The Spokesman-Review, February 13, 2026, 27 new branches in 5 years: How a credit union made by teachers went from a shoebox full of cash deposits to a multibillion-dollar business, third largest credit union in state
While STCU has seen an intense period of growth in the last few years, many smaller banks and credit unions, particularly those in rural areas, have disappeared. According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a nationwide network of nearly 800 organizations advocating for a just economy, there were 14,483 FDIC-insured commercial banks in 1984. By 2021, that number dropped to fewer than 5,000. The vast majority of this change has been spurred by larger banks absorbing smaller ones through mergers and acquisitions.
