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Horizon's Empathy Heart

The History of Horizon Credit Union

We began with a simple goal in mind – to help members achieve their dreams and to give back to our communities. We’ve come a long way over the years, but our foundation remains the same. It starts with you, the path you’re on and the vision you have for your future. Our background is made up of rich credit union history in all of our communities. Each time we partner up with a like-minded credit union, our team grows, along with our ability to remain true to our foundation of serving our members and community better.

1947 | The Early Days

Kaiser Employees Federal Credit Union | est. 1947

We weren’t known as Horizon until 1981. For about twenty years, our cooperative was focused on serving Kaiser Aluminum employees and their families in Spokane Valley, Washington. In 1970, we welcomed nearby Trentwood Industrial Park employees to become part of our local credit union too.

1990s | Northern Idaho and Washington Expansion

During the 90s, our charter grew beyond Spokane Valley – opening up membership to all Washington state residents.

Superior Federal Credit Union | est. 1940

This expansion began when the Superior Federal Credit Union members and employees in Sandpoint, ID became part of the Horizon family.

Inland Power and Light Credit Union | est. 1950

Inland Power and Light Credit Union, which served Inland Power employees, brought our Deer Park, Davenport branches into the story, as well as another Spokane branch.

2000s | Growing in Idaho and Central Washington

Mountain View Credit Union | est. 1967

In 2002, our team grew to 113 employees when we partnered up with Mountain View Credit Union and their members from URM. This added three branches to our roster and expanded our communities to include eight additional counties in Idaho.

Columbia Basin Federal Credit Union | est. 1951

With the addition of Columbia Basin Federal Credit Union, our roots expanded to central Washington in 2006. Our new members from the basin region bumped us up to surpass 30,000 members credit union wide.

2010s | Roots in Forestry, Transportation, Health and Education

Montana 1st Federal Credit Union | est. 1931

In 2012, we joined up with Montana 1st Federal Credit Union in Missoula, adding our first Montana branches. Montana 1st’s roots stretch back to the forest industry and the Government Employees Credit Union originally established with 64 members to serve forest service workers during the depression of the 1930s.

Icon Credit Union (Coeur d’Alene branch) | est. 1952

Members from the Icon Credit Union branch in North Idaho joined us in 2013. This brought on 1700 new members in the Coeur d’Alene community. Icon Credit Union was originally known as Idahy Credit Union (yes, that’s how it was spelled!), serving employees of the Idaho Department of Highways.

EDTECH Federal Credit Union | est. 1954

In 2015, our map in Montana expanded into Butte when we partnered up with EDTECH Federal Credit Union, which was established to service school employees. EDTECH was originally known as Silver Bow County School Employees Credit Union.

United Health Services Credit Union | est. 1960

Also in 2015, three more Spokane branches were added when United Health Services Credit Union employees and members came on board.

Amicus Credit Union | est. 1964

Amicus Credit Union in Spokane, formerly Spokane Catholic Credit Union, joined the Horizon family in 2016 adding more members and strengthening our roots in our community.

One Billion and Beyond | 2018

Over the years, steady growth gradually moved us closer to a major credit union milestone – we reached one billion dollars in assets in 2018. We hit this mark with more excitement and motivation than ever.

2020s | Stronger Together

Icon Credit Union | est. 1952

In the summer of 2020, we teamed up with Icon Credit Union in Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon. Icon, previously known as Idahy Federal Credit Union, originally served employees of the Idaho Department of Highways. With a new combined total of 28 branches and common goals in mind, we began our journey serving over 100,000 members in four states.

Embark Credit Union | est. 1936

We welcomed Embark Credit Union in Great Falls, MT to the Horizon family in the summer of 2022. Embark was originally chartered at Great Falls Teachers Federal Credit Union. Both credit unions share a commitment to community and providing a path to financial success for our members. Together we now serve over 113,000 members from north central Montana to central Washington down to eastern Oregon and southern Idaho.

On the Horizon

Our growth as a credit union not only adds members to our credit union family and employees to our team, it increases our ability to bring you the best combination of personalized service, financial guidance and up-to-date tools and technology to make your life easier.

We’re proud to have partnered with so many like-minded credit unions over the years, because together we’re able to better serve and support you better – no matter where you are on your financial journey.

We look forward to serving you for many years to come!

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Looking for More?

If you’re still looking for something, check out these additional resources. You can become a member, learn about our community outreach, see rates and much more!

Find your nearest branch or ATM

We’re part of the CO-OP ATM network! That means with us you’ll gain access to over 30,000 ATM locations nationwide. That’s more than most banks!
Wherever you roam, Horizon’s along for the ride.