Can Credit Unions Reinvent Themselves for the Future?
With a diluted identity and lackluster digital tools, credit unions risk losing their competitive edge in the marketplace.
Credit unions have evolved dramatically since their arrival in North America in 1901 when the first deposit was made for 10 cents into The People’s Bank of Levis, actually the Quebec home of a Canadian journalist.
But it is perhaps the last 20 years – bookended by the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the global upheaval of COVID-19 – that afford us the most telling look at their nature, with insights into their ability to thrive in the future.
They have not been able to keep pace with steep competition from big and neo-banks and fintech firms far more engaged with digital and omnichannel services. But they also have failed to use the full force of their marketing power to overcome these shortcomings.
By the end of 2000, just months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there were 10,316 federally-insured credit unions with nearly $438 billion in assets and more than 77 million members, according to the NCUA.
Credit unions had emerged from a period of sustained expansion in the 1990s, growing assets and expanding member bases, experiencing few setbacks as an industry.
We can see, however, that credit unions experienced two very different outcomes relative to their banking competitors when it came to the 2008 mortgage crisis and the pandemic.
As we know, banks deemed “too big to fail” drew widespread ire after receiving $700 billion in government bailout money as many homeowners experienced mass foreclosures during the housing crisis. More and more people began depositing their money in credit unions out of disdain for systemically risky institutions.
That shift in public sentiment was not permanent, however, as banks were able to somewhat redeem themselves by the time COVID-19 came along, requiring digital capabilities many credit unions did not have.
With a business model defined by physical branches and personal interaction, the ability of credit unions to serve members was severely hampered. Using a cell phone to scan a check for deposit may have been a novelty a few years ago, but it has since become an expected service offering, particularly with the rise of fintechs such as Venmo and Zelle.
Deep-pocketed national banks, on the other hand, were able to offer advanced digital capabilities for socially-distanced customers. They also stepped up with offers of loan forbearance to respond to financial hardship, making some credit unions seem dated and irrelevant by comparison.
Larger credit unions were better equipped to adapt to the demand for remote services, while smaller ones were able to compensate for less-than-stellar digital tools by leveraging their strong community presence among a geographically concentrated base.
It was mid-sized credit unions, lacking ample resources and deeper community integration, that struggled the most. They became less attractive to the more digitally-savvy younger generations and even more vulnerable to fintech challenger banks such as Revolut and Chime.
Such challenger banks have also been successful growing customer bases with affinity linkages, further encroaching on the traditional territory of credit unions, many of which have begun to open memberships with less restrictive charters.
With a diluted identity and lackluster digital tools, credit unions risk losing their competitive edge in the marketplace. That doesn’t mean, however, they can’t change their trajectory.
Successfully changing course will hinge on their ability to attract younger generations, particularly as baby boomers shift assets to heirs as part of the great transfer of wealth. It will also hinge on their ability to take more initiative with marketing that reinforces their focus on member engagement and other unique attributes.
They can craft powerful messaging that showcases their history of lending during crises, their not-for-profit cooperative mentality or their deep familiarity with serving diverse communities.
As NAFCU has pointed out, credit unions have some history of stepping up in times of crisis, most notably during the Great Recession when they made small business loans while shrinking banks – scrambling to maintain profit margins – did not.
During the mass foreclosures of that time, credit unions had the unique advantage of being able to make exceptions for their members, perhaps sparing them from the fate of others who lost their homes. Many small businesses also relied on credit unions to secure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans after the pandemic struck.
Credit unions may have a record of upstaging banks during times of crisis to serve their communities, but are prospects aware of that? Do consumers really understand their not-for-profit status means they can more easily reinvest in operations and pass on savings?
Dashboard technology can also help credit unions communicate to consumers how they can benefit from their higher deposit rates and lower lending rates.
Engaging marketing alone, however, won’t be enough to fuel long-term growth. Credit unions will also need to show they can somewhat adapt to the new demands of the digital age – and think creatively about shoring up funds.
Some have formed “cells” or bands of non-competing credit unions that work as a collective unit to increase their digital technology buying power, for example. Others have bought banks as a way to scale their organization.
Ultimately, credit unions need to be aware of where the “breaking point” is, or when customers are no longer willing to forgo the convenience of innovation and digital access for the comfort of community-oriented service. And maybe then they can chart a new course for the books.
Rutger van Faassen Industry Ecosystems, Innovation & New Markets Curinos New York, N.Y.