Research & Policy

National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)

The independent U.S. federal agency responsible for the chartering, supervision, and insurance of federal credit unions, and for the collection and publication of supervisory data.
Analytical relevance: Primary source for regulatory frameworks, supervisory priorities, and institution-level data on U.S. credit unions.

Federal Reserve research on credit unions and community banking

Peer-reviewed and policy-oriented research produced by the Federal Reserve System examining credit unions and community banks within the U.S. financial system.
Analytical relevance: Provides institutionally neutral analysis of performance, competition, and regulatory treatment across depository institution types.

Bank for International Settlements (cooperative banking studies)

Comparative and stability-focused research from the BIS and affiliated committees addressing cooperative and mutual banking models across jurisdictions.
Analytical relevance: Situates cooperative finance within a global financial-stability and prudential-regulation framework.

OECD work on cooperative finance

Cross-country policy analysis by the OECD examining cooperative and member-owned financial institutions, including governance structures and regulatory environments.
Analytical relevance: Enables international comparison of cooperative finance models and their economic implications.

Data Sources

Call report data

Standardized regulatory filings submitted by depository institutions containing detailed financial, balance-sheet, and performance information.
Analytical relevance: Foundational dataset for quantitative comparison of credit unions and banks across risk, earnings, and capital metrics.

Credit union vs. bank performance studies

Empirical literature comparing not-for-profit and shareholder-owned depository institutions using financial, pricing, and consumer-outcome measures.
Analytical relevance: Supports evaluation of how ownership and governance structures influence institutional behavior and outcomes.