Allegan Credit Union and Rivertown Community Federal Credit Union Jointly Announce their Intent to Merge

Kristopher Lewis

Allegan Credit Union, and Rivertown Community Federal Credit Union are excited to announce their plans to merge pending regulatory approval and a membership vote. If approved, the combined organization will operate under a unified brand but will continue to keep their individual names. The organization’s combined assets would be approximately $160 million, and would serve nearly 14,000 members with 5 branches in Western Michigan.

The famous Helen Keller quote “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” is a perfect symbolism of what this merger represents, a partnership between two future-focused credit unions committed to providing amazing service and a wide competitive offering of products and services for the members and the communities they serve. In a financial services sector that is constantly shifting, this merger represents a collaborative pooling of resources and talent coupled with the commitment to serve members, employees, and the community. Together these organizations would be in an even better position to leverage resources to continue to expand their product, service, convenience, and technology offerings.

Critics may be quick to point out why credit unions shouldn’t merge, however in today’s highly regulated, high-tech environment, it’s becoming more difficult for smaller credit unions to compete at the same level as the bigger players. Left on their own, it is becoming more and more challenging to offer the wide range of products and services that members (who are consumers) want. Attracting new members and new employees in this highly competitive market is also becoming increasingly difficult. This partnership brought together for the benefit of the membership at the forefront of the decision-making process, is one way in which credit unions can compete on a larger scale in today’s market, while continuing to maintain their unique brand identity.  

Kristopher Lewis has been serving as dual President/CEO of Allegan and Rivertown Credit Union and states,  “As the CEO of Allegan Credit Union for the past 7 years and Rivertown for the past year, my viewpoint on mergers has evolved. Serving in this dual role, I see our similarities and I see our differences, and both should be celebrated and preserved. I have a passion for our industry and for helping the greater good of credit unions, members, and the communities we serve.”

Lewis was part of the start-up Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), designed to offer Accounting & CFO services to credit unions unable to afford internal resources or with a gap to fill. “Being involved in CUSOs and serving as a dual CEO, I have gained a greater perspective on what we can leverage and accomplish together as one for our members and our communities.” Lewis goes on to say “Our mission at Allegan is community over credit score, relationships over revenue, and people over profit. And Rivertown was built for hard-working people who had a genuine interest in helping those that couldn’t find the financial resources from the big banks. This partnership is a perfect way to live out our mission and to go back to why we exist, creating relationships and helping those that don’t have the financial resources on their own. It doesn’t get any better than this! We’re excited about this partnership and hope it’s just the beginning of many more positive relationships and partnerships to come. When your partnership is rooted in a commitment and passion for serving members and communities and doing the right thing, you can be proud to work in this industry!”

As Member-owned cooperatives, and under the guidelines of the National Credit Union Association, full merger approval is contingent upon Rivertown’s member approval. Upon that approval, the entities will become one sometime in late 2022 or early 2023. 
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As the merger process moves forward, both credit unions will provide information to their respective Memberships via their websites (www.allegancu.com and www.rivertowncu.org), and other applicable communication channels.

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