Loan Participations Still Seen as Risk Buffers and Revenue Builders

Low yields, a “back to the drawing board” rethinking of how income statements are managed and new challenges to the credit union business model have left some wondering how to navigate through it all.

One way may be through loan participations, according to a new white paper from the CUNA Lending Council. The research examined a variety of business models using this loan type: a sample policy, board questions, regulatory oversight and information on finding a partner. The loan provides a long list of benefits, including a source for selling loans to keep under the 12.25% member business lending cap, geographic and loan type diversification and an average loan yield that is three times the amount of the average investment.