Factors Contributing to Credit Union Asset Growth, 1979-2016

In what is sure to be a landmark publication for credit unions, 35 years of NCUA data are leveraged to bring into view key drivers that positively correlate with higher rates of credit union asset growth. As the dynamics for growth vary depending on scale and resources available to credit unions, this research identifies key factors among five separate asset ranges to provide relevance and context for credit unions of all sizes.

In concert with this publication, Filene created a comparative graph generator using NCUA data, where you are invited to generate a report comparing your individual credit union's historical performance in several key areas.

Luis Dopico

Economist

Filene Research Institute

Report Number 443

From the Center for

Performance and Operational Excellence

Executive Summary

With ever-increasing regulatory and operational costs, and amid an environment that requires scale for an individual institution to compete for market share, growth is imperative for credit union survival. And as credit unions have seen their collective ranks diminish by nearly 30% in the last 10 years, the risk of not growing foreshadows the ruin of many individual credit unions.

But what factors, competitive advantages, and specific investments of limited capital most reliably help credit unions grow? For many institutions, answering this question has been an enduring challenge.

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