Deal Watch: Credit unions enter $5 billion merger

Tom Sargent has technically been retired from his role as CEO of Beaverton’s First Tech Credit Union since March, but he’s staying on with the company to see it through its proposed merger with the Bay Area’s Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union.

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BY JON BELL

Tom Sargent has technically been retired from his role as CEO of Beaverton’s First Tech Credit Union since March, but he’s staying on with the company to see it through its proposed merger with the Bay Area’s Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union.

But if the nearly $5 billion deal, which has been hailed as one of the largest such mergers in recent times, fails to gain regulator and member approval, First Tech might find itself without a captain.

“I have my limits,” says Sargent, who’s been at the helm of the credit union for the past 25 years.

Fortunately for First Tech, which was founded by Tektronix employees in 1952, and Addison Avenue, all signs indicate an ultimate approval of the merger. If that happens, Addison’s current president, Benson Porter, will assume leadership of the new entity, which would be called First Tech Federal Credit Union.

Sargent says talks between the two credit unions began in October. State and federal regulators with the National Credit Union Administration are currently reviewing the merger application and vetting the deal.

Only the 155,000 members of the state-chartered First Tech will vote on the deal because only its charter will change. The merged credit unions will operate under Addison Avenue’s federal charter.

Sargent notes that members approved two prior First Tech mergers — the $110 million State Employees Credit Union in 2002 and the $50 million Oregon Metro Credit Union in 2004 — by more than 80%.

He also says that although there may be some trepidation among members about the mega credit union created by the merger (total assets would be $4.6 billion and membership would top 320,000), the combined resources of the two credit unions will ultimately provide more benefits.

In addition, staffing levels are projected to be the same, though for all intents and purposes, First Tech’s new headquarters — or “office of record keeping,” as Sargent would have it called — will be in California.