Northern Hills and Sentinel Announce Merger

A strategic partnership between two sound credit unions represents a "merging of equals" to enhance members' experience. ​

Northern Hills Federal Credit Union, proudly serving their members since 1950, and Sentinel Federal Credit Union,  serving members since 1955, have announced that they are expanding their legacy of service, and will be seeking regulatory approval of their Board approved intent to merge. This is a strategic partnership between two stable and financially sound credit unions and represents a “merging of equals” that will further enhance the member experience in both credit unions.

The merger will expand the combined credit union’s workforce to approximately 80 employees serving its members at 11 convenient locations throughout western South Dakota. The combined credit union will have total assets in excess of $280 Million and will serve nearly 20,000 members. Keith Robbennolt, President and CEO of Sentinel FCU will be the CEO of the newly merged credit union and Floyd Rummel, President and CEO of Northern Hills FCU will serve as the credit union’s President.

“Joining forces with Sentinel FCU is the first step in a series of strategic decisions designed to grow our respective credit unions and better serve our members,” said Floyd Rummel, President and CEO of Northern Hills FCU. “Our team does an outstanding job serving members, but we believe we have the potential to have a much more robust product mix to meet our members’ evolving financial needs.”

The merger does not affect anyone’s accounts or funds, and the members will continue to see the same staff members they are accustomed to seeing at their favorite credit union location. All current members will come together under a new name and brand that will be announced at a later date. Like all credit unions, this newly merged credit union is and always will be member-owned. Ownership is what differentiates credit unions from other types of financial institutions. Jointly, the credit union will remain dedicated to serving our members.

“We are excited about this strategic partnership with Northern Hills FCU. Through the combined resources of two strong credit unions and unified membership, we will be in a position to further enhance our digital service strategy and increase our product depth, while delivering an even more seamless member experience,” stated Keith Robbennolt, President and CEO of Sentinel FCU. “Our membership and communities will thrive as a result of this partnership. We are excited to provide increased member access, benefits, and employee growth opportunities, all while remaining a strong and healthy credit union. It was important for us to join forces with a local credit union like Northern Hills FCU, which shares our same vision and core values.”

Each credit union will continue the due diligence process while obtaining regulatory approval from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and affirmative vote of the Sentinel FCU members all of which are expected to be completed in late 2022. Until then, it will be “business as usual” at each credit union. A website, MovingForward-Together.com, has been created to relay merger related information to all stakeholders. A link to this website will be available through the Northern Hills FCU and Sentinel FCU websites.

About Northern Hills Federal Credit Union
Northern Hills Federal Credit Union was chartered in October 1950 as Ft. Meade Federal Credit Union serving the employees of Ft. Meade Veterans Administration Hospital. Currently, Northern Hills is $127 million in assets and serves almost 10,000 members at four branch locations. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, volunteers or attends school in the counties of Meade, Butte, Lawrence or Pennington, South Dakota.

About Sentinel Federal Credit Union
Sentinel started out as Ellsworth Air Force Base Federal Credit Union in 1955 and proudly served the US Air Force military personnel on Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota. Today, Sentinel Federal Credit Union has more than 10,000 members, seven branch locations, and more than $155 million in assets. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or has a business or other legal entity in Pennington, Lawrence, Meade, Custer, Lyman, Todd, Tripp, Gregory, and Mellette counties in South Dakota.