CASE and Team One

The roots of our commitment trace back to modest beginnings. In 1935, Team One was founded as Saginaw Teachers Club Credit Union by 15 educators gathered in a physics classroom at Saginaw High School. Their goal was simple but powerful: encourage saving and provide affordable loans to local teachers. A year later, 180 teachers and administrators in Lansing came together in Room 105 at Old Lansing High School to charter Teachers Credit Union, today known as CASE. The cities were different, but the belief was the same: people helping people.

Over the decades, both organizations carried their founding spirit into new seasons of growth. By 1958, CASE reached $1 million in assets, moved into its first standalone building in 1962, and later became a Community Development Financial Institution, now serving more than 27,000 members and managing over $400 million in assets. Team One’s evolution also spans over nine decades: in 1957, Dean and Lois Ruple operated the credit union from their front porch; in 1967, the Saginaw Main Office opened; and in 1993, Team One Credit Union adopted its current name to reflect its broader community focus.

Today, these two stories are coming together in a way that honors where we started and expands what we can do next. Through a strategic partnership and planned merger, pending regulatory and member approval, we will create a combined organization serving more than 76,000 members with over $1.1 billion in assets. We are uniting two educator-founded credit unions that believe banking should be personal, accessible, and grounded in the everyday lives of the people we serve.

This partnership is not a departure from who we are. It is a continuation of the values that shaped us from the beginning. Together, we will preserve our shared heritage while creating more opportunities, greater financial confidence, and a stronger future for Michigan families, local businesses, our employees, and the communities we call home.