Credit unions are booking loans and accepting deposits at a pace never seen before. Membership has hit new highs. Things couldn't be better, perhaps, but they could certainly get worse.

Bank and non-financial institution competitors are lining up to take credit union wallet share even as it reaches new peaks in auto lending, mortgages and more. Consumers, meanwhile, are seeking the most frictionless ways of conducting their personal business (seamlessly integrated mobile banking, anyone?) while at the same time many are placing new value on how they're treated and how through their own actions, they treat the world.

Credit unions of all sizes are benefiting from this opportunity for growth in volume and value, as technology allows in-demand services to scale down-market, empowering cooperatives to offer the same services as big banks without acting like them.