Connections owner Cid Hamling has hit another hurdle in her attempts to bring Western Union service back to the island.
Just when things were looking good for the service to resume last week, Hamling was alerted to a missing document.
“I got a call from Merchant Bank last week asking for a copy of Western Union’s business license from the government,” said Hamling. “I called Lt. Gov. Greg Francis’ office to inquire and was informed that, due to St. Thomas Carnival, the license would not be ready until next month.”
Although Francis did write a letter of good standing for Western Union while its application — which was filed more than a year ago — is processed, due to Homeland Security regulations, Merchant Bank must have a copy of the money transmitter’s business license in order to open an account for the transfers, Hamling explained.
It’s Carnival Baby
It seems Western Union service will not be available until next month after carnival festivities on St. Thomas have ended.
“We apologize to the public, but there is nothing we can do,” Hamling said. “We look forward to offering the service as soon as we can, hopefully in May.”
Connections, the sole Western Union outlet on St. John, offered the service until stiffer Homeland Security regulations prompted a local bank to close its transfer account almost two years ago.
