DFCU Financial FCU Has Ties to Ford

DEARBORN, Mich. – The $1.8 billion DFCU Financial Federal Credit Union, which has applied with regulators to change to a bank charter, is one of the credit unions in the country which may take a significant hit from the massive downsizing announced by the Ford Motor Company. The number two U.S. automaker announced the closing of 14 plants and the scrapping of 30,000 jobs over the next six years in an attempt to cut costs and reposition the manufacturer for the next generation of cars, the company said. DFCU Financial began its credit union life in 1950 as Ford Engineering Employees Federal Credit Union. It then became Ford Dearborn Federal Credit Union, eventually dropping the “Ford” to become Dearborn Federal Credit Union and finally DFCU. The company’s Web site says its 160,000 members belong to over 500 SEGs. The credit union has yet to return calls about the impact of the plant closings on any of its members or operations.