Credit Unions in Arizona & Minnesota Announce New Names

Credit unions in Arizona and Minnesota recently announced they have changed their names.

The $2.8 billion Arizona Federal Credit Union is now Arizona Financial Credit Union in Phoenix and Minnesota’s $147 million Fulda Area Credit Union has changed its name to Leading Edge Credit Union in Fulda.

Arizona Financial said its new name became effective July 1, in line with its conversion from a federally-chartered to a state-chartered credit union.

Earlier this year, the credit union’s members voted to approve the charter change, which will enable the financial cooperative to deliver financial services to individuals and businesses across 10 Arizona counties. The federal charter limited the credit union’s field of membership to serving only Maricopa and Pinal counties and the City of Tucson, the credit union said in a prepared statement.

“Changing our charter allows us to serve individuals and businesses across Arizona, and we think the word ‘financial’ in our name is much more descriptive of what we do,” Arizona Financial President/CEO Ronald L. Westad said. “The charter change will also result in greater value for our members, by giving us the ability to continue investments in new products and services such as enhanced online services and new locations.”

Arizona Financial serves more than 146,000 members.

The name change for Fulda Area to Leading Edge also became effective on July 1.

“We are excited to announce the next stage of our evolution with the introduction of our new name and logo. Since 1986, we have guided our members, helping them with their dreams, their banking and their money,” Leading Edge President/CEO Chad Merrihew said in a prepared statement. “We could not accomplish that without embracing change to evolve in order to better serve our members and our communities.”

In its prepared statement, the credit union also said its new name reflects the primary mission of providing exceptional financial products and services to benefit all community members and their future success.

“Between celebrating our 35th anniversary (in 2021) and the global pandemic, this name change/rebrand could not have come at a better time,” Leading Edge Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Gehl said. “Adapting to change and adjusting our business model appropriately is something we have all had to consider in the past couple years. We are so thankful for our local, Fulda roots, and we are looking forward to continuing to serve southwest Minnesota for many years to come.”

Leading Edge serves more than 11,000 members.