Ray Birch

AUSTIN, Texas— For many credit unions, the question isn’t whether branches still matter. It’s whether they can still afford to build them.

DALLAS—As healthcare and other employee benefit costs continue to rise faster than inflation, more credit unions are taking a closer look at a little-discussed tool tucked into federal rules: employee benefit pre-funding accounts that can be invested more broadly than a traditional credit union bond portfolio.

DOVER, Del.—By any measure, stablecoins have quickly become one of the most talked-about—and least understood—topics in credit union boardrooms. The pressure to “do something” is building, fueled by headlines, fintech momentum and a growing fear of being left behind.

WASHINGTON—After nearly two decades focused on student lending, the CUSO CU Student Choice is making a major strategic expansion into workplace financial wellness, launching a new payroll-integrated platform it believes could reconnect credit unions with their historical roots serving working Americans through employers.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—While the NCUA’s sweeping new stablecoin proposal may clear a long-awaited regulatory hurdle for credit unions, one fintech executive said the bigger strategic question now facing the industry is whether credit unions should actually issue their own stablecoins at all—or instead focus on becoming the trusted bridge between digital dollars and traditional insured deposits.

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO) has launched what could become one of the credit union industry’s most significant long-term legislative fights in decades: an effort to convince Congress to dramatically raise—or potentially eliminate—the statutory cap limiting how much credit unions can invest in CUSOs, arguing the decades-old restriction is increasingly preventing cooperatives from keeping pace with rapid advances in artificial intelligence, fintech and digital banking.

MILWAUKEE—At a time when the credit union industry continues to wrestle with consolidation, aging memberships and questions about how many new cooperatives can realistically still be launched from scratch, Corporate Central has quietly taken a step that executives there believe could help seed the next generation of credit unions before they even officially exist.

KENSINGTON, Md.—The “ghost car” may sound like an old-school dealership trick, but consumer advocates, regulators and auto retail analysts warn the tactic is evolving in the digital era in ways that could create fresh risks for borrowers—and for the credit unions financing their purchases.

MADISON, Wis.—When CUES began rethinking its consulting business, the goal wasn’t simply to offer more leadership coaching or executive assessments. Instead, the organization concluded many credit unions needed something deeper: help understanding how the entire organization functions together—and where the systems connecting people, departments and leadership teams may be breaking down.

CINCINNATI— As vehicle prices remain elevated and auto loan terms continue pushing further into seven-year territory, Kemba Credit Union is betting that one of the next big competitive plays in auto lending may be a simple one: letting members shop by the monthly payment they can actually afford—before they fall in love with a car they can’t.