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Summer 2024 has been a big season for Lighthouse Credit Union – not only did the $1.9 billion, Portsmouth, N.H.-based credit union rebrand itself, moving away from its former identity as Northeast Credit Union – it also converted from a state charter to a federal charter.
According to an announcement from Lighthouse earlier this month, the charter change was put forth by its Board of Directors and decided upon by a member vote on June 20, 2024. It said the NCUA has granted final approval and that Lighthouse commenced operations under a federal charter on Aug. 26.
Lighthouse said the charter transition will "enrich and nourish the lives of others in new communities and create more impact" among existing members.
New logo for Lighthouse Credit Union. "This year has been extraordinary as we transition from Northeast Credit Union to Lighthouse Credit Union and broaden our field of membership with a federal charter," Lighthouse President/CEO Chris Parker stated. "These changes will allow us to continue to drive our mission and positively impact new members and communities beyond our current footprint in New Hampshire and Southern Maine. We are committed to supporting our members as we enhance our product and service offerings, branch experience and digital platforms in the months ahead. Our focus is on continual improvement to give back more to our members and make a greater impact in even more communities."
The credit union said members will experience minimal impact through the brand and charter change, noting that member accounts will not be affected and funds remain federally insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), operated and managed by the NCUA.
Lighthouse operates 17 locations and currently has 166,096 members, according to the NCUA.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
