For-Profit Investors Take Note: Non-Profit Credit Unions are Ready to Borrow
To borrow from the great line purportedly uttered by late Sen. Everett Dirksen about spending in Washington – “a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money” – credit unions are taking huge advantage of their regulator’s relaxed position on the highly profitable not-for-profits by raising hundreds of millions of dollars a quarter from hedge funds and other for-profit investors in the form of subordinated debt.
Large Credit Unions (and Their Logos) Are Here, There, Everywhere
Large credit unions continue using their profits to snatch up naming rights for buildings and stadiums across the nation. Plenty of companies do the same thing, but unlike those businesses, credit unions were given a special tax-exempt status so they could use their earnings to better serve consumers of modest means, not to build their brand. When will regulators and lawmakers finally start to take notice of this troubling trend?