Inside a standing-room-only breakout session at this week’s America’s Credit Unions Governmental Affairs Conference, credit union leaders confronted a question that has become increasingly urgent for the industry: how to remain relevant as consumer expectations, technology and competition continue to evolve.

The session, titled “One Industry, Many Perspectives,” brought together executives from marketing, lending and finance to examine how credit unions are responding to trends ranging from digital banking and fraud to non-interest income and generational shifts in consumer behavior.

Throughout the discussion, speakers returned repeatedly to the idea that loyalty — long considered a defining strength of the cooperative financial model — can no longer be taken for granted.

Josh Wilson, senior vice president of marketing at Whitefish Credit Union in Montana, argued that institutions must rethink what loyalty means in an era when consumers can move their financial relationships with a few taps on a smartphone.

“Loyalty has to be defined as, we get the first opportunity of those members, right?” Wilson said. “Loyalty is not an automatic guarantee, nor is it given from anyone that we do business with. But we at least get that first chance, that first look.”

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For Wilson, the key to earning that opportunity lies in brand identity and clarity of mission. Credit unions, he said, often serve specific communities or member groups, and understanding those niches is essential to maintaining relevance.

“The brand is the promise that you give to those individuals, to those members, what they think when they see your logo, hear your name,” he said.

That promise, he suggested, should not be defined primarily by price. Many institutions emphasize loan or deposit rates in their marketing, but Wilson warned that building a brand around pricing can backfire when competitors offer slightly better deals.

“What I see a lot of credit unions doing, and especially something that’s been recent, is we want to compete on price,” Wilson said. “But when you tie the brand from us to your pricing model, you can undermine that very easily when a bank comes out there and say ‘we offer lower price.’”

Instead, he urged credit unions to differentiate themselves through storytelling, community connection and a clear articulation of why members should choose them even if the rate difference is small.

“If you’re not getting, you know, a few basis points more than the guy down the street,” he said, institutions must still communicate “a reason why you should come here.”

While Wilson focused on branding and member relationships, Jeremy Pinard, chief lending officer at Canvas Credit Union in Colorado, pointed to operational challenges and the growing gap between consumer expectations and the services many financial institutions provide.

“I think [competitive pressure] is a huge problem for us right now,” Pinard said.

Credit unions historically built their reputations on personal service and physical branches, he said. But many members now expect banking to happen instantly and digitally, often outside traditional hours.

“As an industry, we tend to think of, ‘hey, we’re nice, we’re a branch open 8 to 5, 9 to one on Saturday,’” Pinard said. “But the consumer, our members, are not doing business that way anymore.”

Meeting members where they are increasingly means meeting them online and on demand, he added.

“We need to understand what are the products and services that our members really, truly want? And are we meeting them where they want to be met? Meaning Sunday morning on the couch maybe.”

To illustrate how quickly expectations have shifted, Pinard pointed to financial technology platforms that allow consumers to open accounts and obtain credit almost instantly.

“You can open any account you want on SoFi or Robinhood at any time,” he said. “It’s 30 seconds to a minute, and you’re approved.”

Experiences like that, he argued, are reshaping what consumers expect from all financial institutions, including credit unions.

Generational preferences are also forcing the industry to reconsider long-held assumptions about consumer behavior. Pinard offered a simple example: delivery apps.

“I would never use DoorDash because I think that it is crazy to pay $15 to get something delivered to your house,” he said. “But there’s a whole generation out there that will do it, and they’ll do it at least once a week or more.”

For credit unions, he said, the lesson is clear: “We got to change our thinking on how we serve that next generation.”

Another perspective came from a panelist speaking from the finance side of the business, who said changing consumer habits could create opportunities for new sources of revenue.

“I’m excited by the non-interest income that you’re talking about and that people are willing to pay if you can meet them where they need to be met,” the speaker said.

Rather than relying on traditional fees, the panelist suggested that institutions could generate income by offering services members genuinely value.

“So not a nuisance fee or something that’s punitive,” the speaker said, “but you’re providing them with this extra service.”

Taken together, the panelists’ comments reflected a broader challenge confronting the credit union sector. Institutions must preserve the cooperative values and community relationships that distinguish them from larger banks while simultaneously adapting to a digital marketplace defined by speed, convenience and constant innovation.

The discussion suggested that success will depend not only on technology investments but also on collaboration across departments — from marketing and lending to finance and operations — as credit unions translate strategy into practical changes that resonate with members.

For the hundreds of executives who crowded into the session room in Washington, the message was clear: relevance in the coming decade will require both clarity of purpose and a willingness to rethink how credit unions deliver value in a rapidly changing financial landscape.