Linn Area Credit Union to become Corda Credit Union

CEDAR RAPIDS — Linn Area Credit Union will change its name May 6 to Corda Credit Union, the Latin word for “hearts.”

After 90 years as Linn Area Credit Union, the organization's board unanimously decided it was time to have a name that better reflects the credit union’s client base, which encompasses 22 counties.

"We believe our current name is geographically limiting and creates confusion over membership eligibility,“ the credit union said in a recent letter to its members.

“We also understand not everyone in our current membership lives or works in Linn County, and our name is not inclusive of every member we serve,” the letter continued. “Due to this, we recognize our name has been an obstacle for some people in joining our credit union.”

A national branding firm assisted the credit union’s managers and board in selecting the new name.

Corda, the Latin word for hearts, is “fitting for a credit union that wears its heart on rolled-up sleeves and provides strong financial solutions for our members with both compassion and expertise,” the credit union stated in its letter to members. “As Iowans, we strive to build lives and legacies that stand the test of time. We invest our heart into everything we do.”

Linn Area Credit Union checks and credit cards can still be used after the name change. New ones carrying the Corda logo will be issued after the old ones expire or are used up, the credit union said. All current services and practices will remain in place.

The new branding and logos will begin showing up this spring, leading up to the official new change, credit union officials said.

The credit union was founded in 1935 when 11 Cedar Rapids teachers each put up $5, and it had 72 members. It now has five locations and 26,000 members, with $621 million in assets at the end of 2022, according to its annual report.

Credit union membership is available in 22 Iowa counties: Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama and Washington.