Five branches of Altier Credit Union in Arizona will become branches of Ogden-based America First Credit Union (AFCU) following recent approval by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions and the National Credit Union Administration. The Arizona credit union branches will be added to AFCU’s 125 locations on March 1. The five branches are in Mesa, Tempe, Tolleson, St. Johns and Page.
“This is an exciting opportunity for America First and we welcome the Altier Credit Union member family with open arms,” said John B. Lund, CEO of AFCU. “We look forward to providing our new members with America First’s wide range of products and services while also providing additional service channels to our existing membership.”
Altier Credit Union opened in 1947 to serve employees of the Salt River Valley Water Users Association. In 2006, the credit union’s name was changed to Altier and its field of membership was expanded to include residents of Maricopa County, Arizona. Altier has approximately $191 million in assets and more than 19,000 members served by 57 employees.
“As a board, we were seeking a partner that aligned well with our culture and values. As we explored the opportunity with America First we came to realize a potential merger would be a natural fit for members and employees,” said Rose Pfister, board chairman for Altier. “We are very excited about the future potential this partnership is going to provide for our members and our communities at large.”
America First was founded at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City in 1939 by a small group of people determined to form a cooperative to promote their collective economic well-being. In its 79-year history, America First has become one of the largest and most stable credit unions in the country and has remained a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative financial institution. Today, America First has $9.2 billion in assets and the sixth-largest membership in the nation at 905,000.