CU Members OK Merger of Northwest Trades

The Idaho Credit Union League and the Northwest Credit Union Association said Tuesday their members have voted to approve the merger of the trade organizations.

The consolidation officially takes effect Dec. 31, 2018, creating a trade association that will represent more than 180 credit unions in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and several associate member credit unions in Alaska and Hawaii.

ICUL has been managed by NWCUA since January 2017.

“Northwest credit unions, ICUL and NWCUA have demonstrated what is possible in a three-state collaboration,” Brooke Van Vleet said, who chairs NWCUA’s board of directors and is president/CEO of the $225 million St. Helens Community Credit Union in St. Helens, Ore. “This merger is a positive step forward along the path we began 18 months ago.”

Kent Oram, ICUL board chair and president/CEO of the $3.6 billion Idaho Central Credit Union in Chubbuck, expressed confidence that the three-state association will support the future needs of credit unions and their members across the northwest and continue to advance the credit union movement.

Troy Stang, NWCUA president/CEO, said the merger will strengthen the collective credit union voice, noting that 6.5 million consumers — more than 50% of the 12.1 million people who live in Idaho, Oregon and Washington —- are members of a Northwest credit union.