July 14, 2026
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. – Royal Credit Union (Royal) is proud to announce a new partnership with White Bear Lake Area High School to open a student-run credit union location at the start of the 2026-2027 school year. The new school site will expand access to financial education for White Bear Lake Area High School students. Through financial education activities, promotions, and structured programming, students will build practical knowledge in areas such as budgeting, saving, banking basics, credit, fraud prevention, and post-secondary financial planning.
Royal’s school site program is designed to provide paid, real-world employment experience in a professional environment. Student interns develop transferable skills such as customer service, communication, teamwork, time management, and professionalism while receiving ongoing coaching from Royal team members. They also help run promotions and create educational materials designed to increase financial awareness among students. Four student tellers have been hired to support the new student-run credit union location. The student tellers are completing training and will work at Royal’s White Bear Lake and Hugo offices in addition to the in-school location, which will begin with two mobile, limited-service teller stations.
“Royal entered the White Bear Lake community in 2022 and quickly established a partnership with White Bear Lake Area School District,” said Brandon Riechers, Royal President and CEO. “We are proud to support students in many ways including through financial education, and we look forward to continuing to make a positive impact in the lives of White Bear Lake Area High School students.”
“It’s been really fun to have this partnership with Royal. We started with the Test Drive reality fair with our entire junior class, which was wildly successful, and now we get to take another step forward and have this high school branch,” said Katy Olson, Career Pathways Coordinator at White Bear Lake Area Schools. “Royal Credit Union is really investing in our students and our community.”
Royal has operated its School $ense program since 1993, when it opened its first in-school credit union branch at Meadowview Elementary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Today, Royal operates 30 student-run credit union locations in elementary, middle, and high schools and has provided hands-on experience to more than 120 high school student interns.
Royal has received regulatory approval from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions to open the subsidiary office at White Bear Lake Area High School.
To learn more about Royal’s financial education programs, visit rcu.org/FinEd.
About Royal Credit Union
Royal Credit Union is a federally insured credit union proudly serving over 340,000 Members in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Royal is driven by a core ideology built on a strong purpose and values. Royal was recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best-In-State Credit Unions 2026 in Wisconsin and Minnesota. You can open an account or apply for a low-rate loan at Royal Credit Union if you live or work in 26 counties in western Wisconsin or 16 counties in Minnesota. Counties served in Wisconsin include Adams, Ashland, Bayfield, Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Lincoln, Marathon, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Washburn, and Wood. Counties served in Minnesota include Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Olmsted, Pine, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Wabasha, Washington, Winona and Wright. A complete list of Member eligibility requirements is available on the Royal Credit Union website. To learn more about Royal, visit rcu.org or call 800-341-9911.
