THE feature

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—With the average price of a new car now hovering around $50,000, the monthly payment—not the sticker price—has become the real make-or-break factor for most consumers. And that’s driving renewed interest in vehicle leasing, a market segment long dominated by captive and large bank lenders but increasingly catching the eye of credit unions, according to analysts.

WASHINGTON—NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman told House lawmakers Tuesday the agency is committed to maintaining a “right-sized” regulatory framework that promotes safety and soundness without stifling innovation—a message delivered at a time when speculation continues in Washington about whether the Trump Administration may seek to consolidate federal financial regulators.

DOVER, Del.—If Congress closes the yield-on-stablecoin loophole in the GENIUS Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act), credit unions could be very well placed to capture the next wave of digital-dollar innovation.

CHICAGO—Credit unions used to sit on the sidelines while big-box stores and card-issuing banks turned Black Friday into a marketing Super Bowl. Not this year. In 2025, more credit unions are treating Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a full-on member-engagement season—rolling out 0% holiday loans, sweepstakes tied to card usage, and even “everyone wins” prize boards that look more like a game show than a rate sheet.

WASHINGTON—Credit union leaders across the movement—from the Defense Credit Union Council and America’s Credit Unions to veteran Washington advocates—are sharply rejecting a renewed banker effort to force federal credit unions to file IRS Form 990, calling the push misguided, redundant, and rooted in long-standing industry rivalry rather than genuine transparency concerns.