting new project that will require a part-time (28 hours, hours flexible and to be negotiated) Learning and Development Officer to develop and deliver learning around household financial management and budgeting.
Please click here for the job description, person specification and application form.
This year we will be closed on the bank holidays, so that's Monday 26 December, Tuesday 27 December and Monday 02 January 2023.
We'll be fully open, as normal, on all other days - we won't be closing early this year.
We'd like to wish all of our Members a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year!
We'll be closed for the recently announced bank holiday, on Monday 19 September, reopening on Tuesday morning. You can still access your account online, submit an online request, apply for loans and access your loan application online at any time through our website.
Please remember, that the 1 hour response for an online request is for working hours, so you won't get a response during the bank holiday.
All households are facing increased financial pressure as inflation, huge rises in energy bills and increases in other living costs take hold. We've put together a list of resources to try and help our Members to save money, manage their money and reduce any debt they might have.
We'll be closed for the bank holiday, reopening on Tuesday morning. You can still access your account online, submit an online request, apply for loans and access your loan application online at any time through our website.
Please remember, that the 1 hour response for an online request is for working hours, so you won't get a response during the bank holiday.
At our AGM in 2020, Members agreed to make some changes to the Rulebook. On 03 August 2022 we received confirmation from the Regulator that the proposed changes have been accepted.
The Rulebook is available in the Member's section of our website, under Member's Meetings.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 10 March 2022 at 1300hrs using Zoom technology - so you can join from your home. This is an opportunity for our members to have a say in the running of their community bank.
We're pleased to announce that our Glenrothes branch is now open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Members are advised that KCB will be closed on the following bank holidays -
Monday 27 December
Tuesday 28 December, and
Monday 03 January 2022.
We will be closing slightly earlier, at 3pm on Friday 24 December and Friday 31 December.
Please remember, that you can access your online account at any time, and can make online requests at any time - these will be picked up by staff and processed within 1 working hour of our branches re-opening.
Once again, the staff team and Board of Kingdom Community Bank would like to wish all Members a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.
We are delighted to announce that we have just received our Cyber Essentials certification. This scheme is operated by the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, and is for businesses across all sectors. It demonstrates our commitment to cyber security - keeping KCB's systems, and our Member's data, safe and secure from cyber threats.
KCB's CEO, Sofia Dogan, said "Cyber Essentials accreditation is further evidence of our commitment to improvement, and recognises some of the hard work we've put in over recent months to improve our digital services. Protecting Member data and making sure services are safe from a range of risks has been a priority for us. We know that risks are ever-present and changing all the time, so we remain committed to reviewing and improving our arrangements going forward".
We're recruiting for an Admin Officer - please click here to read more about the job and how to apply.
Kingdom Community Bank is joining credit unions around the world in celebrating International Credit Union Day today - an annual event to commemorate the credit union movement's impact and achievements. This year marks the 73rd anniversary.
Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives that provide an effective and viable alternative to for-profit financial institutions for more than 291 million members in 118 countries worldwide. More than 86,000 credit unions exist globally, providing a plethora of financial services for their members, recognised as a force for positive economic and social change. Kingdom Community Bank has over 7,000 members and is growing weekly - anybody who lives or works in Fife can join KCB.
Please contact us to find out more about how KCB helps the people of Fife and how we may be able to help you.
In accordance with our Terms and Conditions, Members will know that we apply an administration fee each year for all adult Member accounts. This is in our Rule Book and is voted for by our Members for the effective running of the credit union. An Annual Administration Fee of £5.00 was approved when put to Members for a vote. We are therefore required, under our Rules, to apply this charge to all adult Member accounts. This will be applied today, the first day of our financial year.
Our branch at Methilhill will open from 10am to 1pm Monday to Friday from 09 August, so Members can pop in without having to make an appointment. We still ask that you wear a mask, keep distanced and do what you can to keep yourself and others safe.
Appointments can still be made outwith those hours - just contact us to make an appointment.
Remember - most things can now be done online through our website, not only making it safer for Members, but it is also quicker and easier to apply for a loan, view your account balances, request transfers and ask us questions.
We'd like to thank our Members again for their support and understanding as we've worked hard to keep everybody safe during the pandemic.
We've just updated our list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers. This is a good place to go to if you have any questions. We regularly review it and update it, helping Members and prospective Members to get answers to their questions quickly and easily, at any time of the day. Before calling us, try going there first - it could save you some of your valuable time.
Members can now access their accounts (savings and loans) through their computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone (it works best on a modern browser on a bigger computer screen). This is a new service, so you'll need to register first to be able to use it. Registration is fast and automated, if we have your up to date details including a mobile phone number, e-mail address and NI number for you. Otherwise, it'll take a little bit longer. Once you have registered, access is easy and doesn't require posting PIN numbers to you. You get to set your own PIN number, which you can change online at any time. Please remember not to share your PIN number with anybody - KCB staff will never ask for your PIN number.
Click here to register for online access
We hope Members find the new system beneficial. Please do e-mail us with any feedback you have.
ISSUE: Bank of Scotland technical problems - resolved
The Bank of Scotland is experiencing technical issues again this morning and cannot provide us with details of benefits payments due to be processed in the system. This means that there will be a delay to benefits payments going into accounts. We're very sorry about this, but it is completely outwith our control. We will process them just as quickly as we can, once we have the data transferred from BoS. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause some Members.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 May 2021 at 1245hrs using Zoom technology - so you can join from your home. This is an opportunity for our members to have a say in the running of their community bank. To find out more and to book your free place, please click here.
From Monday 10 May our Glenrothes branch will be open Monday to Friday, 1000-1300 and by appointment at other times. So, no need to make an appointment between 10am and 1pm, although we will be restricting the number of people in the branch at any one time in the interests of public health.
We're pleased to announce that the staff team exceeded our target of 1,000,000 steps and exceeded our target of raising £500 for Maggie's Centres. We'd like to thank everybody that made a donation.
KCB staff have walked over 800,000 steps so far this month, closing in on our target of 1,000,000 steps by the end of the month. We're doing this to raise awareness and money for Maggie's Centres.
The staff team of KCB is aiming to Walk a Million Steps in March in aid of Maggie's Centre, Fife.
This is a fantastic cause, with most of us likely to deal with cancer directly at some point in our lives. Maggie's Centres offer free support to people with cancer and their loved ones. Please donate a few pounds if you can: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kingdomcb.
There will be slight delays to the processing of benefits payments today due to changes imposed by HMRC. The way these payments are made have changed significantly for the first time in many years. We have updated our IT systems to accommodate this change but we do expect a few issues to arise today, the first day that this system is implemented across the UK. We will do everything we can to process them just as quickly, and securely as we can. Please bear with us - resolving any glitches will be our absolute priority today. Thank you.
The rollout of our new IT system - which was a major change - has been completed. Some things had to be set up for the first time earlier in the week which took a long time and required our staff to work late into the night every day. These initial set up processes, coupled with the large backlog of benefits payments from the public holidays, meant that we struggled to process transfers at the start of the week. By Friday, transfers were being processed on the same morning. We still expect a few glitches as we get to grips with the new system but don't anticipate any significant delays or problems for any Members.
We will open our phone lines from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday from today. Members can use our website at any time to ask a question, request a balance and so on, so please do that if you can.
We will be introducing a new online system to allow Members to check their balance online at any time.
Finally, we'd like to thank the many dozens of Members who took a minute or two to contact us and thank us for the work we do to help Members. We've also had great feedback about our new loans system - especially about how much quicker and easier it is. We'll keep working hard in 2021 and we look forward to introducing more improvements for Members during the year.
Firstly, we'd like to wish all of our Members a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021. Unfortunately, the country is off to a difficult start with the Scottish Government placing Scotland into lockdown from midnight tonight for the month of January. We will continue to operate as we have been over recent months - encouraging Members to use our website as much as possible (it's easier, quicker and safer for everybody), phone if you need to (for updates on loan applications please use the link you were sent - it works 24 hours a day) and still making cash appointments for branches available where absolutely necessary (you must make an appointment in advance).
We will be closed for the bank holidays during the festive period (Friday 25 and Monday 28 December, and Friday 01 and Monday 04 January). Members can continue to use our online request system, at any time, and we'll process requests just as soon as we can.
We want to advise Members that we've taken the decision to disable the voicemail/message system on our main telephone line.
This was a difficult decision to reach because some Members leave messages out of hours or when we're really busy. However, most of the messages did not contain sufficient information for us to know who the Member is and what they needed us to do. Some messages were also abusive in nature and that's just not acceptable (luckily we know that the vast majority of Members appreciate that we are working hard on their behalf).
It could take us a lot of time to identify Members from voicemails, having to call back several times in a lot of cases and many voicemails were unable to be progressed as a result. This means that those Members believed they had left us a clear instruction but we simply could not act on it. This will lead to significant frustration or disappointment for the Member and disappointment for us that we couldn't help.
Most phone calls we get are requests for updates on loan applications. We're getting dozens and dozens of calls every day which means we have to stop processing loans to deal with the enquiries - resulting in delays to decisions. We need to prioritise assessing loan applications - that's what most of our Members expect of us. The latest status of a loan application can be viewed on our website, using the link you were sent when you submitted your application. This will always show the latest status and shows exactly the information our staff are able to give over the telephone. There is no additional benefit to speaking to us over the phone.
Members can get in touch with us in many ways, including by phone where necessary - we are currently opening our phone lines between and 10 and 11am and again between 2 and 3pm. However, it is always quicker and better to use our website request system or to e-mail us. You can check the status of your loan application using the link that we e-mailed to you when you submitted your loan.
Due to the continuing public health challenges and in the face of a significant increase in loan applications we are limiting drop-in access to our branches and telephone lines. We've put additional information on our website, provided online balance requests, transfer requests and updates on loan applications (using the link you are sent when you apply for a loan).
Telephone lines will be staffed between 10 and 11am and again between 2 and 3pm. You can e-mail us at any time. Members can make appointments to come into branches where necessary. We will continue to do what we can to support Members but we must do so safely and do what we can to process the large number of loan applications that Members are submitting. We apologise if this causes any inconvenience. We appreciate your patience and support as we work hard to help Members.
Members will know that we apply an administration fee each year for all adult Member accounts. This is in our Rule Book and is voted for by our Members. Members voted for an Annual Administration Fee of £5.00 to be applied. We are therefore required, under our Rules, to apply this charge to all adult Member accounts. This will happen at the start of October 2020.
We'd like to apologise to Members for some of the delays they may have experienced on Wednesday 12 August. The BT Exchange issues in Edinburgh caused by extreme weather overnight caused disruption to around 100,000 broadband connections in Scotland, including ours. We also suffered power outages at our main office. We had no access to our systems for the first few hours and invoked our contingency arrangements, setting up a temporary office in a secure location. This allowed us to process payments, answer calls and deal with Member requests. Our main office is fully connected again and we've moved back to normal operational arrangements. We are now fully up and running. Once again, we are sorry about any inconvenience this may have caused.
We have invoked our contingency arrangements and have established a temporary office location, with phones and full computer systems in a secure location elsewhere in Fife. We are now answering calls and processing payments. Please bear with us, the phone lines are busy and we're working hard to catch up and help as many Members as we can.
We've experienced some significant issues as a result of the extreme weather overnight. We don't have power to our main office and we have no phones or computer networks in both branches. We are unable to connect to the bank, issue payments or deal with most Member enquiries right now. We are working hard with our IT suppliers to resolve these issues as quickly as we can. Please bear with us whilst we try to get things up and running again.
Our Glenrothes branch will now be open to all Members 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday (no need to make an appointment). We've had to limit the number of Members that can come in at any one time, we've made antibacterial hand gel available and ask Members to support us in our efforts to keep Members and our staff safe.
Our Methilhill branch remains closed but our appointment system is still in place for those Members that need to come and see us and can't make it to Glenrothes.
We are delighted to announce that Members can now apply for a loan directly on our website. There's no paperwork, no dropping off or posting forms, no delays to get documents printed, signed or returned! Everything is done online - all you need is an e-mail address and access to a modern web browser (it works on most smartphones, tablets and almost every laptop or computer). You can start the application, save it and then come back and complete it later. You can ask for help to complete it too. This system will result in fewer delays, it won't allow you to submit it with things missing and you can check on progress after you've submitted it.
We are able to process loans more quickly with this new system. If we approve your loan, we will send you a Loan Agreement by e-mail which you can sign electronically. In theory, after we have assessed your application, we can offer you a loan and you can legally and securely agree to it in just a few minutes from wherever you can get internet access. You can still complete a paper form if you prefer, but it will take longer to process and involve visiting a branch and/or posting things.
We have updated our Lending Policy. This policy governs how we will provide loans to Members - setting out things like eligibility, how applications can be received, how they will be assessed and our latest interest rates for our various loan products. It is designed to be an internal document for staff to follow, but we have chosen to publish it on our website for transparency. If you have any questions about it, please contact us. A key change for Members to note is that the compulsory saving amount has been increased to £10 per month. This is good practice and is designed to help Members to save and to reduce the risk of falling behind on loan repayments.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we've been busy reviewing all aspects of how we provide loans. We are introducing changes to how Members can apply for loans to make the overall process quicker and clearer for everybody. We have introduced a new Loan Application Form, Guidance Notes on how to complete the form and a new Loan Agreement which is much clearer and uses straightforward language. All of these will start to be used from Monday 06 July. We can still accept loan applications on the old form, but the information you supply will be transffered by us to a new form and we will contact you for the additional information not on the old form.
We are carefully reviewing guidance from the UK Government and Scottish Government, as well as working with fellow credit unions to plan how we can safely re-open brances and access points in the coming weeks. The safety of our staff, volunteers and members will take absolute priority. We will keep our website and Facebook page updated, so please check back regularly.
Members are reminded to book their place at our 'virtual' AGM to be held on Thursday 28 May 2020 at 1430hrs.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 28 May 2020 at 1430hrs using Zoom technology - so you can join from your home. This is an opportunity for our members to have a say in the running of their community bank. To find out more and to book your free place please click here.
We've been offering members the chance to win an iPad just by completing an online form to make sure we have the most up to date details for our members. We have extended the deadline for this to 30 May 2020 - click here to submit your up to date details and be entered into the free prize draw (terms and conditions apply).
Members are advised that Friday 08 May is a UK public holiday to observe the 75th anniversary of VE day. We will be closed and any transfers due to take place on 08 May will be processed on Thursday 07 May. This could result in a slight delay as we process twice the number of transfers as normal, please bear with us as we process everything just as quickly as we can.
If you have any questions for us please remember that you can submit these here on our website, which is quick and easy to do.
Our next working day thereafter will be Monday 11 May.
If you're facing increased financial pressure as a result of the pandemic and you think you will struggle to meet your loan repayments please contact us. We can provide greater assistance, work with you to maintain your credit rating and ensure you can continue to access affordable loans if you talk to us - the sooner the better.
On behalf of all members, we made a donation of £5,000 to Fife Voluntary Action's crowdfunder appeal to support the most vulnerable people in Fife at this difficult time. They have helped over 1,000 people and raised nearly £15,000 already. We're proud to be able to contribute to such a great cause that's helping fellow Fifers who need it most.
You can now join your local community bank online - it's quick and easy, with most accounts being opened on the same day! Click here to join now!
Our AGM was scheduled to take place on Tuesday 31 March 2020 but we have had to postpone it in line with government guidance on isolation and protection of public health. We will make alternative arrangements and advise our Members accordingly.
We've posted a message from our CEO on our flu pandemic page.
We have closed branches to walk-ins. Members need to contact us to arrange an appointment and we will let the Member in at the agreed time. This has been necessary to enforce government-mandated directions to minimise social contact and keep our staff, volunteers and Members safe. We are still offering full services, but have had to change how we interact with Members at this very difficult time.
We are reducing the opening times of our branches in line with government instructions to reduce non-essential travel and contact. We will open for 2 hours each day (Monday-Friday, 10-12noon) for those Members who must access cash over the counter. All other activity should be directed through our website our telephone service.
As some of our staff work from home as part of our business continuity plans, we've introduced an online request area for Members to request balances, transfers or ask us a question. It will avoid Members having to spend time waiting on the phone or coming into branches during the pandemic. We're guaranteeing a response in under 1 hour during working hours (Mon-Fri 9am-4pm). We'd like to thank all Members for their support and patience at this challenging time.
From Monday 23 March, our Methilhill branch will be open 1000-12noon Monday to Friday. This is a slight reduction in hours designed to protect staff, volunteers and Members.
We've published a new page on our website to keep Members updated on our services during the current pandemic flu crisis.
For public health reasons and to protect our members and volunteers, we have taken the decision to suspend all access points until further notice. We'll keep this under review and update our website and Facebook page when the situation changes. Our branches remain open as normal and you can call us or e-mail us if you need any help or support.
We launched our new website. We're still uploading new content to it, so do check back in a few days' time!
We published our latest newsletter - click here to download it (pdf file)