5 Takeaways From Trendwatch 4Q 2024
With shares outpacing loans and indirect lending bringing in fewer members, credit unions focused on what they do best in the fourth quarter: serving core members.
With shares outpacing loans and indirect lending bringing in fewer members, credit unions focused on what they do best in the fourth quarter: serving core members.
Higher interest rates have forced members to pick and choose which debts to repay and which to postpone, which doesn’t fare well for revolving products.
Credit unions posted record revenue in the third quarter thanks to large gains in loan and investment income, yet asset quality worsened as the industry braced for interest rate cuts.
Credit unions leverage their member-first mission to better serve all members, even those of modest means, making cooperatives especially valuable in challenging economic times.
One year after implementation, there’s still work to be done when it comes to new rules around expected credit losses.
With interest rates up and economic growth tepid, credit union leaders are tracking key performance ratios in their loan portfolios.
Asset quality, liquidity, and revenue are all on the minds of credit union leaders. Here’s what the data has to say about that and more.
Following years of elevated output, lending returned to historic norms in 2023.
What might performance in 2023 mean for 2024?
Interest rates and inflation meet member budgetary challenges, but this Ohio credit union has a plan for that.

The Michigan cooperative keeps everyday payments working and members happy by using a common friction point to build brand loyalty.

How a former Sam’s Club finance leader adapted his member-first mindset to a not-for-profit credit union.

How a unique role instills SchoolsFirst FCU’s future leaders with an appreciation for its past.

Arriba Advisors co-founder Tom Russell explores how credit unions can bridge the gap between a growth mindset and their technical reality.

RKL offers insight, expertise, and experience to help fight off growing threats.

Members are anxious about their financial futures, even as credit unions remain financially strong. Institutions that respond to this moment can make 2026 a turning point.

Global events are flowing directly into household budgets, reshaping how credit union members save, borrow, and cope. Such trends don’t always show up in headline data.

Credit unions are benefiting from a rare margin advantage as loans reprice slower than deposits. The question now is how institutions will use that strength to better serve members.

Membership growth is slowing, but financial activity is not. What does the modern financial relationship look like?

Inflation, war, and uncertain futures have reshaped members’ needs in 2026. What does credit union performance data from the first quarter of 2026 say about household budgets, inflation pressures, and more?
CECL: A Half-Baked Cake