The Real Difference Between Credit Unions And Banks

We see banks on every corner. On the other hand, credit unions are thought of as savings and loan institutions that are not as prestigious as banks. However, in reality they are the best kept secret in the world of financial institutions. But don’t let me influence you. Here are some characteristics that distinguish the way that banks operate as opposed to credit unions.

1. Who owns a credit union? A group of investors are the owners of a bank, and as such they are responsible for decisions regarding business policies and administration. These same choices affect the ability of the investors to make money from the investments they have made in the bank. Conversely, credit unions are owned by their members and the decision making board members are volunteers that give of their time on behalf of other members. Still, each member of the credit union can vote on the policy that is to be followed since it will affect their money.

2. Do they keep your money safe? Any money being stored in a bank is guaranteed to be there by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and this guarantee is displayed at each and every bank. Credit Unions follow a similar process and are 100% secure, but the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the organization backing them up.

3. Who can join? Anyone who can meet the requirements of the banking institution can open an account there. Banks have a greater reserve of cash at their disposal so they offer incentives to get customers in the door. They call these “loss leaders”. If half of the people that come in open an account, then the bank can afford to take a loss on the items that they are giving away for free.

Credit unions are not open to the general public like a bank is. Credit unions choose members based on many factors: geography, workplace, religious affiliation, and civic associations. There is a credit union out there for everyone if you look long enough. The small selection of members allows them to offer better services to those members.

4. Are they friendly? Banks do what they can to attract new customers, but their real loyalty belongs to the investors in charge of the bank’s care. This is why their customer service often waxes at the time you open new account but wanes quickly.

Customers of credit unions are also making the business decisions for the company, so the customer service is traditionally better. To keep future interest rates on credit cards and loans low, money that exceeds the running costs of a credit union is used to maintain interest rates on money market accounts, savings accounts, and CD’s as high as possible.

Banks don’t like credit unions because they offer something that they don’t: consistent customer service and better interest rates. On the other hand, banks have incentives that credit unions can’t match because they don’t have as much money to use on them. The choice is up to each customer to decide what is most important to them in an institution.

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