As marketing costs climb and the power of the member relationship takes hold, some credit unions are returning to an older field of membership strategy: The select employer group, credit union executives and consultants reported.

Although the Federal Credit Union Act of 1934 allowed community and associational charters, most cooperatives went on to adopt occupational charters because they were chartered by employers.

A single-SEG model was widely used until company closures and mergers in the 1970s and 1980s drew attention to the risks associated with a single-SEG charter. As a result, the NCUA began authorizing more multi-SEG charters, and more credit unions began looking at community charters as an option.