Monday, 25 January 2021
Banks and credit unions share some broad similarities: They help their customers borrow money, build savings and invest for the future. Both credit unions and banks make money by charging interest on loans and charging fees for banking services. But their business models are very different in many ways, mainly in regards to what they do with their profits.
Banks are for-profit enterprises that serve all and any customers who come to them, and distribute profits to shareholders. Credit unions are not-for-profit institutions that only serve people who become members, often by requiring them to meet certain membership criteria. Credit unions reward their members with bonus dividends or lower-cost services, rather than redistributing earnings to investors.
Banks and credit unions both make money by lending out a portion of their deposits, charging interest on those loans and collecting fees and charges for various financial services, such as investing and wealth management.
The most significant source of profits for banks and credit unions is charging interest on loans to consumers. Common types of loans offered by banks and credit unions include mortgages, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), auto loans and personal loans, said Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com, a LendingTree company.
Banks pay interest on deposits — checking accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit — but the interest they earn from making loans is typically higher than what they pay for deposits. In the banking business, the difference between these two types of interest is known as the “spread.”
If a bank pays out 1% interest on $200,000 worth of CDs, and receives 4.5% interest on a $200,000 mortgage, the difference — the spread — is how the bank makes money. Banks have to comply with rules on how many loans they can make relative to their asset bases.
Another way that banks and credit unions make money is by charging consumers fees for a variety of services, Tumin said. Commonly charged fees include:
Many banks offer financial advisory and wealth management services. Institutions charge either a percentage of assets under management or per-transaction brokerage fees.
Many banks offer private banking services to high-net-worth consumers, charging an annual management fee as a percentage of the assets under management. Banks also offer access to investment products for customers in lower wealth brackets.
Credit unions cannot offer financial advisory or wealth management services directly, so they provide them by affiliating with partner registered investment advisors or registered broker-dealers. Credit unions offer these services as a benefit to consumers who want investing advice, and they may make money indirectly through referral fees or other partnerships arranged with an investment advising company.
Credit unions do not have to pay taxes since they are not-for-profit organizations, which means they avoid one major expense that banks need to pay. Additionally, because credit unions are owned by their members rather than by shareholders, they aren’t focused on generating profits for shareholders like banks are. Often, credit unions return profits to their members as dividends, or they may offer reduced fees or better interest rates on loans or deposit accounts, which can, in turn, attract new members.
Banks, on the other hand, are owned by investors and operate as for-profit institutions. They use their profits to provide returns to shareholders (especially if they’re publicly traded, as most larger banks are), and to pay state and federal taxes, which they must pay as for-profit organizations.
Brick-and-mortar banks and credit unions have been facing more and more competition from online banks. Online banks tend to charge lower account fees than credit unions and pay out higher interest rates on deposits, said Tumin.
While online banks don’t have physical branch locations, they nonetheless offer a compelling proposition to consumers. In response, brick-and-mortar banks are beating them by joining them, offering online banking services of their own to address competition from apps and other tools, which threaten to reduce payment-related revenue by as much as 15% by 2025, according to a report published by Accenture, a professional services firm.
Going forward, banks’ business models will have to change to accommodate the anticipated reduction in fee income. But while these tools may not add revenue for banks, they could potentially lower branch operation costs, which are substantial. By putting more power in consumer hands, a big bank could reduce its branch count, branch hours or individual branch teller staff hours.
“For banks, these tools may be more about cutting back on expenses than adding revenue,” Tumin said.
For credit unions, providing these tools offers the conveniences that banks, which typically have larger branch networks, present. Since credit unions aren’t driven to provide returns to shareholders on Wall Street and are instead driven to manage so that their members receive benefits and favorable rates, credit unions can choose which services are for benefit versus for profit.
Now that you know how banks and credit unions make money, you may be wondering which option is best for your money. As with most financial questions, the answer largely depends on what’s most important to you.
Online banks offer the most compelling savings account rates, with the average savings account interest rising from 0.79% in mid-2017 to 1.52% by the close of 2018. During that time period, traditional banks and credit unions also increased rates, but only to 0.26% and 0.23%, respectively. Pair this with their low-fee checking accounts, and online banks are a compelling option for many consumers, although a lack of branches may deter some people.
Brick-and-mortar bank networks may be more convenient, offering more branches and more sophisticated online banking and investing options. These benefits are positives for some busy consumers, but the convenience comes at a cost — especially when it comes to overdraft and other fees.
“Credit unions may be more consumer-friendly,” Tumin said, citing their low account fees and balance minimums. Because credit unions are member-owned and locally driven, they may give back to their communities and their members. However, they are not open to everyone, as a consumer generally can’t join a credit union for aerospace or military members if they’ve never worked in those fields, for example.
No two consumers need the same things from their bank or credit union, so it pays to research how accounts and fees are structured and which additional services are available. While credit unions and banks make money in similar ways, including through interest on loans and fees that customers pay, they don’t handle profits in the same way.
Where that money is reinvested — in discounts to consumers, or in profits for shareholders — is a key differentiator between credit unions and banks. If you’re going to entrust an institution with your money, it pays to know how that institution ultimately makes money.
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