Great Strategy Requires Trade-Offs

University Federal Credit Union ($4.0B, Austin, TX) has made the bold decision to exit its commercial lending and insurance services businesses. CEO Michael Crowl talked with Callahan & Associates during the firm’s fourth quarter Trendwatch webinar about credit union strategy, describing the cooperative’s move as a way to sharpen UFCU’s impact on consumer banking and focus better on serving members.

Celebrating UFCU’s milestone of 400,000 members, Crowl emphasizes that great credit union strategy requires trade-offs — a principle that guided UFCU’s major decisions to exit commercial lending and insurance services. Although both were successful ventures, UFCU made the strategic choice to double down on consumer banking, ensuring the greatest impact on members’ financial wellbeing.

With transparency at the core, Crowl reveals how UFCU’s leadership navigated these shifts and stayed true to its purpose.