Guides
Credit union rates: what a quote is worth to you
Independent site, not the NCUA, a credit union or a bank. General information, not financial advice.
Type the two rates you were quoted. The tool shows the monthly payment and the cost of the gap over the life of the loan.
What does a lower loan rate save?
Saved over the loan
$1,698
| Monthly payment at the first rate | $608 |
| Monthly payment at the second rate | $580 |
Enter the rates you are quoted: the defaults are examples, not market rates.
Rates at credit unions differ from one institution to another and from one product to another, so a single national figure will not tell you what you would pay. The NCUA publishes a table of average rates at credit unions and banks for 23 products, from data supplied by S&P Global Market Intelligence, and we link to it without copying it, since that data belongs to a private supplier. When we read the page on November 2, 2026, its latest table was for December 2025, so it gives the shape of the market and not a current quote. The quarterly filings report loans and income, not the rate on offer, which is why our tables have no rate column. The way to get a usable answer is to ask two lenders and enter their quotes above. On a $30,000 loan over 60 months, a two-point gap comes to about $1,699.
What is a higher savings rate worth?
Extra interest
$1,249
| At the first rate | $606 |
| At the second rate | $1,855 |
Enter the rates you are quoted: the defaults are examples, not market rates.
Filings read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Why a filing has no rate column
The Call Report asks what a credit union holds and earns: loans by type, shares, interest income, dividends paid. It does not ask what rate you would be quoted on Tuesday. A rate on a car loan depends on your credit score, the age of the car, the term and sometimes on whether you sign up for autopay. Any single figure we printed for a credit union would be wrong for most people who read it. What the filing can do is tell you whether the institution offering a low rate is on solid ground.
Reading a quote
Ask each lender for the APR on a loan and the APY on savings, on the same terms, and read the conditions that come with them. For a certificate, ask about the term and any penalty for early withdrawal.
It helps to ask for the quote in writing, on the same day, from each lender, for the same amount and term. Then enter the rates in the tool. The payment difference is what you notice each month, and the total is what you would keep over the life of the loan if you stayed to the end. If you plan to sell the car or repay early, the real saving is smaller.
What moves a credit union’s rates
The federal consumer site describes credit unions as not-for-profit institutions that return surplus income to their members. How that is shared between rates, fees and capital differs at each one. The file does not show that split. Earnings on assets, a line in our tools, offer a hint, with Members 1st Federal Credit Union at 2.38% among the 100 largest this quarter, against a national net income of about $22.4B a year at the current pace. The comparison lets you put two together.
Where to go next
For the averages, read the NCUA’s page, and note the date on the table you are looking at. For a choice between two institutions, the credit union and bank comparison sets out what else differs. For the question of whether you can join one, start with the steps. Nothing here is an offer of credit, and we hold no list of lenders to pass your details to.