Lending is a credit union's primary profit driver. Yes, investments also produce noninterest income, which is a big revenue source, but lending is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to people helping people.
Although credit unions across the country had begun to see increased loan growth through the end of 2012, that loan growth still fell behind competing banks and finance companies. When viewing credit union loan growth in isolation from other lenders, and in combination with share and member growth, it would be easy to surmise that credit unions had found a competitive edge in consumer lending.
