Credit union members are increasingly demanding more online interaction from their institutions. The request is forcing credit unions to adjust websites and self-service portals to accommodate members.

Initially, many institutions felt that only a small subset of their member base would actually use these portals, but the population of actual users is increasing rapidly. According to the American Bankers Association, in 2007 only 13% of bank customers age 55 and older said they preferred online banking over other channels. By August 2011, that percentage had risen to 56%. Consumers of all ages are going online and utilizing services like online bill pay, e-statements and even online account opening.

While it is important for credit unions to acquiesce to members, they need to be careful about the quality of information they collect online. When tellers enter member information in a branch, they have typically been trained on the proper way to enter member details and can verify data by checking government-issued identification. Unfortunately, the information entered online by the member themselves is often the dirtiest in a database.