The merger of Hiway and Spire credit unions is now official, and the combined entity has a new name: Blaze Credit Union.
New branding is now on the 26 former Spire and Hiway branches as well as on a new website — blazecu.com.
But members can continue to use their current debit cards, credit cards and checks. The back-end technology systems will consolidate in the fall.
First announced last summer, the merger brings together two Minnesota credit unions to become the state's fourth-largest credit union with more than $4 billion in assets and serving 250,000 members. The three larger credit unions are Wings Financial, TruStone Financial and Affinity Plus.
In recent years, credit unions have been consolidating in order to be more competitive and offer more services.
Leaders of Spire and Hiway, who are continuing to lead Blaze, have said they hope to double their assets over the next decade by opening new branches in Minnesota.
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