Who We Are

In 1953 the young Rector of St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette, Michigan, Father Nolan McKevitt, introduced the virtues of credit unions to his parish. At that time, loan sharks and pawn shops were charging outrageous rates for people to borrow money, with some charging as much as 33%. People that could afford to save made very little return on their money. He wanted his congregation to encourage thrift and create a source of credit at legitimate rates of interest. He knew a credit union would give them the opportunity to improve their economic and social condition. Fortunately, some parishioners shared his vision and on September 2, 1953 the St. Peter Cathedral Credit Union was organized under the Michigan Credit Union Act, serving the parishioners of St. Peter Cathedral.

Within four months, there were 67 members, assets totaled $3,208 and 9 loans had been disbursed for a combined total of $1,300. Most business was conducted by loyal volunteers in the basement of the church, then the custodians house when it was empty, and then in a small office behind the Holy Family Home Orphanage.

By 1960, St. Peter Cathedral Credit Union was doing so well that members of three other parishes in Marquette wanted to join. The field of membership was expanded and the name was changed to Marquette Catholic Credit Union, serving Catholic parishioners in the City of Marquette. In 1965 the office was relocated to 500 South Third Street and was operated by three paid staff serving 2,169 members and assets slightly over $1,100,000, and in 1976 the office was remodeled to accommodate the staff of 6 who served 3,749 members with assets of more than $4,700,000. In 1991 the office moved to its present location at 1001 W. Baraga Avenue with 17 staff serving 7,105 members with assets of over $38,000,000.

March 2002 saw the opening of a branch office at 1600 S. Front Street in South Marquette.

In 2006, the field of membership was expanded and the name was changed to U.P. Catholic Credit union, serving members of Catholic Parishes across the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

In 2010, the field of membership was expanded to include anybody who lived, worked, or worshipped in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Catholic and non-Catholic. In January of 2012, a branch was opened in Negaunee to help service the needs of the Credit Union's expanding membership. It wasn't until late 2018, though, that the name was changed to Embers Credit Union to better reflect our broader field of membership.

In June of 2019 we completed our merger with Upper Michigan Community Credit Union, which added a branch in Munising along with 13 employees.

In May of 2020 we completed our legal merger with Delta County Credit Union (DCCU), with  the operational merger following in September. This added an Embers branch in Escanaba and in Wells Township, along with 45 employees. Embers and DCCU had a very similar culture, approach to service and product offerings and commitment to community, so this partnership made a lot of sense.

In September 2020, we moved into our new corporate office building on McClellan Avenue in Marquette. Corporate and administrative employees and our Commercial Lending Department are located there. In early 2022, wanting to extend our services to more consumers, we expanded our charter to serve all who live, work, worship, or own real estate in the Upper Peninsula and the bordering Wisconsin counties of Iron, Vilas, Forest, Florence, and Marinette. 

Our story continued into Schoolcraft County in 2026 with the opening of our Manistique Lending Studio. The new location expanded our physical presence into another U.P. county and gave the Manistique community a local place to connect with our lending team.

That same year, Embers got a fresh look. We refreshed our brand with an even more Emberfied logo and visual identity that better reflects the credit union we’ve grown into, while staying true to the Embers name our members have known since 2018.

We’ve come a long way from the 67 members and $3,208 in assets that started our story in 1953. As of March 31, 2026, Embers has grown to more than 33,000 members, 140 team members and $612 million in assets.

As we’ve grown, we’ve continued to focus on making Embers a place where people want to be, for our members and our team. In 2024, Embers was recognized as a Top Workplace by the Detroit Free Press, an honor we were proud to receive again in 2025.

Today, our footprint stretches across the U.P., with branches and lending locations serving the communities we call home. More than 70 years after our story began, we’re still growing and finding new ways to create an Embers experience our members can count on.