Skip to main content

The NCUA approved 53 consolidations during last year’s fourth quarter



With the number of small credit unions shrinking day by day from closures and mergers it is essential that you know that the National Council of Firefighter Credit Unions Inc. (NCOFCU) is here for you!


The NCUA approved 53 consolidations during last year’s fourth quarter, bringing the total number of mergers to 192 in 2018.

That total number of annual mergers is down from the 200 consolidations approved by the independent federal agency in 2017 and 2016, 238 in 2015 and 262 in 2014.

The fourth quarter’s largest mergers included the $325 million Progressive Credit Union in New York City into the $24 billion PenFed in McLean, Va., which was followed by the $378 million Bridgewater Credit Union in Bridgewater, Mass. with the $614 million Merrimack Valley Federal Credit Union in Lawrence, Mass., the $89 million Incenta Federal Credit Union in Englewood, Ohio  into the $290 million Pathways Financial Credit Union in Columbus, Ohio, and the $71 million Augusta Vah Federal Credit Union in Augusta, Ga., into the $927 million SRP Credit Union in North Augusta, S.C.

Four credit unions received the green light to merge because of poor financial condition.
Those financial cooperatives were the $2.5 million WOD Credit Union in Forty Fort, Pa. into the $128 million UFCW Community Federal Credit Union in Wyoming, Pa., the $4 million F.C.I. Federal Credit Union in Littleton, Colo., into the $226 million Rocky Mountain Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union in Lone Tree, Colo., and the $16.6 million Kingsville Area Educators Federal Credit Union in Kingsville, Texas, with the $312 million Coastal Community and Teachers Credit Union in Corpus Christi, Texas.

In addition, an emergency merger in January consolidated Progressive CU with PenFed. According to NCUA financial performance reports, Progressive posted net income losses of more than $102 million at the end of 2018 because of its non-performing taxi medallion loan portfolio.

The NCUA approved three credit unions to consolidate because of their loss of or declining field of membership, which included the $9.3 million Dial Credit Union and the $20 million Allsteel Credit Union both based in Oswego, Ill. Both of those credit unions merged into the $18.8 million Fox Valley Credit Union in Aurora, Ill.; and the $914,067 Soreng Employees Credit Union in Itasca, Ill., that got the green light to consolidate with the $169 million Northstar Credit Union in Warrenville, Ill.

Because it was unable to find new leadership, the $185,115 Zachary Community Federal Credit Union in Zachary, La. received NCUA approval to merge with the $110 million Eagle Louisiana Federal Credit Union in Baton Rouge.

Forty-five credit unions received the nod to merge from the NCUA for “expanded services.” Forty-one of these financial cooperatives were well under $50 million in assets.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Growing Your Credit Union Without Expanding Your FOM

For many firefighter and other credit union primarly serving first responders, growth often feels tied to one big decision: expanding the Field of Membership (FOM). But what if you didn’t have to? What if growth could come from within —by deepening relationships, increasing engagement, and capturing more of the financial lives of the members you already serve? The truth is: it can. But it requires a shift in strategy. Rethinking What “Growth” Really Means Most institutions define growth as adding more members. But for single-sponsor credit unions, especially those serving first responders, a more powerful definition is: Growth = more value per member Many members only use one or two products—often a checking account and maybe an auto loan. Meanwhile, larger banks capture mortgages, credit cards, and investments. The opportunity isn’t just new members. It’s: More products per member Higher balances per relationship Greater share of wallet Your Biggest Advantage: The First Responder Life...

When Vendors Price for Giants

 Grant Sheehan CCUE | CEO Opinion: When Vendors Price for Giants, They Shrink the Future of Small Credit Unions ! There’s a quiet squeeze happening in the credit union industry, and it’s not coming from regulators or competition from big banks. It’s coming from the very vendors that claim to support the ecosystem. For small credit unions, the problem is increasingly simple and factual: the tools required to compete with digital banking platforms, fraud systems, compliance software, analytics, and payments infrastructure are priced for institutions ten or even 100 times their size. The result is a market where access to essential services is determined not by mission or member need, but by asset size. This isn’t just inconvenient. It’s structurally threatening. Vendors often defend their pricing models as a reflection of complexity or scale. Larger credit unions have more users, more transactions, more integrations, so they pay more, and that seems fair on the surface. But t...

Fed still holds off on rate increase | 2015-07-30 | CUNA News

  WASHINGTON (7/30/15)--Citing “moderate” economic expansion, the Federal Open Market Committee continues to do “a balancing act,” said CUNA Senior Economist Perc Pineda. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy-making body completed its meeting Wednesday without edging up the federal funds interest rate. Fed Chair Janet Yellen has said the committee will opt for an interest-rate increase sometime this fall. The July meeting, however, was not the time. “The Federal Reserve continues to do a balancing act: the U.S. economy is not in a recession and definitely not overheating,” Pineda told News Now . “Changes in monetary policy after all are meant to influence an underperforming or an overheating economy.” Household spending growth has been moderate, and housing has shown additional improvement, the committee said. Labor conditions continue to improve with declining unemployment and solid job gains. Inflation is anticipated to remain near its recent low level in the near term,...

Credit Union Lending Picks Up in Most Areas

Credit unions were increasing their portfolios in most areas in June, except business lending and new car loans, where portfolios fell for the 24th month in a row after seasonal adjustments, according to a CUNA Mutual Group report released Tuesday. The Madison, Wis., trade group’s Credit Union Trends Report showed new auto loan balances were $141 billion on June 30, falling at a 3.3% seasonally adjusted, annualized rate from May to June, part of the May-through-October peak car-buying season. Credit unions held $252.4 billion in used car loans on June 30, up 1.2% from May without seasonal adjustments. The Trends Report made slight adjustments to CUNA’s Monthly Credit Union Estimates released earlier in the month. In this case, its changes allowed total auto loan balances to show a slight 0.3% un-adjusted May-to-June gain, compared to being flat in the CUNA report. Steve Rick, chief economist for CUNA Mutual Group and the report’s author, said gains were stronger in other areas, includ...

Facial recognition to secure payments will exceed 1.4 billion globally by 2025

BASINGSTOKE, U.K.– The number of users of software-based facial recognition to secure payments will exceed 1.4 billion globally by 2025, from just 671 million in 2020, according to a new study from Juniper Research. “This rapid growth of 120% demonstrates how widespread facial recognition has become; fueled by its low barriers to entry, a front-facing camera and appropriate software,” Juniper said, noting the research identified the implementation of FaceID by Apple as accelerating the growth of the wider facial recognition market, despite the challenges to facial recognition during the pandemic with face mask use. The research recommends that facial recognition vendors implement robust and rapidly evolving AI based verification checks to ensure the validity of user identity, or risk losing user trust in the authentication method as spoofing attempts increase, Juniper reported. Fingerprint Sensors The new research, Mobile Payment Authentication: Biometrics, Regulation & Market Fore...

Don't say NO to your members anymore!

Does the following scenario occur at your credit union? If it does, we have a solution for you! A member comes in into your credit union and wants to know if you will loan them a couple of hundred thousand $$$ to buy a building, or can you loan him some seed money to start a new business or purchase equipment for the company they currently own, and you say,  “the credit union doesn't do those kinds of loans”.  Does this sound familiar? How many times do you and your staff say NO and literally tell a member to  “go down the street or go somewhere else” ?  Well, now, you have another option.   CU First Responders Finance (CUFR) CU First Responders Finance, LLC (CUFR)  is a partnership between the National Council of Firefighter Credit Unions, Inc.   (NCOFCU) , and Biz Lending & Insurance Center, Inc. to provide business lending origination programs to NCOFCU member credit unions. CUFR  will provide you with a turnkey operati...

What should your credit union budget for in 2025?

As we enter the fourth quarter, many credit union leaders are starting to turn their attention toward planning for 2025. With a myriad of options and new technology, it’s crucial to prioritize services that set credit unions apart while encouraging growth. In this article, we explore several key areas credit unions should consider when preparing their budgets for the coming year. Expanding membership One significant trend shaping the financial landscape is the exodus of big banks from rural communities . This presents a golden opportunity to expand membership to new communities. However, this expansion doesn’t necessarily require traditional brick-and-mortar branches. Credit unions can leverage technology to provide services efficiently and cost-effectively. Some alternative service delivery methods include: Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs) : These advanced ATMs allow members to interact with a live teller via video, providing a personal touc...

What Trump’s ‘one big beautiful’ tax-and-spending package means for your money!

  Trump’s megabill will bring sweeping changes for household finances. President  Donald Trump  signed his “one big beautiful” tax-and-spending package on July 4 — legislation that will bring sweeping changes to Americans’ finances.  After the  Senate passed its version  on July 1, the House Republicans on July 3  voted to approve  the multi-trillion-dollar domestic policy legislation and send it to Trump’s desk for signature. The final bill makes permanent Trump’s  2017 tax cuts  while adding new relief, including a senior “bonus” to  offset Social Security taxes  and a  bigger state and local tax deduction . The plan also has tax breaks for  tip income , overtime pay and  auto loans , among other provisions.  The GOP’s marquee legislation will also enact deep spending cuts to social safety net programs such as  Medicaid  and food stamp benefits,  end tax credits tied to clean energy  an...

Boston Firefighters Credit Union sets up fund

Posted Mar. 27, 2014 @ 7:35 pm ROSLINDALE The Boston Firefighters Credit Union has created a fund to help support the families of Lieutenant Ed Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy. "In difficult times like these, I am so proud to be mayor of a city that comes together to help our neighbors in need," said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "Since yesterday's tragic events, we've experienced an outpouring of support from across the city, state, and country. So many people have expressed a willingness to help, in some way, as we grieve the loss of Lieutenant Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy." "Although no donation can heal the wounds suffered by the Walsh and Kennedy families, we are grateful to the Boston Firefighter's Credit Union for helping us create a focal point for peoples’ generosity, and to the people of Boston, of Massachusetts, and of the United States, who have once again shown the power of a community to help healing process begin." ...

Sunday Reading - How were the National Parks started?

  America's 'Best Idea'       How were the National Parks started? America's National Park System includes roughly 85 million acres of US territory, equal to the size of Germany, set aside by federal law for preservation. There are 63 areas officially designated as national parks—including the Grand Canyon, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia—and more than 400 additional smaller units ( see map ). In 1872, Yellowstone was established   as the first national park dedicated to public enjoyment and recreation, though its foundation also  displaced several Native American tribes . By 1916, the growing system required the creation of the National Park Service to preserve its lands for future generations. Eventually, hunting and logging were banned in the parks, though regulated extractive activity is still permitted in nati...