SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union Ranks Highest among U.S. Credit Unions

• Credit union member satisfaction declines from last year
• More members shift savings and checking accounts across multiple institutions
• Member communications are often misaligned with needs

April 1, 2026 - TROY, Mich. — Prized for their low fees, personalized service and great interest rates, credit unions have historically outperformed retail banks in overall customer satisfaction. While that trend holds in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Credit Union Satisfaction Study,^SM released on Tuesday, some cracks in the credit union member experience are starting to emerge. Overall satisfaction this year with U.S. credit unions is 725 (on a 1,000-point scale). While that score is 68 points higher than the overall satisfaction score for U.S. retail banks (657),¹ it represents a 4-point decline from last year. The trend also coincides with an increase in the number of credit union members opening accounts with other financial institutions over the same period.

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“Relative to other financial services providers, credit unions continue to deliver strong levels of overall member satisfaction, but the combination of rising levels of account attrition and a declining trend in member satisfaction should be taken seriously by credit union leaders,” said Dann Allen, senior director, customer solutions at JD Power. “JD Power has identified a ‘soft switching’ phenomenon taking root throughout the banking sector, as more consumers open second and third accounts with other financial institutions and gradually shift more funds into those accounts. Credit unions need to deliver great everyday member experiences and consistently add value across digital and face-to-face interactions to secure their role in their members’ financial lives.”

Following are some key findings of the 2026 study:

• Member satisfaction declines: Overall credit union member satisfaction is 725, down 4 points year over year. Loyalty metrics are also trending down, with the percentage of members who say they “definitely will” reuse their credit union falling to 71%, down 2 percentage points from last year.
• Credit unions lose checking and savings accounts: More than half of members now have checking (59%) and savings (56%) accounts with other financial institutions. The occurrence of accounts being established at other financial institutions has risen in the past 2 years, up by 2% for both checking and savings accounts.
• Incurred fees are up, fee understanding is down: More than one-third (36%) of credit union members have experienced a fee, such as an overdraft, ATM or account maintenance fee, in the past 3 months, up 3% from last year. Meanwhile, the percentage of members who say they completely understand how their credit union’s fee structure works falls to 39% from 44% last year.
• Member communication is misaligned: The topics credit unions communicate to their members most frequently—new products and features, current products and features and special offers—deliver low levels of member satisfaction, while topics correlated with higher levels of member satisfaction, such as ways to save money or financial advice, are not communicated as frequently.

Study Rankings

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union ranks highest in credit union member satisfaction for a second consecutive year, with a score of 792. RBFCU (751) ranks second and Navy Federal Credit Union (747) ranks third.

The U.S. Credit Union Satisfaction Study, now in its third year, measures member satisfaction with the 29 largest credit unions in the continental United States. It measures satisfaction across seven dimensions (in order of importance): trust; people; allowing members to bank how and when they want; account offerings; saving time and money; digital channels; and resolving problems or complaints.

The 2026 study is based on responses from 10,386 credit union members. It was fielded from January 2025 through January 2026. The largest U.S. credit unions are defined as those with at least $7.5 billion in domestic deposits.

For more information about the U.S. Credit Union Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/us-credit-union-satisfaction-study. 

About JD Power

JD Power delivers mission-critical data, analytics and intelligence that help businesses improve customer experience and operational performance with confidence and clarity. Using proprietary, comprehensive data–including millions of consumer interactions and authoritative automotive datasets–combined with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and deep industry expertise, JD Power enables leaders to respond to market shifts, make smarter decisions and drive measurable performance improvements.

As an objective source of deep insight into real-world customer interactions with brands and products, JD Power provides the independent intelligence organizations need to anticipate change, strengthen customer engagement and advance growth. Learn more at JDPower.com.

¹JD Power 2026 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study^SM

Source: JD Power