United Federal Credit Union is expanding its footprint in South Central Michigan. United opened a new branch in Battle Creek and celebrated the official ribbon cutting this week.
United is headquartered and was founded in St. Joseph in 1949, and the Battle Creek branch marks United’s 14th location in Michigan.
“We are thrilled to be opening another branch at our home base in Michigan” said Jodie Kitchell, United’s Regional Vice President of Michigan. “This unique location is unlike any of our other branches in Michigan and we’re excited to share with members as we provide more options for them to choose from when they need personalized in-branch service. Battle Creek is an amazing community that holds rich history that United is proud to be a part of. We are excited for the next chapter as we get involved to support community events and programs in presence of our Battle Creek location.
Leading the team at the Battle Creek branch is Ragna Bygde Lewis. Lewis has been with United since May 2024. In her role, she will be responsible for maintaining the performance of the branch and providing leadership and supervision to staff. Lewis brings more than eight years of financial and 20 years of customer service experience in the Battle Creek area to her new role, including experience as a credit union branch manager.
United’s Battle Creek branch is located in The Milton, in the heart of Battle Creek’s downtown business district. The state-of-the-art branch occupies 2,900 square feet of space and houses seven full-time staff, including tellers, mortgage loan officers, and commercial lenders.
Construction on United’s new branch in The Milton began in late fall and opened during the credit union’s 75th anniversary year. The Milton opened in 1931 as the home of Old Merchants National Bank & Trust Company. After being vacant for more than 10 years, the building underwent a $38 million renovation and reopened in 2020. The 19-story building is now home to 85 apartments and 32,000 square feet of commercial space along Battle Creek’s Michigan Avenue.
In recent years, United has taken on the role of senior lender on several major community development projects in Battle Creek, totaling approximately $25 million in commercial loans. These projects include the renovation of the DoubleTree Hotel (the former McCamly Hotel), Restore (269)’s redevelopment of the Anson Hotel, and the refinancing of The Milton.
