Didn't see this one coming - popular local bank Missoula Federal Credit Union announced today, June 19, that it is changing its name.

As of September 3rd, MFCU will be known as Clearwater Credit Union. Sounds like the change was made specifically to become more inclusive to all Montanans. An email from the bank includes the following.

We’re changing our name so we can grow to serve our members even better and bring what we’ve all loved about MFCU to more Montanans.

 

We spent a year and a half considering this change and involved our members, our coworkers, our community, and the people in our new field of membership before our member-elected Board of Directors unanimously approved our new name.

They went on to explain that there were more than 500 options for the new name and more than 4,500 survey participants in their research, and also included the reasons whey they landed on Clearwater.

1. Local
The name celebrates our roots in Missoula County, which is home to both the Clearwater River and Clearwater Lake.

2. Inviting
Water sustains us all, no matter where we’re from. The new name is universally appealing and a celebration of Montana’s lakes and rivers.

3. Values-based
The name gives us the opportunity to speak to a key element of our core values: transparency.

And their logo colors were inspired by the Montana state flag, so even though it seems a little strange that they would change names, they really are the same local folks that you've come to know and trust over the years. In fact, MFCU also addressed two questions that popped in to my head, and probably yours, first.

No. We are not merging with another credit union. Same people. Same values. Same mission to be a force for good in banking, in the communities we serve, and in the lives of our members.

Yes. Your debit and credit cards will continue to work until you activate the new debit and credit cards we will be mailing you directly. These cards will have a new expiration date that will need to be updated where used.

See the new logo and get all of your questions answered here.

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