Top 5 Articles Of 2021 On CreditUnions.com

It has been a lively year for the credit union industry. A year that started in the throes of COVID-19 has now given way to nationwide economic reopening tempered by labor shortages, inflation, and now, concerns about yet a new variant.

Through it all, CreditUnions.com has continued publishing articles that are relevant to the industry at large. Before we look ahead to 2022, let’s take a moment to revisit the top five articles that had credit unions buzzing during this eventful past year.

4 Trends To Watch in 2021

After 2020, which saw credit unions battling severe earning pressure and balance sheet shifts brought on by the COVID pandemic, the industry was eager to see what stood before them in 2021.

In this article, we dug into some of the trends that defined a year riddled with lockdowns, COVID outbreaks, and economic turmoil. Some of the metrics discussed include core deposit balances, mortgage originations, and interest rates.

Credit Union Consolidation Continues

In keeping with the trends of the past half-decade, credit unions continued to merge during 2021. William Hunt, a Callahan industry analyst, dissects this trend and provides context as to why the credit union industry continues down this path of consolidation. Additionally, we look back at the past five years while also highlighting the five biggest mergers that occurred in the last year.

What Has The Pandemic Taught Credit Unions About Branching?

We spoke with senior branch managers from five credit unions to hear how the challenges of COVID-19 opened the door for new opportunities to strengthen member connections and cross-train employees.

Each of the five credit unions the contributed to this piece are from different states and represent a wide range of asset size, from less than $1 billion to nearly $10 billion.

Bring In The Staff, Or Leave Them At Home? A View From 7 Credit Unions.

Leaders from seven credit unions discussed their plans on how to handle staffing as businesses began to steadily reopen.

Written in April, this article provides interesting insight as to how the industry was feeling during a particularly challenging  phase of the pandemic.

6 Credit Unions On How They’ve Responded To The Delta Variant

In August and September, one of the primary stories in the news was the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the form of the Delta variant.

Every business, including credit unions, had to react accordingly. In this piece, we spoke with six cooperatives about how they were handling the resurging pandemic.