Hi Everyone,
For nearly 70 years, our credit union has been a strong, compassionate institution serving the financial needs of members and communities throughout Massachusetts. Our history—which I fondly refer to as our family tree—is comprised of 27 credit unions whose hard work and innovation have enabled us to grow into the $2.3 billion organization that we are today.
Our MVCU team now proudly serves more than 115,000 members primarily in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. We are working hard to establish ourselves as a unified, agile credit union that continues to focus on the needs of our members, and we believe that each of you deserves to have a credit union whose name is forward-looking and better reflects the bright financial future we can help you achieve.
The Merrimack Valley Credit Union name, while strong, is very specific to one region, one part of our history. It does not reflect the many communities our family tree has served, and we continue to serve. As we work to remain responsive to the needs of current members and new generations of members, our new name will position us for growth and reflect our values and goals for the future. Our new name will bridge together our shared history and our future as a financial services provider driven by our passion for serving members and providing state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge products and services.
Coming up with a new name isn’t easy. The rigorous process of renaming and rebranding began in August of 2023 and has involved hundreds of hours of meetings, extensive market research, with thousands of names considered. Our new name has been extensively vetted and tested. In addition, an application for registering BrightBridge Credit Union has been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to ensure that we have a competitively unique name wherever we grow. Finally, our Board of Directors has unanimously voted to change our credit union name. I am very proud to announce that we will become BrightBridge Credit Union in 2025!*
The name BrightBridge combines two words that reflect our values and intentions. The word “Bright” alludes to the spirit of optimism and hope that we feel for our team members and members. It holds a mirror to our core values of elevating people, embracing accountability and working together as OneTeam. It signifies a bold, hopeful future as we move forward as a unified credit union family. It also reflects the passion and energy with which our teammates serve our members each day. The word “Bridge” connects our past with the future we are creating for our team members and members where connecting people with financial opportunities empowers all of us to achieve a better, brighter future. It reminds us of our shared goals and our intention to build stronger relationships with our members, communities, Select Employer Groups and community partners.
While we are excited about this new name for our credit union, we understand that change can be worrisome. Please be assured that while our name is changing and our logo will be new, the financial services that you experience are not changing. When you bank online or through our mobile app, you will still enjoy the same convenient features. When you enter our branches, you will still connect with the same radiant team members who are ready to serve you. Benefits such as Shared Branching and our 24/7 call center aren’t going anywhere. Over the past several years, we’ve enhanced the offerings of our credit union and we’ll only be adding to them!
BrightBridge Credit Union will be a new beginning for all of us. BrightBridge Credit Union honors our history while opening a world of possibility for our future. Keep an eye out for updates on this exciting change coming in 2025!
Thank you for continuing to be a valued member of our credit union family. We look forward to this new journey with you!
Regards,
John J. Howard
President & CEO
If you have any questions, or would like to provide feedback, please reach out through questions@mvcu.com.
A. For nearly 70 years, our credit union has been a strong, compassionate institution serving the financial needs of members and communities in Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and northern Rhode Island. As we grow and expand, our brand needs to evolve to better reflect our collective values and vision. Our new name, BrightBridge Credit Union, honors our legacy that includes more than 25 credit unions while paving a brighter path forward. It reflects our commitment to putting people first and connecting members to financial opportunities that help them achieve their personal, professional or educational goals.
A. Over the past few years, we've expanded our footprint and launched new products and services to better serve you, our members. This updated name, look and feel is the next step in that exciting journey as it will position us to continue serving our members with passion as a financially sound institution. It will reinvigorate our mission with a refreshing new look and enable us to impact even more people with our credit union's exclusive resources.
A. Neither! MVCU's leadership team and business structure are not changing and your preferred branch will still be staffed by the same local people you know and trust—now with an even brighter, unified mission. The BrightBridge brand signals ongoing commitment to our members and local communities. We remain 100% invested in you.
The name BrightBridge combines two words that reflect our values and intentions. "Bright" alludes to the spirit of optimism, passion and energy that our team embodies each day and reflects our core values of elevating people, embracing accountability and working together as OneTeam. The word "Bridge" connects our past with the future we are creating for our team and members; a future where we are empowered with financial opportunities that enable all of us to achieve our goals and pursue our passions. It reminds us of our shared values and our intention to build stronger relationships with our members, communities and community partners.
Bright: We enlighten and inspire. Bridge: We connect, support and empower.
A. Our appearance! You'll notice a fresh new name, logo and overall look wherever our brand appears—on our website and mobile banking platform, in our branches, and in our advertising campaigns. While our name and look are new, we’re still the same credit union you trust, with the same commitment to YOU!
A. Accessing your accounts, visiting your local branch and working with the dedicated staff members that serve you each day will not change. Additionally, the credit cards and loan products you currently use and your important account information will remain the same. Stay tuned for new and exciting products that we'll launch later this year, in addition to everything you already enjoy!
A. You'll start seeing our new brand roll out in stages, with the official launch in March 2025. By April, our new brand will be everywhere—on our website, mobile banking platform and our branches. This phased approach ensures we make the transition as smooth and exciting as possible.
A. The new brand won't change anything about your banking experience with us. You'll still access your accounts, our services and branches the same way. If you visit our branches, you might notice some activity taking place throughout the beginning of this year as we update signage, but you will still be able to access our team and services as normal.
A. Your account number(s) will remain the same and you will be able to continue using your existing cards and checks. When it's time to order new checks, you will follow the normal process and receive BrightBridge-branded checks. Debit cards will be re-issued beginning in April 2025. You will have 60 days to activate the new card and once activated your old card will no longer work.
A. Please reach out to us! We're excited for the future and are happy to answer any questions regarding our new brand. You may email us at Questions@mvcu.com, call us at (800) 356-0067 or better yet, come visit us at a branch! We look forward to connecting with you soon.
*Subject to regulatory approval.