Leagues are the state-level trade associations for credit unions, representing the credit unions operating within a particular state. Although almost every state-level trade association organized with "League" as part of their name, some have since dropped the term "League" in favor of "Association." At present, credit unions in every state and the District of Columbia are served by a League or state-level association. Some Leagues now serve credit unions in more than one state. Every League is also a member of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).
Click here for a contact list for Leagues.
Click here to learn more about the Virginia League.
Leagues are cooperative organizations, offering benefits that go far beyond specific products and services. The entire credit union movement is built on the idea that people can do more working together than they can do alone. Therefore much of the collective success of credit unions can be attributed to the hard work invested by many working together.
Generally Leagues offer the following key services:
- Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy
Leagues work constantly to help protect the rights and interests of credit unions. Legislative and regulatory experts on staff process data, monitor pending bills, interpret laws, and channel this information to credit unions. - Education, Training and Networking
Through seminars, meetings, and events, credit union staff and volunteer officials are offered education and networking.
- Public Relations
A favorable image for credit unions is built and preserved through the Leagues' public relations efforts. The Leagues utilize personal contact, news releases, publicity, publications, and community relations programs to promote the image and visibility of credit unions at the local, state and national levels. - Research and Information
Regulatory compliance is an increasingly important and resource-intensive issue for credit unions - Consulting
Professional consultants are available to share information and ideas, discuss operations and policies, and answer questions ranging from budgeting to marketing to training issues. - Communications
The Leagues keep credit unions up-to-date on the latest news affecting credit unions on the local, state and national levels. - Service Corporations
Many Leagues offer products and services through a service corporation, most commonly organized as a for-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of the League itself. League service corporations offer such services as credit and debit cards, insurance products and share draft/check processing. Virginia Credit Union Services Inc. (VACUS) is the service corporation for Virginia's credit unions and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Virginia Credit Union League.
What is the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and what does it do?
Based in Washington, D. C., and Madison, Wisconsin, CUNA is the premier national trade association serving America's credit unions. The nonprofit trade group is governed by volunteer directors who are elected by their credit union peers.
In partnership with state credit union leagues, CUNA provides many services to credit unions, including legislative advocacy, information, public relations, continuing professional education, legal analysis and legal representation, compliance, support, publications, and web services and market research.