DATCU Signs Exclusive University Deal in Texas

Singer-songwriters Norah Jones, Meat Loaf and Don Henley are all noted as alumni of the University of North Texas (UNT), located in the far north suburb of Dallas in Denton.

Another notable alum is Melanie Vest, president of the $1.5 billion DATCU in Corinth, Texas. On Monday, DATCU became even more connected to the UNT after the organizations announced DATCU has signed a deal to be the exclusive financial institution for the university, as well as securing the naming rights to UNT’s football stadium.

The histories of the credit union and UNT actually go back to the roots of both institutions. DATCU began as Denton County Teachers Federal Credit Union on the campus of North Texas State Teachers College, which eventually changed its name to the University of North Texas.

“It’s a great marriage between two distinctly Denton institutions,” Glen McKenzie, DATCU’s CEO, said. “We were founded in 1936 by UNT educators and teachers from local school districts for the purpose of serving educators. This partnership honors that original vision and further engrains us into the North Texas region.”

According to Monday’s announcement, besides the naming rights, DATCU will provide financial advice and seminars at the UNT Career Center to prepare university students for professional careers.

“As a proud alumna, I do think it is important to build relationships that honor the vision of our institution’s founders,” Melanie Vest, DATCU’s president, said. “I know UNT has a mission to train and inspire our future leaders. We share that passion and seek to build a solid financial foundation for those leaders.”

According to UNT, its president and Board of Regents finalized the agreement on July 28. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

UNT has nearly 45,000 students and 4,600 faculty members.