How Being ‘Unapologetically Different’ Helped Buckeye State’s Turnaround
A focus on reining in costs and changing organizational culture have transformed the Ohio-based institution.
A focus on reining in costs and changing organizational culture have transformed the Ohio-based institution.
Unprecedented earthquake activity on the south coast of the Caribbean island has impacted thousands of residents. Now, credit unions are helping with the recovery.
Credit unions are experimenting with employee-sponsored small-dollar loan programs at the urging of Filene and the FINRA Foundation.
The Michigan cooperative is going against the grain of other FIs by serving moderate to low-income members, opening new branches, and tapping CDFI funds to lend to people in need.
Nusenda Credit Union works with community partners to identify and support borrowers shut out of traditional lending.
A small Delaware credit union offers insights from its first decade of service.
A California credit union partners with local businesses and earns positive guilt by association.
USALLIANCE’s self-built neobank strategy is designed to serve the underserved and disintermediate encroaching fintechs.
Community development loan officers at Wright-Patt build on the cooperative’s position as Dayton’s leading mortgage lender.
A reworked strategic plan and employee resource committees have helped Verity Credit Union fast-track efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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.