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Our History

If you've already heard the story about how we started with 13 original members and a shoebox in the basement of Saint John's Church, you're not alone. It's something we bring up a lot. It paints a picture of a simpler time, doesn't it? When the first $332 those original members held in the shoebox could make a real difference in other people's lives. But it's so much more than a charming reminder of the good old days. It's the origin story of a team of Credit Union believers that, with the endless support of their communities, has a history of doing the right thing, even when it's not the easy thing.

Those first 13 members not only conquered the regulatory challenges, collected those first deposits, and established Simplicity CU, they made a statement that helping was the right thing to do. Our origin story really starts with families in the Saint John's congregation that weren't looking for charity, just the chance to borrow a little money at a fair rate and the opportunity to pay back what they owed. In other words, they wanted something a lot of us take for granted. With friends and neighbors who were willing to do the work in 1949, our original membership blazed the path we follow today.

Do the work, even when it's tough, because it's worth it.

Simplicity CU is today, as we were from the start, an innovative, people-centered financial living out our mission to make the complex simple. We now serve nearly 27 thousand members in Central Wisconsin and beyond through seven locations, including three school branches and a dedicated mortgage team.

As our business moves ahead, our team continues to grow and learn. Simplicity CU is represented by some of the best and brightest current and future leaders in our industry. It's a team that perpetuates the spirit of our founders in everything they do.