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Great Lakes Credit Union and East Chicago Fireman’s Credit Union Finalize Merger
NewsJuly 31, 2025
BANNOCKBURN, IL. (July 31, 2025) – Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU) and East Chicago Fireman’s Credit Union (ECFCU) are excited to announce that their merger was finalized on July 31st after a successful vote by ECFCU members and regulatory approval. Data conversion is scheduled for late August.
ECFCU is a Select Employee Group (SEG) credit union based in East Chicago, Indiana that exclusively serves East Chicago Fire Department employees and their family members through a single location. ECFCU was looking for a strategic partner that would allow them to offer more products and services, maintain membership, and meet growing regulatory compliance requirements.
GLCU will offer ECFCU members and their families access to an expanded suite of financial products and services, as well as robust digital banking tools. ECFCU members and their families also will gain access to 24/7 digital banking, shared branching in Northwest Indiana, a state-of-the-art ATM network, support through GLCU’s member contact center, as well as 24/7 support through GLCU’s AI assistant Olive and live chat.
GLCU has also gained regulatory approval to expand its field of membership to Lake County, Indiana, and Porter County, Indiana, adding to GLCU’s expansion into central Indiana earlier this year.
“GLCU is pleased that ECFCU sought us as a merger partner to expand their product and service offering to their membership in the competitive and changing financial services industry,” said Steve Bugg, CEO and President of GLCU. “We’re excited to welcome ECFCU members to the GLCU family.”
“It’s been my pleasure to serve as manager all these years. Changing times require change, and ECFCU is ready for change,” said ECFCU Manager Joanne DeYoung.
ECFCU brings 130 members and $600K in assets to GLCU and will continue to be served by the single location in East Chicago, Indiana.
About Great Lakes Credit Union
Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Northern Illinois, Great Lakes Credit Union is banking for a greater good. As a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $1.4 billion in assets, GLCU is proud to serve 115,000 members in Chicagoland and surrounding areas, and to give back to its members and communities through education, volunteerism, and partnerships. Learn more about GLCU’s accounts, educational initiatives, and community development programs at www.glcu.org.