Credit Unions in Q3 2025: Stability Returns, Pressures Remain

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In this quarterly roundtable episode of With Flying Colors, Mark Treichel is joined by former NCUA executives Dennis Bauer, Steve Farrar, and Todd Miller to break down the NCUA Q3 2025 Quarterly Credit Union Data Summary.

The discussion highlights a key theme: the credit union system is gradually returning to a more normal operating environment after years of rate shocks, pandemic liquidity, and balance-sheet distortion.

Key topics include improving net interest margins, rising non-interest expenses, and why ROA gains lag margin recovery. The panel examines growing pressure in auto and credit card portfolios, increased repossessions, and what delinquency trends suggest heading into 2026. They also explore liquidity stabilization, shifts in share mix, and renewed investment risk-taking as some credit unions bet on future rate cuts.

Additional insights include CAMEL rating trends, HELOC utilization growth, differences between credit union and community bank performance, and what examiner behavior may look like amid NCUA staffing constraints.

This episode is designed for credit union executives, board members, and risk leaders looking for plain-English interpretation of regulatory data—without spin or hype.