News Release: Levo Announces Expansion Plans

South Dakota’s oldest credit union is expanding its service area.  

Levo Credit Union will now offer financial services to 29 counties stretching along the I-29 corridor from Sioux City, Iowa to Fargo, North Dakota. This means if you – or an immediate family member - works, lives, worships, attends school, or volunteers in these counties, you can apply to be a member and take advantage of Levo’s low loan rates, high savings interest rates, and great service. Businesses and other legal entities operating in these counties are also eligible for membership. Levo has served the Sioux Falls area since 1934, most recently the four counties of Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, and Turner. Levo’s services include checking and savings accounts, auto loans, mortgage loans, home equity loans, credit cards, and business loans. 

“Over the years, we have received so many requests from members and non-members to expand the area we serve,” says Fran Sommerfeld, President/CEO of Levo. “Levo means ‘to lift up’, and we are excited to lift up an even larger group of people with our great services, products, rates, and resources.”  

Currently, Levo offers six Sioux Falls branches and has more than 33,000 members. It has been voted the Local Best in financial services for more than a decade. Some members have been with Levo for almost 70 years. 

“Our members are very loyal. They love the fact that Levo is a credit union, which means it’s a not-for-profit and is owned by its members,” says Preston Meline, Levo Executive Vice President of Strategy & Service. “We serve our members instead of shareholders, so we always have our members’ best interest at heart. Our members appreciate that!”  

This is not the result of a merger or acquisition, simply an extension of Levo’s service area. Credit unions serve what’s called a field of membership, which is a defined population to which they can offer services. To expand its field of membership, a credit union must file an extensive application demonstrating to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) that it will bring value to the new community it wishes to serve. NCUA is the federal authority governing credit unions. In Levo’s case, it was previously able to offer services to people who live, work, worship, or attend school in Minnehaha, Lincoln, Turner, and McCook counties. Levo’s new field of membership will include 29 counties in eastern South Dakota, southeast North Dakota, northwest Iowa, and west central Minnesota:  

Iowa 
Plymouth, IA 
Sioux, IA  
Woodbury, IA 

Minnesota 
Clay, MN 

North Dakota  
Cass, ND 
Ransom, ND 
Richland, ND 
Sargent, ND 
South Dakota  
Beadle, SD 
Brookings, SD  
Brown, SD 
Clay, SD 
Codington, SD 
Davison, SD 
Day, SD  
Grant, SD 
Hamlin, SD 
Hanson, SD  
Kingsbury, SD 
Lake, SD 
Lincoln, SD  
Marshall, SD  
McCook, SD 
Minnehaha, SD  
Moody, SD  
Roberts, SD  
Turner, SD  
Union, SD 
Yankton, SD  

Levo will begin its expansion by offering services through online applications. Eventually, it plans to open branches in several communities.  

Go to Levo.org to learn more about Levo or to fill out an application to become a member.