The Minnesota credit union's deal for Brainerd Savings & Loan comes about 11 months after it bought Neighborhood National Bank in Minnesota.

A recent agreement with the California Cannabis Industry Association will make it easier for legal cannabis businesses across the state to join the $92 million-asset credit union.

The deal is a sign of further consolidation among Twin Cities-area credit unions, following another combination announced in May.

In a letter to credit unions, NCUA urged federally chartered shops to expand their fields of membership to underserved areas, regardless of geography, in order to boost financial inclusion in the wake of the pandemic.

Discussions to combine Penobscot County Federal Credit Union and The County FCU began in June 2019 but the deal was not completed until the end of 2020.

The combined institution will hold roughly $30 million in assets and serve about 4,000 members.

Members of $6.3 million-asset FIAFE Federal Credit Union will vote early next year on whether to merge into $43 million-asset Central Credit Union of Maryland.

With one study showing consumers racking up additional credit card debt this season, some members may be eager to consolidate their balances in the year ahead.

Riverside Health System Employees Credit Union has announced plans to merge into the Yorktown-based credit union, which is roughly 100 times its size.

Starting in 2022, hundreds of newly eligible institutions will be able to raise funds from investors. Bankers argued that the change will further blur the line between the two industries.