CDFI Credit Unions: Financial Services for All Americans

CDFI credit unions expand access to financial services by providing safe, affordable banking options to individuals and communities that have historically been underserved by traditional financial institutions. By offering low-cost checking and savings accounts, small-dollar loans, and fair credit products, credit unions help members avoid high-cost alternatives such as payday lenders. With a member-owned structure and mission-driven focus, CDFI credit unions prioritize their members over profit, helping individuals build credit, manage savings, and establish long-term financial stability.

In addition to basic banking services, CDFI credit unions provide financial education, credit counseling, and personalized support that empower members to improve their financial health. They often work with first-time borrowers and households with limited credit history, helping them navigate financial systems and access opportunities such as homeownership, small business financing, and education loans. By strengthening household financial security and expanding access to responsible financial products, CDFI credit unions promote economic mobility, reduce reliance on predatory lending, and help families build wealth and financial stability.

For millions of Americans, access to safe and affordable financial services remains out of reach. The following stories show how CDFI credit unions fill this gap, providing practical solutions that help members rebuild, consolidate debt, and access mainstream banking tools. From helping a Birmingham family recover from repeated home fires, to enabling an Indiana couple to refinance $50,000 in high-cost debt, to expanding banking access in remote Alaska villages and supporting a borrower with a disability in rebuilding credit, these case studies reflect how member-owned institutions create financial stability one household at a time.

Impact of CDFI Credit Unions (via Inclusiv)

Nearly 20 million members in 47 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico
$218 billion in active loans, including:
- $85 billion in mortgage lending
- $86 billion in consumer financing
- $31 billion in business lending
- $17 billion in affordable small dollar loans

Stories from the 2026 Progress Report

Sixth Avenue Baptist FCU Helps a Member Rebuild with Grace

Birmingham,
Alabama

Inclusiv, Sixth Avenue Baptist FCU

A Birmingham Family Finds Hope and Housing Stability Through Faith-Rooted Financial Support

Christopher’s Credit Journey

Pacific Northwest-Seattle area,
Washington

Northwest Access Fund

Accessing Consumer Credit With a Disability

Thrive CU Rewrites Financial Futures in Indiana

Muncie,
Indiana

Inclusiv, Thrive Credit Union

By Consolidating $50,000 in High-Cost Debt, CDFI Credit Union Helped a Local Couple Reclaim Their Financial Future

CDFI Credit Unions Serve Remote Rural Communities

Southeast Alaska,
Alaska

Inclusiv, Tongass Federal Credit Union

Tongass FCU Expands Banking Access in Alaska

Additional Credit Union Stories

Sugar Scottie Treats | Sun City Stories

El Paso,
Texas

GECU Federal Credit Union

Six sixth-grade entrepreneurs from Sageland MicroSociety Elementary put El Paso on the map. The students created their own business called Sugar Scottie Treats, a unique model that offers a convenient party-catering service at Sageland Elementary and won the tri-state Biz Kid$ Entrepreneur Competition.

CDFI Credit Unions Serve Remote Rural Communities: Tongass FCU

Ketchikan,
Alaska

Tongass Federal Credit Union

There are several small communities in Southeast Alaska that do not have access to financial services. Most of these communities are located on remote islands or not connected to the road system.

Helen Oster’s Live Greater Story

Carson City,
Nevada

Greater Nevada Credit Union

From her husband’s police uniforms to auto loans decades later, see how GNCU has been there for Helen Oster throughout the years.

Peoples Advantage and RRHA are making homeownership a reality for all

Richmond,
Virginia

Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union

Programs lowering barriers for mortgage qualification, providing financial assistance to create homeownership in central Virginia

Resource One Credit Union Receives “Best” Awards in 2022

Dallas, Garland,
Texas

Resource One Credit Union

Resource One Credit Union is proud to announce that their members nominated R1CU for Houston Chronicles Best of the Best awards and The Dallas Morning News Best in DFW awards in 2022.

Tongass Federal Credit Union

Ketchikan,
Alaska

Tongass Federal Credit Union

Tongass Federal Credit Unionis located in Ketchikan, Alaska. TFCU serves eight coastal communities on six islands in the boundaries of Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Started by teachers in 1963, TFCU began serving the underserved from the very beginning. Teachers were unable to receive loans from local banks because of their “seasonal” income. In 2005 TFCU began serving underserved communities when Metlakatla Indian Community leaders asked them to open a branch after Wells Fargo left their town. Since then, TFCU has opened branches and community microsites with a focus on unserved and indigenous communities in the region. TFCU is an NCUA low-income designated, and Community Development Credit Union with 8,967 members. TFCU provides a variety of products and services for the people and small businesses of their region, including credit builder loans, HUD 184 and firsttime homebuyer mortgages, and small and micro-business loans.

Inclusiv Puerto Rico CDFI Initiative

San Juan,
Puerto Rico

Inclusiv

The success of the Puerto Rico CDFI Initiative is a testament to the power of partnerships and to the resolve of financial cooperatives to obtain resources for the benefit of the communities they serve. The CDFI transformation is now a reality, and we are proud to continue to work to help cooperativas gain access to resources that were only available to CDFI’s in the mainland.

VyStar’s Suwanee Branch is Now Open

Suwanee,
Georgia

VyStar Credit Union

VyStar Credit Union is proud to now serve residents and business owners in Suwanee, Georgia! Our second Atlanta Metro area branch is open at 3838 Johns Creek Parkway, Suwanee, GA 30024.

Holy Rosary Credit Union

Kansas City,
Missouri

Holy Rosary Credit Union

Holy Rosary Credit Union is located in Kansas City, Missouri, serving over 6,000 members. For 78 years, HRCU has been dedicated to moving economically distressed populations from debt to asset building and unbanked to banked. HRCU does this by offering multicultural/multilingual services in Vietnamese, Spanish, and English, educational and asset building opportunities, and creating a mutual trust between staff and members.

ENC’s last local black-owned ‘unicorn’ credit union promotes financial literacy

Kingston,
North Carolina

Greater Kinston Credit Union

When it comes to building wealth in our country, homeownership is one of the ways Americans are able to build their capital and leave some behind for their generations to come too. Some of the first black-owned credit unions were established as far back as the 1920s and the 1930s, but it’s a number that’s not nearly as high as it used to be. This week in Black History we’re taking a look at one of the few that’s left – right in our backyard, and their push for financial literacy in their community.