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.

Industry leaders share how they approach fintech investment, balancing immediate needs with longer-term bets while keeping member value and mission at the center.

Credit unions that enable seamless movement between fiat and digital assets position themselves as a trusted on- and off-ramp.

The credit unions that win the next generation will be the ones that showed up early, when young members were forming habits and deciding whom to trust.

The challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to adopt it responsibly with the right governance, the right partners, and the right balance between technology and human oversight.

McKinsey projects trillions of dollars in growth across digital assets, with money movement emerging as one of the biggest opportunities.

The Indiana cooperative blends internal development with selective partnerships to meet members’ needs today now while positioning for what’s next.

The San Diego cooperative leans on its CUSO and the CURQL network to make fintech investments, but member needs still guide which solutions ultimately make it into the credit union’s operations.

Hands-on work with artificial intelligence tools is future-proofing staff members, giving them the confidence to adopt new technology and embrace efficiencies.

Wages briefly caught up with inflation, but rising costs have pushed them back into negative territory. Here’s what that shift means for member finances and credit union performance.

Suncoast Credit Union balances near-term needs with longer-term bets, applying discipline to timing, valuation, and fit to decide when to invest and when to walk away.
CECL: A Half-Baked Cake