Credit Unions Should Focus on the Middle Class

As the 2016 presidential and congressional elections draw nearer, credit unions and their representatives undoubtedly will be meeting with any number of potential candidates for office. For those conversations to be as productive as possible, it behooves the industry to focus on the market they most naturally and effectively serve: The middle class.

Middle-income Americans, which is to say those with household incomes between $40,000 and $150,000, already like credit unions. Harris and Gallup polls, as well as those conducted by the industry, show that segment of the American population prefers credit unions to banks. More than 85% report they trust credit unions.

Studies from bankrate.com and similar services also show that many credit union products simply offer better value for middle-class customers, who also happen to be more likely than the wealthy to put the bulk of their savings in depository institutions, rather than in the markets.