Founded in 1955, Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) is a state-chartered community credit union with over $1.2 billion in assets. Our Corporate Office is located in Lawrence, Massachusetts. We currently serve over 73,000 members in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, offering a wide range of savings and loan products, commercial services and digital banking to meet the financial needs of our growing member base. Our ten branches are conveniently located in Bridgewater, Fairhaven, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, North Andover, Plymouth, and Quincy, Mass., and Plaistow and Seabrook, N.H.
We are focused on serving families, individuals and businesses with the credit union philosophy of "people helping people". We believe in giving back to the communities we serve and demonstrate our commitment through our sponsorships of non-profit organizations, employee volunteer program, and financial literacy initiatives.
Our dedicated Board of Directors & Management team puts you first in all we do.
1955: MVCU is founded as the Communications Workers Employee Credit Union by Union Local 1365 in North Andover, MA. The name quickly changed to Merrimack Valley Credit Union. G. Harvey Ellis was our first General Manager.
1962: We reached the $1 million in assets milestone! Duncan MacLeod is now the General Manager.
1990s: Our field of membership opened up to serve more than 200 employer groups in the Merrimack Valley as well as their family members.
2005: MVCU converted to a community charter, allowing us to serve eligible members in the Merrimack Valley. Peter J. Matthews Jr. is the President & CEO.
2007: Our Corporate Office moved to Lawrence, MA, and we have five branches.
2016: We opened our sixth branch in Seabrook, NH.
2018: MVCU became a state-chartered credit union.
2019: MVCU merged with Bridgewater Credit Union, allowing us to serve members both in the Merrimack Valley and the south-shore region of Massachusetts. John J. Howard became our President & CEO.
2020: MVCU merged with the Ocean Spray Employees Federal Credit Union, expanding our field of membership to include all Ocean Spray employees and contract growers.
2021: MVCU expanded the field of membership to include additional counties in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
We are a well-capitalized credit union with over $100 million in net worth. What this means is that we can expand the products and services we offer to better fit your financial needs. Despite our growth, our passion for serving our members has never wavered. We have your best interest at heart!
News
On Thursday, Nov. 16, several Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) team members partnered with Neighbors in Need to help distribute food to more than 240 community members at the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club. Neighbors In Need is a Lawrence-based organization that operates six food pantries in Lawrence, Methuen and Andover. The organization’s Holiday Meal Program provides Thanksgiving and holiday meals to local food pantry families and other families referred to Neighbors in Need by area social workers and partner organizations.
While the months of November and December can be hectic, the holidays are the very time of the year when we should pause for reflection and gratitude. I have been reflecting and feel very grateful for many things in my life. First, I am so thankful for my family, which grew a little bit bigger last month with the addition of my third grandson, Noah! I am also so grateful to be part of our OneTeam at Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) and for the many ways that we support our communities.
Bridgewater Credit Union (BCU), a division of Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU), was honored with an Economic Impact Award from the Metro South Chamber of Commerce during the Chamber’s 110th Annual Meeting Expo on Wednesday, Nov. 15. According to the Metro South Chamber, the award honors “significant investment and contribution to the economic development of the region.” BCU received the award in recognition of the credit union’s investment in the new branch that opened on Washington Street in Hanover this summer.
Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) President & CEO John J. Howard received the U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo Memorial Award from the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) during their annual Veterans Day breakfast on Friday, Nov. 3. Prior to his career in banking, Howard served in the U.S. Marine Corps where he was stationed in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. The award honors U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, a Lawrence, Mass., native who was killed during the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021.
On Friday. Nov. 3, Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) participated in the Kasasa® Best Day Ever campaign, which encouraged financial institutions across the country to initiate acts of kindness with the goal of initiating 100,000 acts of kindness. The campaign recorded more than 300,000 acts of kindness nationwide. MVCU team members from every branch and department participated in Best Day Ever by holding a Random Acts of Kindness Day within the communities the credit union serves, from Seabrook, N.H. to Fairhaven, Mass.