Credit unions' Gen Y-related challenges extend beyond grabbing their attention. Once a credit union gains young members, it has to convince them to stick around. Even after they've committed themselves, their impact on the credit union may not be 100% positive. Since many young adults lack expertise in personal finance, they're a risky demographic to lend to.

As competition for Gen Y's attention grows tougher, focusing on deepening young member relationships and helping them become a more financially sound group is key, several experts say.

One Gen Y relationship building strategy is to create a program that rewards young adult members as they increase their involvement with the credit union. In October last year, the $140 million, York, Pa.-based First Capital Federal Credit Union rolled out the Star Rewards program for members ages 26 and older,  the credit union's third age group-specific youth program.

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Natasha Chilingerian

Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.