How we started: it's a "cool" story

TDECU was formed in 1955 when a group of Dow employees pitched in $5 each to loan a friend $35 in order to buy a refrigerator. That mission of people helping people continues today. Over the last 65 years, we have grown to meet the needs of the communities we serve and to bring TDECU's passion for service and great value in products to new financially underserved areas. Our first merger took us west to the Crossroads market in the Victoria area, where we have made many new friends and members, and have become an integral part of the community. In the East Market, where we began, we opened our field of membership to serve all Brazoria County residents. We now have 7 Member Centers in the county including a unique student-run Member Center in Columbia High School.

Our promise: unwavering service for our members
As we have grown, our commitment to service has never wavered. In 2004, new service standards, named REAL, were developed by a group of TDECU employees with a dedication to go above and beyond to serve our Members. That same passion for service extended throughout our internal culture and into the communities we serve and continues today. Through the financial turmoil of 2008 and 2009, TDECU’s commitment to service and value to our Members held strong. We continued to provide free checking that pays interest and maintained our low or no-fee product offerings because we refuse to leave Members’ sides in good times or bad.


The future of TDECU

Since 2009, we have opened 15 Member Centers in Houston through three mergers with credit unions that shared our passion for service. The acquisition of 8 Whitney Bank branches in 2014 doubled TDECU's presence there. That original $35 loan made in 1955 has turned into over $4 billion in assets today that continue to improve the lives of our members by helping them get what they need to achieve their financial needs and dreams.