Credit unions are more than a business or industry. We refer to ourselves as a movement because it reinforces our cooperative model and more accurately reflects our action and unity, both of which are needed to keep credit unions strong.
Being part of a unified movement means lifting up, not putting down; cooperating, not competing.
Fintechs, apps, and big banks are all seeking to do away with the community-based financial institution, but they don’t come close to the service and connection that come with being a credit union member. By providing services in many places with no other options, and doing it well, small credit unions represent so much of what’s great about the credit union movement. That “people first” mission doesn’t change with a credit union’s size, but we recognize that the challenges, and capacity to deal with those challenges, do differ by asset size. Then add the disproportionate pressure of one-size-fits-all regulations that crush smaller credit unions and you see the need for action.
That’s why America’s Credit Unions is taking specific steps to make sure small credit unions are equipped with what they need to address their unique challenges.
We recently opened nominations for our Small Credit Union Advocacy Advisory Panel. Consisting of small credit union leaders, it’s tasked with recommending and advising us on policy positions that will ultimately provide relief to small credit unions. We’ll take these perspectives to shape our unified advocacy strategy, in partnership with the League System.
This panel will ensure we capitalize on the strength and unique story of small credit unions to improve their environment.
We also believe in the power of cooperation among cooperatives. Our Small Credit Union Conferences give small credit union leaders a chance to come together twice a year to network and hear programming designed specifically for them.
America’s Credit Unions isn’t alone in seeking ways to elevate small credit unions. The NCUA kicked off its Deregulatory Project in December and will issue regulatory relief proposals in groups of four over the coming months. At its final board meeting of 2025, NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman said one of the primary motivators behind the project is to increase the chances small credit unions can thrive, not be ground down under increasing regulatory burdens.
It's a great sign that credit unions’ regulator is aware of the challenges small credit unions face, and is taking steps to tackle them, but it also shows how ubiquitous the issue is. It’s common knowledge in the credit union movement, and we need to make it common knowledge among policymakers.
No elected official wants community financial institutions to go away, and just as we framed our tax debate that way this year, that’s how we will frame our advocacy agenda this year.
As credit unions’ national trade association, it is our role to protect the credit union operating environment. We do that by providing support, guidance, and education, with advocacy being our top priority for all of our members. We must also strike the right balance of respecting credit unions’ freedom as a member-owned cooperative to define who they need to be for their members.
Thriving small credit unions mean a thriving small credit union movement. It means members have access to credit, the ability to save for the future, and a financial partner right there in their community—a partner that puts them first.
Their voice, their stories represent the best of what this movement is capable of.
