Empower FCU, Horizons FCU in Binghamton to merge Oct. 1

Effective Oct. 1, the signage at the four current Horizon locations and the one Empower location in the Southern Tier will change and be known as Horizons, a division of Empower Federal Credit Union.

The merger of Empower and Horizons will offer expanded services to Horizons FCU members and expanded branch and ATM access to Empower FCU members, per the news release.

About the organizations

Empower Federal Credit Union provides savings, loans, and other financial products to members in eight counties throughout New York. In 2007, the nonprofit resulted from a merger between Power and Empire to create Empower Federal Credit Union.

Horizons FCU — formerly the U.S. Employees Federal Credit Union — was established in Binghamton in 1937 for postal employees, per its website. In the early years, only federal employees and their immediate families were allowed to join. Since that time, the credit union added smaller credit unions through the merger process.

The name was changed to Horizons FCU in 1999 to “better identify us with our community and the diverse group we serve,” its website says.