CommunityAmerica Commits to Major Expansion in Missouri
Kansas City-area credit union to open three branches in St. Louis this year.
CommunityAmerica Credit Union is extending its reach in the St. Louis area this year with three new branches and a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.
On Wednesday, the Kansas City-based CommunityAmerica ($4.7 billion in assets, 291,482 members) announced it had bought the naming rights for a premium seating area at the home stadium of the Cardinals and would be adding more than three branches in the area in the coming years.
The CommunityAmerica Cardinals Club — a premium all-inclusive seating area in the stadium that is otherwise known to Cardinals fans as “the green seats” — will be gaining modern design elements this spring, including a mural that features iconic Cardinals players throughout the history of the club.
CommunityAmerica President/CEO Lisa Ginter said the naming rights deal with the Cardinals is part of its commitment to a major expansion in St. Louis.
“When we made the decision to expand our current presence in St. Louis in a significant way, we knew the St. Louis Cardinals were the perfect partner to underscore our planned investment in the community,” Ginter said.
The credit union ended 2022 with 30 branches or other locations, down from 35 a year earlier. Last year it closed six branches in Hy-Vee grocery stores in the Kansas City area, converting them to Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) locations, and opened its Bayer Branch in Kansas City.
The credit union also opened a branch in Blue Springs, Mo., in the Kansas City area this month.
CommunityAmerica now has 22 branches in Missouri, giving it the state’s second-largest branch presence behind First Community Credit Union of Chesterfield, Mo. ($3.9 billion in assets, 381,327 members), which has 34 of its 42 branches in Missouri.
CommunityAmerica’s branches are clustered on the west side of the state in the Kansas City metro. It has one branch in Saint Louis County at Lambert International Airport. The branch is linked to CommunityAmerica’s early roots as TWA Club Credit Union, which was founded in Kansas City in 1940 and changed its name in 1992.
CommunityAmerica said it is actively securing commercial real estate in St. Louis County. The credit union plans to secure at least three new locations in St. Louis County this year, and add other locations later. It plans to make more detailed announcements about locations in the coming weeks.
“We have long admired the St. Louis region given our history in this market,” Ginter said. “We want St. Louisans to know they have a financial partner in their corner who is backed by more than 80 years of proven strength and stability – and is wholeheartedly dedicated to the financial well-being of people, businesses and our shared community.”
As part of its expansion, the credit union will also invest in civic and philanthropic endeavors designed to promote growth in St. Louis. They are teaming up with Big League Impact, initiated by St. Louis Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright, to launch a new promotion in April that will benefit the foundation. CommunityAmerica has also signed Wainwright as an endorsement partner related to the St. Louis Cardinals partnership.
Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said the partnership will help the team refresh the CommunityAmerica Cardinals Club.
“With a new mural and other design elements, the Club will improve on its reputation as one of the most premium spaces in MLB,” DeWitt said. “We are proud to be working with such a great organization that shares our commitment to the St. Louis community.”