What is a credit union?
Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperative financial institutions that are owned by their members.

Many Financial Services
Credit unions offer most financial services found at banks, including loans, savings accounts, checking accounts, IRAs, Internet account access, bill pay and more.

Safe and Insured
Credit unions, like other financial institutions, are closely regulated. And they operate in a very prudent manner.

The National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), administered by the National Credit Union Administration, an agency of the federal government, insures deposits of credit union members at more than 9,000 federal and state-chartered credit unions nationwide.

Deposits are insured up to $100,000.The smallest credit unions in Ohio have a few hundred members and several thousand dollars in assets. The largest credit union in Ohio has more than 150,000 members and over $1.1 billion in assets.

More Than 2.6 Million Ohioans
No matter what size a credit union is, each one operates as a not-for-profit, democratically-run cooperative with one primary purpose: to serve its members! More than 2.6 million Ohioans (about 20 percent of the state's population) belong to credit unions through associations with their employers, communities, churches, or occupations. And that number is growing every day as more people continue to realize the benefits of membership!

Great Rates, Great Service
Credit unions generally offer better rates than do banks, due to credit unions' cooperative not-for-profit operation. While banks must make profits for their shareholders, credit unions exist only to serve their members. So instead of sending dividends to shareholders, your credit union returns it to you through better rates and improved services.

Join a Credit Union
You may be eligible to join a credit union through an affiliation with your employer, your occupation, your community, your school, your church, or another group with which you or a family member is associated.

Search for a credit union to join              View a list of Ohio credit unions