NEW YORK--For credit unions, artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic add-on—it is rapidly becoming a frontline retention and growth issue, according to a new PYMNTS Intelligence report produced in collaboration with Velera that argues the institutions moving fastest on AI, digital onboarding and member-facing technology are already pulling away from peers in both membership and asset growth.
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DOVER, Del.—For years, credit unions have watched deposits quietly leak to Robinhood, Schwab, Fidelity and other digital-first platforms as members opened investing accounts outside the cooperative.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.— Credit unions may be pouring too much of their marketing money into the wrong places—and one of the clearest signals in new research is that a channel many institutions already know well isn’t the one delivering the best perceived return.
DURHAM, N.C.—One company is betting the next big credit union growth tool may not be another ad campaign or branch push—it may be a simple question typed into an AI chat prompt box.
ATLANTA--Rising gasoline prices may help put a floor under falling EV values, but credit union auto lenders should not assume the latest fuel-price spike will trigger a broad consumer rush back into electric vehicles, according to Kevin Tynan, director of research at The Presidio Group.
SARTELL, Minn.— For St. Cloud Financial Credit Union, the real significance of surpassing 10 Bitcoin in member safekeeping isn’t the number itself—it’s what EVP/Chief Lending Officer Chase Larson believes it signals about a much bigger risk for credit unions: many still have no meaningful crypto strategy, even as large banks and outside platforms move aggressively to capture what could become the next layer of payments, deposits and member relationships.
WASHINGTON— A new Washington state tax aimed at credit union purchases of banks is already becoming a flashpoint far beyond this state’s capitol, with bankers cheering it as a long-overdue correction to what they call an uneven playing field and credit union advocates warning it could become a template for similar efforts in other states—while longtime dealmaker Michael Bell argues the law may end up hurting the very community banks its supporters say they want to protect.
DALLAS— At a time when many credit unions are still trying to balance slower loan growth, lingering liquidity pressures and the challenge of putting excess cash to work without taking outsized risk, ALM First has launched a new NCUA-approved loan fund structure that could give institutions a different way to do both: buy whole consumer loans at scale when they want yield, and create a new outlet for sellers when liquidity tightens.
DETROIT— Credit unions may need to pay closer attention to a simple but increasingly important signal coming from the banking side: even as the industry keeps closing branches overall, some of the nation’s biggest banks are still spending heavily to build, optimize and selectively acquire physical locations—underscoring, in the view of veteran attorney Michael Bell, that branches still matter more than many in the CU space may want to admit.
CINCINNATI— Auto lenders, including credit unions, should brace for a leasing strategy that may not be going away anytime soon, as automakers increasingly advertise low monthly payments by pairing subsidized lease offers with larger amounts due at signing—a tactic Swapalease.com EVP Scot Hall said is likely to remain a fixture as vehicle prices stay high and consumers stay fixated on payment.