The days of loyalty to a single bank over a lifetime are long gone. Trust and confidence in a financial institution are hard to come by during a time of such financial instability, bank closures, bailouts, and foreclosures. People are working even harder for their money and need a reliable financial institution to invest in. More than 92 million people have already selected a credit union for all of their banking needs.

Credit Unions Are Member-Owned and Operated

Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperative financial institutions in which each member is a co-owner or shareholder. Credit unions don’t have stockholders to answer to so they don’t feel the pressure from a small group to increase profits or stockholder income.

Credit unions are run by a volunteer board of directors elected by the members and from the membership. They are not paid for their service and they answer only to the members they serve. If a member doesn’t like the direction the credit union is going, he does have a say and can make his voice heard at the credit union’s annual elections, which are open to all members.