The San Joaquin County-based Financial Center Credit Union has merged with Valley Strong Credit Union, Bakersfield, joining the latter's more than 20 existing Central Valley branches, Valley Strong announced Monday.

Founded more than six decades ago by former San Joaquin County employees, Financial Center Credit Union has been a prominent donor to local political campaigns and philanthropic organizations.

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With the addition of Financial Center Credit Union's 30,000 customers and six branches, Valley Strong now operates 30 branches across the San Joaquin Valley and serves more than 260,000 members, the announcement stated.

The organization will operate under the Valley Strong name and will be led by its president and CEO, Nick Ambrosini, according to the announcement.

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers business, housing, and land use. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County's Financial Center joins Valley Strong Credit Union