Autumn is a season of change and preparation. The holidays are right around the corner, the summer vacations are all long since passed, and it’s time to start thinking about the new year.
For your credit union members, autumn banking trends can be cyclical – they happen every year around this time – or they can be singular: maybe some of them bought or sold a house this year since the housing market was so hot, or maybe that post-pandemic purchase they’ve been saving for finally happened.
No matter what the first big chunk of 2022 brought, we are now in that transition period from summer to winter, and it’s time to check out the latest autumn banking trends so you can inform and excite your members this season.
Prepping Holiday Finances
Typically, autumn banking trends start changing as the fervor surrounding the holidays begins to ramp up. Your members and their families start planning for their holiday expenses like those associated with gift giving, visiting family members who live out of town, and attending and preparing meals and drinks for parties and other gatherings, big and small.
7 in 10 Americans overspend during the holidays, and this trend is common among credit union members of all ages and socioeconomic statuses.
This is a great time for your credit union to offer quick tips and tricks for keeping these expenses down and creating helpful budgets for the holiday season. By helping to keep your members’ holiday finances in check, you can allow them to create positive momentum in the new year. This will also help you gain their trust as a worthy resource for sound financial advice throughout the rest of the year.
The changing seasons also mean holiday finances that include buying the necessities that come with cooler weather. Members First Credit Union shared some great insights in their fall newsletter about what to buy and what to skip this fall, steering members towards those items that will be on sale, sharing when to capitalize on the largest discounts for certain items, and much more.
Unseasonably Warm Loan Growth
Speaking of holiday finances, this year there’s an autumn banking trend that’s staying warm long after the weather has cooled and the leaves have started falling: loan growth.
According to a recent CUNA news article, the 2022 peak loan season is seeing a longer windfall than normal. Typically, loan growth tapers off heavily starting in early autumn (September, specifically). But the preliminary reports from Q2 of this year showed continued – and unseasonably extended – loan growth.
CUNA reported in September that total loans outstanding in federally insured credit unions increased by $194 billion over the year ending in the second quarter of 2022. That’s a 16.2% increase that, if the trend continues, could see credit unions hitting 20% loan growth this year. This is the fastest loan growth pace since 1985.
Increased Focus on ATM Safety
With crisp autumn days come dark autumn nights – as the days shrink and sunset comes earlier, many credit unions are urged to remind their members about key ATM safety tips.
Members should be reminded to do their transacting in the daylight whenever possible and to stick to well-lit parking areas and ATM offerings to keep themselves out of harm’s way. Sikorsky Credit Union shared a list of ATM best practices to follow, like “always bring a friend,” “Have your card ready,” and “be aware of your surroundings.” We think it’s a great autumn banking trend for your credit union to get into as well.
Autumn is also a great time to upgrade or advertise your online and mobile banking options to those members who may not be familiar with or aren’t yet using these credit union resources. Inclement weather and safety concerns are valid reasons to use these services, and they’re extra convenient for your members, too!
Discuss Your Members’ Financial Goals
Another great autumn banking trend is to offer to sit down with your members to discuss how their 2022 went financially and talk with them about what they’d like to achieve in 2023. As this year comes to a close, most adults are already aware of the financial situation they will be in when the new year starts – and they’re either content with that situation, or they will be hoping for a better start to 2023.
You can create valuable offerings and tout your latest resources and financial education services to help them start the new year off right.
Focusing on Employee-Member Relations
Because the holidays are often a time of reflection, it’s also a great time to focus on your staff and their relationships with your members. Customer service is often lacking in today’s business landscape because so much of the human experience of shopping and working through issues has been automated, it’s easy for your members to feel left out, and for your employees to feel disconnected from your member base.
Fall is a great time to reorient your employees toward your members. Focus more on building relationships and less on creating the quickest interactions possible, create avenues for member growth through this familiarity that will have them feeling like they are being cared for as more than just an account number in your computer system.
Help Your Members with Their Holiday Finances and Beyond
As you head into the holidays and the new year, your members are looking to the future and trying to figure out their holiday finances. You can help them with your expertise and your implementation of some elegant member-facing web solutions that put the power back in their hands.
IMS Integration Make a Statement software allows you to communicate with members, meet compliance requirements, and send custom credit union eStatements and eNotices to keep your members up to speed in the new year.
