Barlow predicted that by 2001 travel and tourism would be the largest industry in the United States.

The transportation industry was another area that Barlow predicted would show growth. Air transportation was No. 13 on the list of the FOM Top 20 and Barlow predicted billion-dollar airline credit unions like United and American would continue to grow.

The third industry Barlow picked to be an industry of the future was information providers and high-tech manufacturers. He also said that technology would dramatically alter the look of credit unions in the near future. The fastest growing credit unions may not even have headquarters, he said, they may use shared branches or be entirely electronic. At the time, Barlow envisioned a world where members could move money around through their TV screen and all the information could be tied into a data bank.

As technology advances, Barlow said that the makeup of memberships will be transformed and credit unions would be serving a much broader range of individuals. Analyst John Rickmeier agreed with Barlow and said that FOM breakdowns by industry would be blurred with most credit unions being placed into one of two categories: community charters or adding SEGs.

Barlow concluded his predictions with the statement that in credit union's attempts to diversify they may become more homogenous, which he said could be a positive development. "People in the credit union movement had better start seeing they can have something in common. Right now, I see a splintering going on that's not good."