Face the camera. When Filene asked credit unions a year ago how they were planning to increase revenue in 2014, the list we got contained all the usual suspects: lending, checking accounts, mortgages. Does this sound like you?

These are important products, but also the easiest for members to overlook in a competitive crowd. Only a handful of credit union respondents expected to make more than $100,000 in new revenue beyond basic banking products.

And even those that did were still trying familiar things like investment advisory, business services, and a tax service. Credit unions are placing their hopes for revenue growth on a narrow set of products and services. Apparently, they see little potential from new products, as revenue from new products as a percentage of total revenue, is expected to barely rise. One in four of the new product ideas submitted by survey respondents isn't even expected to generate revenue.