On December 30, 2024, Zeal Credit Union (“Zeal”), Livonia, Michigan, announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all the assets and assume substantially all the liabilities of Gogebic Range Bank, Ironwood, Michigan, the wholly-owned subsidiary of West End Financial Corp.

Zeal has approximately $839 million in assets and operates 12 full-service branches throughout the Detroit, Michigan metro area.

Gogebic Range Bank has approximately $147 million in assets and operates four branches serving the Western End of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northeastern Wisconsin.

Luse Gorman is serving as legal counsel to Zeal in the transaction. The Luse Gorman team consists of Jeff Cardone, Michael Brown and Babette Schwartz.

Luse Gorman has acted as counsel on more than 150 bank and credit union merger transactions during the past ten years and more bank and credit union merger transactions than any other law firm in the nation over the past 20 years. To learn more about our mergers and acquisitions practice, please visit our website.