08/06/2026
A great reminder of the impact credit unions have in communities across the country. We're proud to be part of a movement focused on expanding access, supporting financial well-being, and putting people first.
A credit union lowered its drive-through window because more residents in Nome, Alaska, arrive by snowmobile than by car.
It's a small detail, but it reflects a larger shift The Daily Yonder recently reported on: credit unions finding creative, mission-driven ways to serve communities that traditional banks have historically overlooked.
Credit Union 1 now operates branches across Alaska that are inaccessible by road, including one that transacts in both U.S. and Canadian currency for a border town closer to Canada than to most of its own state. In West Virginia, Element Credit Union has taken the opposite approach: forgoing branches altogether in favor of full digital access and character-based lending.
Research cited in the piece found that true "banking deserts" are rare. The more accurate divide is between communities that are well-served and those that are underserved, a gap that tends to fall along rural and lower-income lines. It's a distinction that speaks directly to why credit unions exist in the first place.
Full story: https://dailyyonder.com/in-alaska-and-west-virginia-credit-unions-innovate-to-meet-the-needs-of-rural-communities/2026/07/30/
