Question: Why don’t credit unions do more commercial lending? It seems that their members who are small business owners might appreciate having the opportunity to keep all their funds in their credit union.

Answer: Credit unions have made “commercial” loans since their inception. These loans have traditionally been low-dollar amounts to member business owners and farmers. Due to regulatory requirements, credit unions are limited in the number of member business loans they can provide. Credit unions have long been working with Congress to pass a law that would allow them to improve their ability to serve their own members who have previously turned to the credit union for their financial service needs.