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Minnesota’s largest credit union announced Wednesday that it plans to merge with the largest credit union in Colorado.

Apple Valley-based Wings Credit Union is 

 with Colorado’s Ent Credit Union a “merger of equals.” If approved by members and regulators, the combined credit union will serve nearly a million members and will keep the Wings name. It will be led by current Ent CEO Chad Graves.

Wings and Ent want to complete the merger next year. Credit union leaders said members will not see any immediate changes while the merger process is underway.

Leaders of the two credit unions said the combined operation would be more efficient and better serve members.

“While our geographic footprint may be different, our values and culture are strongly aligned,” Frank Weidner, president and CEO of Wings Credit Union, said in a news release.

“When we first asked our team to explore merger opportunities, Ent was atop our list of potential partners,” Greg Miller, the chair of Wings’ board of directors, said in the news release. “As we’ve gotten to know each other better over the past several months, we’ve become even more excited about what this partnership will mean for our members, employees and communities.”

Miller said the board “enthusiastically” supports the merger plan.

Wings has about 371,000 members and assets of $9.7 billion. It was started in 1938 by seven Northwest Airlines employees and has 27 branches in Minnesota along with offices in Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Florida.

Ent has about 560,000 members and assets of $9.9 billion. It was founded in 1957 to serve the former Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.

There have been other credit union mergers in Minnesota in recent years. In 2023, 

 to form a financial institution now known as Blaze Credit Union.

SharePoint Credit Union and Star Choice Credit Union merged

MPR News Staff

Author

Apple Valley-based Wings Credit Union is calling the deal with Colorado’s Ent Credit Union a “merger of equals.” If approved by members and regulators, the combined credit union will serve nearly a million members.

Largest credit unions in Minnesota, Colorado announce plans to merge

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