Merging CUs Shared Certain Negative Financial Characteristics

During a March 9th webinar, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) stated that the most common reason for credit unions merging was weak financial conditions.

According to NCUA, the agency studied over 400 credit union mergers during 2012 and 2013. NCUA found that merging credit unions shared certain negative financial characteristics.

• About 47 percent of the merging credit unions had negative member growth for three consecutive years prior to merger.
• About 26 percent of the merging credit unions were in prompt corrective action sometime during the three to four years prior to merger. 
• Fifty-four percent of the merging credit unions had negative earnings for three consecutive prior years to merger. 
• Fifty-three percent had declining net worth ratios for three consecutive years prior to merger.

These financial factors could help identify the universe of credit unions that are potential merger targets.

According to information from a NCUA spokesperson, at the end of 2015,

• 266 credit unions reported declining membership each quarter between December 2012 and December 2015;
• 208 credit unions had negative earnings for each quarter between December 2012 and December 2015; and
• only 3 credit unions saw their net worth ratio fall every quarter between December 2012 and December 2015.

The NCUA spokesperson noted that 553 credit unions were subject to prompt corrective action (defined as net worth ratio below 7 percent) during that 3-year time period -- 171 credit unions in 2013, 172 credit unions in 2014, and 210 credit unions in 2015. However, this 553 credit union number probably involves the double or triple counting of the same institution.