In my opinion, one of the great differentiators for credit unions is access. On the surface, most folks in our communities probably would not agree with this. After all, doesn't a person have to belong to something or work somewhere special to be a part of a credit union? Whether your shop has a community charter or is SEG-based, access is still something that any credit union can embrace and promote.

The other day, my younger brother emailed me asking me to recommend a Houston–based credit union where his son and future daughter-in-law can join when they move there. I told him that 3Rivers FCU has locations in Houston. "No, you don't. You're here in Fort Wayne." I explained the shared branching network as well as the ATM networks we participate in (CU24, Alliance One, CO-OP). Funny thing, my nephew already banks with another local credit union that participates in some or all of these networks, but my brother's family was unaware of this. I had no problem in promoting what we could do for them.

I have been told that some credit union executives are becoming wary of shared branching. With stiffer competition, they say, they cannot afford to lose members to another credit union (even though there are rules to prevent this). I don't worry about this. If our service, products, convenience are taking care of our members' needs, then we can safely promote this type of access with no fear.