Our History

We’ve got some deep roots here.

It started all the way back in the 1950s when parishioners of the St. Francis Xavier Church got together with clergy to begin talks of starting their own credit union. The group enlisted the help of the Michigan Credit Union League, specifically D. J. McKinnon. Together, they began the process and on April 5, 1951, a credit union was founded. The original clergy were A.J. LeRoux and Hugolinus Keiner. The original charter was signed by James F. Behan, Louis Fochtman, Norbert Wegemer, Leo M. Lister, Donald F. Krusell, Wilbur Krusell, Casper Goldsmith and John Coveyou.

Our first Board of Directors had Eugene Coveyou as president, Don Krusell as vice president, Marilyn Fettig as treasurer, Hugolinus Keiner as clerk and James Behan as director. Soon after the original elections, Louis Fochtman, Fred Hoffman and Fred Foltz were elected as directors. The first supervisory committee included Barb Saller, Arnold Sherry and William Gibson. The first credit committee was comprised of Louis Fochtman, Fred Hoffman and Fred Foltz Sr.

The Credit Union grew slowly in the early years, running the organization out of the church monastery. It eventually moved to the Knights of Columbus Hall over Leo’s Bar, then to an upstairs office in the old Cook Building, and lastly to an upstairs office over the Woolworth Five and Dime building on East Mitchell. By 1959 they hired the CU’s first paid employee, Martin Beer. In 1963 the CU opened its first office at 224 State Street, and by the end of the year the CU reached a milestone of $1 million in assets. It would take all the way until 1972 before we broke the $2 million mark.

By the early 80s, the CU saw a few management changes and hired our third manager, Mike Kuhna, who guided the CU through nearly the next 18 years. During this time, the CU introduced Checking Accounts, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans. Assets breaching $24 million spurred the opening of the second branch in 1993. The branch was constructed at 2140 M-119, the current main office. By 2000, the CU had passed the $30 million asset mark.

The CU transitioned yet again during the next decade with a website, new data processing system, computers at our branches, debit cards, home banking, three new ATMs, and the opening of our third branch in Harbor Springs in 2004, along with many new loan products and financial services.

The fourth branch opened in the old Rotary Park location in 2016 and has been a real hit as one of our busiest locations. The strong growth continues today as the credit union has grown to serve over 10,000 members with more than $250 million in assets. We now offer virtually any product or service you could think of — from a full range of loans and accounts to convenient digital tools that make banking easier than ever.

With our full suite of digital services, members can easily check balances, make loan payments, pay bills, transfer money between accounts or to other financial institutions, view transaction history, and much more — all from a computer or our free mobile app. Remote Deposit Capture lets you snap a picture of a check and deposit it to your account from almost anywhere using your smartphone or tablet. Wow, we really do have it all.

St. Francis X Federal Credit Union remains one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. We take pride in providing the absolute best value in banking, along with state-of-the-art technology and some of the friendliest folks around to serve you. Let us know how we can help — simply call, click, or stop by!

St. Francis X Federal Credit Union — friends serving neighbors since 1951.

Welcome to the neighborhood. If you have any questions about our history, feel free to drop by any of our convenient branches or give us a call. We’re looking forward to showing you what makes us truly unique.