In 2022, Infinity Credit Union combined forces with Deere Employees Credit Union to become Empeople. We kept the same great staff and members, but with a new name and expanded services.
All Empeople members are owners of the Credit Union. When our members prosper and grow, the Credit Union does also. This means that we can put your money to work to expand services and help more members.
The story of Empeople is that of two credit union communities coming together to become stronger and more resilient and expanding its capabilities to offer more to their members.
Maine’s original credit union was founded in 1921 when workers from the New England Telephone & Telegraph Company formed the Telephone Workers’ Credit Union of Maine. It is the state’s first credit union, and is still the oldest credit union in the state of Maine, serving its members for over 100 years.
Fourteen years later in 1935, workers for Deere & Company in Moline, Illinois open the Deere Employees Credit Union to serve the employees of Deere & Company. DECU serves the employees of Deere & Company for 87 years.
The Telephone Workers’ Credit Union of Maine evolves over the years, first changing its name to Telco of New England FCU (know as TELCO) and then finally changing its name to Infinity FCU to reflect its community-based charter, which allows anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Cumberland and York counties and the city of Bangor, Maine to join.
DECU eventually grows to over 70,000 members and operates 24 branches throughout the United States, serving the needs of current and retired Deere & Company employees and their family members.
In 2022, DECU and Infinity merge to become Empeople Credit Union, combining Maine’s oldest credit union and the credit union that served Deere & Company employees and their contractors for over 87 years.
Strength in numbers
When we combined our memberships and nearly 200 years of collective banking experience—we created a stronger and more diversified credit union—and this new partnership means we can offer our members the best financial guidance possible.
A credit union’s strength is in its numbers. Simply put, a credit union is stronger when it has more members. When more members use the credit union, the credit union becomes more stable and more resilient.
Diversification — why it matters
Diversification of membership, geography and assets helps ensure that we can overcome any obstacles and seize opportunities when they arise.
When we expand to different communities, we’re building a stronger credit union, one that can better withstand regional challenges.
From Maine down to Florida and west to Iowa, Empeople membership could potentially be offered throughout the entire country.