NCUA Q4 Data Show Stronger CU Balance Sheets, Ongoing Membership Strain for Smaller CUs
By CU Today Staff —
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--Federally insured credit unions posted stronger balance sheet growth in 2025, with median assets rising 3.3% year-over-year in the fourth quarter and median loans outstanding up 0.7%, even as the agency’s latest state-level data show many smaller institutions continue to struggle with membership declines.
The agency’s fourth-quarter 2025 Quarterly U.S. Map Review also found the national median loan-to-share ratio stood at 70% and that 88% of federally insured credit unions reported positive year-to-date net income, up from 86% a year earlier.
In the third quarter of 2025, Alaska posted the strongest median loan growth at 7.1% and also led the nation in median membership growth at 2.8%, while Washington, D.C., saw the steepest median loan decline at -4.5% and the sharpest membership drop at -2.0%.
NCUA noted that membership challenges remain concentrated among smaller credit unions. Nationally, median membership declined 0.5% over the year, and the agency said more than half of credit unions with shrinking membership had less than $50 million in assets. In the third-quarter state data, membership was down at the median in 29 states and Washington, D.C., with North Dakota (-1.6%) and D.C. among the weakest performers.
Median Annual Share and Deposit Growth
Median Annual Membership Growth
Loan-to-share ratios are rounded to the nearest percentage point.
Median Return on Average Assets
Share of Credit Unions with Positive Net Income
Shares of credit unions with positive net income are rounded to the nearest percentage point.
Originally reported by CU Today.