Press Releases

News Release Date: Jun 23, 2022

Saginaw, MI - Wildfire Credit Union and Saginaw Valley State University have recently entered into an agreement to provide financial services to the students, staff, and faculty.

With this agreement, Wildfire will also commit to $100,000 in scholarships each year, an on-campus presence including ATMs, a mini-grant program to support SVSU student organizations, financial literacy education, and continued support of SVSU athletics.

Tim Benecke, President and CEO of Wildfire Credit Union commented: "We have been supporters of SVSU for many years. Entering into this agreement gives us the opportunity to make a significant difference in not only supporting the university, but also supporting the students who attend through our scholarship commitment, financial literacy expertise, and specialized banking services developed for the students."

"For the faculty and staff, our Work Place Perks program will provide discounts and benefits on banking services to help them reach their financial goals.

"Being neighbors to SVSU gives Wildfire the ability to easily be on campus physically for events and presentations, as well as effectively serve the financial needs of university's staff and students."

"We welcome Wildfire as our new financial services partner. They have long been a community-minded organization, and we are excited about the new opportunities this relationship creates," said Donald Bachand, SVSU President. "The scholarship support will play an important role in helping more students complete their SVSU degrees and begin careers in the Great Lakes Bay Region and beyond. We also appreciate the commitment to financial literacy, which will benefit many students as they chart their financial futures."

Initially, SVSU will devote the scholarship funds to support incoming transfer students; the typical full-time student would receive $1,000 per year for up to two years.