Other concerns for credit union staff included a lack of preparedness to work from home; no policy or guidelines on how to operate during the crisis; and risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus due to a lack of personal protective equipment.

Among the top concerns for credit unions themselves were increased delinquency, a significant drop in loan interest revenue and the lack of digital channels for members, according to the ACCU survey.

The ACCU said it is playing five roles to help credit unions respond to the coronavirus crisis: Think tank; building business solutions; development; representation and advocacy. The various roles include generating ideas about how to motivate credit union members during the pandemic. The ACCU also said it would focus on the "development of new strategies to be adopted by credit unions in order to remain relevant in this time of pandemic."

Dr. Brian Branch, president/CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions — of which the ACCU is an affiliate — said in late April that slower growth could be expected through the rest of the year based on a variety of factors. He pointed to, among other things, increased delinquency, decrease in return on loan portfolios and cash-flow management problems.

"We're also finding it's important for credit unions to help their members with financial counseling — helping them with debt consolidation, looking at their changed financial situation," Branch said. "And then helping with knowing how to respond to the current crisis. That all has a financial cost."