Merrimack Valley CU Plans to Become BrightBridge CU in 2025
The change is subject to member and regulatory approval; FSU Credit Union to become Champions First next week.
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.