Credit unions are experimenting with employee-sponsored small-dollar loan programs at the urging of Filene and the FINRA Foundation.
A small Ohio credit union includes income replacement in a loan package aimed at spurring personal and community economic development.
The Idaho credit union’s weatherization loan offers an alternative to high-interest credit cards and HELOCs.
A loan doesn’t have to be massive to be mighty. These high-impact programs have an outsize effect on members and communities.
Managing risk and building relationships helps two small credit unions lend to C-D-E-paper borrowers.
Alltru FCU stopped treating education as the end goal. Now, financial empowerment guides product design, access, and risk decisions.
More than 50 million U.S. households earn less than the minimum average income needed to cover basic costs of living.
Automatic enrollment and community partnerships help the credit union foundation expand access to early savings for underserved families.
Studies show credit card debt and Buy Now, Pay Later usage continue to rise. Bigger increases could be around the corner.
The credit union completed a three acre headquarters campus in 2021 that offers 52% more space while consuming a fraction of the resources. It’s a model of how cooperatives can lead on sustainability without sacrificing performance.
CDFI credit unions might be fewer in number, but their impact reaches millions of members, and their footprint highlights how targeted mission can translate into broad, measurable reach.
Preventable fraud losses quietly erode credit union margins. The difference between a 25% and 6% loss rate isn’t risk. It’s execution.
Holy Rosary Credit Union has embedded itself into a local high school’s career and technical education program, offering scholarships, internships, and courses eligible for college credit.
Credit union leaders want to know where peers are placing their focus. These six priorities reflect how leadership teams are responding to change with intention and clarity.
As margin support begins to fade, earnings performance is becoming more sensitive to revenue mix and harder to interpret through public reporting alone.