Yes, they bought Space City Financial and were going to change their name to that. They later changed their strategy, I think because of another merger they are working on. That growth has them eyeing something broader than the Houston area.
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I like the sound of that.
My gut says the stadium will be called Smart Financial Stadium in future.
TDECUāHoustonās largest credit unionāis finalizing a merger with Smart Financial Credit Union. The $6 billion deal is expected to close in Fall 2026 after regulatory approval and a member vote. The combined organization will serve over 460,000 members through 48 branches, led by TDECU CEO Isaac Johnson.
Key Details & Recent Activity
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Smart Financial Merger: The $6 billion, 48-branch merger will expand TDECUās footprint and services. The two credit unions are currently waiting for regulatory approval and a Smart Financial member vote. For now, members will continue using their legacy branches and accounts. [[1]
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Space City Rebranding Delay: TDECU had previously announced plans to rebrand as āSpace City Financialā following a 2025 merger with Space City Credit Union. However, TDECU has delayed the rebranding to make a larger brand decision alongside the Smart Financial consolidation
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The only thing important to me is if UH can renegotiate a stadium sponsorship deal with Smart Financial. $20M for 10 years is on the low side and UH football is ascending. UH has football games on major networks. Great branding for Smart Financial. The circumstances have changed since Fritz became head coach.
TDECU is local. Plus, I kept misspelling it in early posts.
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Smart Financial already has its name on an event center in Sugar Land.
Well, if that is the standard, I invite your attention to AT&T, the former sponsor to Jones Stadium, and the longtime sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys stadium.
Not sure what youāre getting at, but I donāt know how much value Smart Financial will see in having its name on two arenas 25 miles apart.
AT&T is significantly larger and didnāt do that. Plus, their deal with Tech was more about a high-tanking company guy (with SBC Communications) who was also on the BOR.
The two situations arenāt the same.
Regardless, TDECU is already locked in for several more years (until 2034), so unless theyāre looking for a way out and weāre interested in shopping a deal, there isnāt much to be debated, though someone will certainly claim they got confused and went to the wrong place if our stadium takes the SFCU name. 
If TDECU rebrands as Smart Financial after the merger, I would expect our stadium to change names.
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The Milky Way Stadium ?
Sounds like a candy bar. Not so much flair there
Galaxy has a data center about 60 from Texas Tech campus. Part of the sponsorship deal is an internship program for students. AI and data technology is driving the world-wide economy.
Sounds like a great deal for Texas Tech.
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Pretty clever. Worth looking into. 
Itās how I make my livingā¦