Screenshot from video in which HVCU President/CEO John J. Howard discusses the upcoming name change. (Credit/HVCU)
In a brand identity shift designed to better represent the communities it serves, the $2.2 billion, Lawrence, Mass.-based Merrimack Valley Credit Union will become BrightBridge Credit Union in winter 2025, pending member and regulatory approval, the credit union announced Monday.
The new name was approved via a unanimous vote by MVCU's Board of Directors, according to a statement from MVCU President/CEO John J. Howard posted to the credit union's website. In February, members will be invited to vote to approve a change to MVCU's bylaws so that updates to its name and brand may take place, and if approved, updates will be made to branch signage and interior design, the credit union's website, and its online and mobile banking platforms to reflect the new name and brand.
"The Merrimack Valley Credit Union name is very specific to one region, one part of our history," the statement read. "It does not reflect the many communities that we now serve – which has grown significantly over the last several years! Currently, our credit union family includes 115,000 members primarily in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Our new name will unify our membership, branches and team members and strengthen our credit union family."
MVCU began the rebranding process in August 2023, and settled on the name "BrightBridge" as it combines two words that "represent MVCU's values and intentions" – "bright" represents optimism, passion and energy, and "bridge" connects the credit union's past to the future it is creating for team members and members, it said.
The word "bridge" is already represented in MVCU's brand – branches in the southeastern region of Massachusetts are named Bridgewater Credit Union, A Division of Merrimack Valley Credit Union, after a merger between the two organizations in 2018.
MVCU also noted it has submitted an application to register the name BrightBridge Credit Union with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
In other credit union name change news, Florida State University (FSU) Credit Union ($475 million, Tallahassee, Fla.) announced Monday that it will officially change its name to Champions First Credit Union on Oct. 1, 2024. FSU CU said the decision to change its name follows the credit union's rapid expansion over the last five years, and was made by the board of directors and management team after nearly three years of internal and external research with both current and prospective members.
"We feel that not only does the name 'Champions First' accurately reflect our mission to be our members 'financial champion,' but it also communicates that anyone who lives or works in Northwest Florida is eligible for membership, not just those affiliated with Florida State University," FSU CU President/CEO Chuck Adcock said. "With this new name, we can operate at a larger scale, creating new opportunities to develop innovative products and services for our members, while affording us more opportunities to give back and reinvest in the communities we serve."
Originally founded in 1954 to serve the FSU community, the credit union expanded its charter to serve members in the greater Tallahassee area in 2010. It then merged Tree Capital Credit Union in 2011, Gulf Power Company Employees Credit Union in 2019 and the Florida Department of Transportation Credit Union in 2022.
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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.
