Credit unions are and always have been people oriented financial institutions.
Credit unions operate differently.
Each credit union member owns one share of the organization. Each credit union member is an owner and is even entitled to vote on important issues, such as the election of member representatives to serve on the Board of Directors. The goal of any stock owned institution is , by definition, to maximize profits. Not so with a credit union. In fact, net income is frequently re-invested into the credit union in the form of better rates, fewer fees and stronger reserves.