Credit union lending is booming and the positive trend is expected to continue in 2018, according to the chief economist for CUNA Mutual Group. According to Steven Rick, who also is a director for the Madison, Wis.-based company, credit union loan balances rose 0.7 percent in January – an improvement over the 0.6 percent pace reported in January 2017, and an increase of 10.9 percent during the last 12 months.
Credit unions spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and marketing dollars trying to acquire new members. But many institutions — especially sponsor-based first responder credit unions — are sitting on one of the most valuable growth opportunities already inside their existing membership base. The joint owner population. Every day, firefighters, police officers, EMTs, dispatchers, and other first responders join credit unions through sponsor relationships. During account opening, spouses or partners are often added as joint owners for convenience. They help manage the household finances. They use the debit card. They log into online banking. They interact with the credit union regularly. Yet in many cases, they never actually become full member-owners of the cooperative. They are connected to the institution — but not fully part of it. And that creates a major strategic opportunity. Why Joint Owner Conversion Matters For sponsor-based credit unions, converting joint owners into full m...

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