There has been a significant amount of discussion about the actions taken by Wings Financial Credit Union to create a merger with Continental Federal Credit Union. Much of the discussion has been emotional and reactionary, focusing on the actions, the response, what should or will the NCUA do when and/or if presented with the packet for approving this what if merger scenario. In the rush to find quick answers and solutions, all you need to do is step back and remember what is most important, the members. This starts at the beginning of understanding merger options.

Our first step is understanding all options and identifying all the potential partners for our clients. Although the NCUA does not require a merging credit union to compare more than one potential partner, we feel that it is in the best interest of the members to identify and review all interested merger partners. There are likely well over 100 credit unions that would be interested in having merger discussions with Continental. This step of prelimianry due diligence is vital for all merging credit unions in determining the best options for a merger partner.

Before trying to determine if the members will approve the merger, or if NCUA will approve the merger, or the cultures are compatible, or what is the branch and employee overlap, a merging credit union should review the financial trends of the potential continuing credit union. No matter how well the cultures fit or one credit union knows the other, if the trends and financials of the continuing credit union are not strong, then how could any merger proposal be a good long term solution for the members? With that in mind, let's review some key sustainability metrics of Wings Financial Credit Union to see if they are a good financial fit for the members of Continental Federal Credit Union.