Basic Checking Gets A Competitive Upgrade
Boost loyalty with lifestyle checking accounts that offer perks like telehealth, ID protection, and travel discounts.
Boost loyalty with lifestyle checking accounts that offer perks like telehealth, ID protection, and travel discounts.
With economic uncertainty on the horizon, credit union members are moving money into lower-term deposits and paying down debt, helping to boost margins and lower delinquency across the industry.
This year’s finalists focus on deepening relationships to drive top-of-wallet status and keep credit unions top of mind.
How EFCU Financial’s NIL strategy has progressed from mock negotiations to real relationships.
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.
Callahan & Associates surveyed 333 credit unions to learn about automated decisioning practices in the consumer lending portfolio. Read about the results in this interactive article.
Macroeconomic shifts drove changes in member demand, which impacted top-level credit union metrics.
Despite all the challenges associated with buying a car right now, more consumers than ever are turning to credit unions for auto loans.
The industry closed out the first quarter with a higher percentage of the total mortgage market, although originations dropped amid decreasing inventories and a broader slowdown in home loan activity.
Credit unions have made deposit and market share gains during the year; now, many must re-evaluate their branch channels as they work to better align products and services with the changing needs of members.

A look at year-end performance trends reveals how earnings, affordability pressures, and asset quality are redefining the operating environment heading into 2026.

Members are struggling with an affordability crisis that is changing how they manage debt, and new behaviors are showing up across the credit union loan portfolio.

This year’s Innovation Series returns with bigger impact and broader horizons. Since 2018, this annual showcase has spotlighted forward-thinking solutions by giving innovators a stage to share ideas, demonstrate solutions, and spark meaningful change.
Credit union asset quality didn’t collapse in 2025 — but it didn’t cooperate, either. What’s going on, and are credit unions prepared to respond in 2026?

This year’s Innovation Series returns with bigger impact and broader horizons. Since 2018, this annual showcase has spotlighted forward-thinking solutions by giving innovators a stage to share ideas, demonstrate solutions, and spark meaningful change.

This year’s Innovation Series returns with bigger impact and broader horizons. Since 2018, this annual showcase has spotlighted forward-thinking solutions by giving innovators a stage to share ideas, demonstrate solutions, and spark meaningful change.
The affordability crisis extends far beyond big-ticket expenses. As the rising cost of basic necessities outpaces income growth, household budgets are under strain and long-term financial stability is increasingly at risk.
As credit unions move deeper into 2026, the earnings conversation is shifting. Elevated interest rates have boosted margins and strengthened earnings flexibility, but that advantage won’t persist indefinitely.
A radical shift is taking place in the way consumers move money and engage with their financial institution.

How the Michigan-based cooperative’s “Culture of Finance” curriculum is reframing financial education.