If you missed Becky Summers' session at the XP2 Educational Conference, here's the recap — what the data says about how account holders are changing, and what credit unions should do about it over the next decade.
XP2 Educational Conference 2026 | Friday, June 26
Becky Summers of Raddon, Fiserv's research and strategic-guidance arm, shifted the room's focus from XP2 features to the account holders on the other side of the screen. Her session pulled from Raddon's national consumer research to map out how expectations are shifting, and why the credit union industry's traditional advantages — trust, relationships, local roots — are under more pressure than they used to be.
The demographic numbers were the sharpest wake-up call: the U.S. fertility rate fell to 1.6 children per woman in 2024, an all-time low, and the share of childless women aged 25–29 jumped from 50% to 63%. That shrinks tomorrow's member base at the same time the workforce providing institutional knowledge is aging out. Meanwhile, "primary financial institution" status is fragmenting toward the big three banks — Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo — not because their technology is actually better, Becky argued, but because they market the experience better than credit unions typically do.
"The opportunity is timing, not just positioning. Relationships are still forming with this generational segment — market share is very fluid right now."
Her playbook for winning younger households came down to four moves: own the entry point (first paycheck, first debit card, first digital onboarding), know the member through data rather than guesswork, lead with a fast and frictionless mobile experience, and differentiate on trust and financial guidance rather than rate alone. She also flagged a subtler shift — checking account usage as the definition of "primary" dropped from 54% to 38% since 2020, with mobile app activity now carrying much of that weight instead.
From the Q&A
- Is opening branches in high schools worth it? Becky said they tend to service existing accounts more than open new ones — targeting parents directly is usually the more effective path.
- How do you know when to market to parents? Watch recency, frequency, and spend in transaction data — a new pediatrician charge followed by daycare fees a few weeks later is a reliable signal.
- Where can credit unions learn more? Raddon runs about 20 in-person Roundtable sessions a year around the country, plus a free blog at raddon.com for ongoing research and peer strategy discussion.
Want the full data set, including the generational breakdowns on trust, social media influence, and PFI shifts? It's all in the recording and transcript above.