Credit unions are full-service financial cooperatives. To become a credit union member, you must purchase shares which can start as low as $1. As a member, you gain access to a variety of financial services including chequing and savings accounts, mortgages, personal and business loans, and investment advice.
Name | Coverage Area | History | Branch, Members & Assets |
---|---|---|---|
Desjardins | QC, ON | 587 Branches, 7,800,000 Members and $488,000,000,000 Assets (All Desjardins entities) | |
Beem Credit Union | BC; Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley | 66 Branches, 193,000 Members and $14,000,000,000 (estimated) Assets | |
Servus Credit Union | AB; Calgary, Edmonton | 140 Branches, 500,000 Members and $29,435,382,000 Assets | |
Vancity Credit Union | BC; Vancouver | 52 Branches, 570,587 Members and $28,360,107,000 Assets | |
Meridian Credit Union | ON; Toronto | 87 Branches, 380,000 Members and $26,649,473,000 Assets | |
Coast Capital Savings (Coopérative de crédit fédérale Coast Capital Savings) | Transnational coverage but branches are only in BC. | 45 Branches, 603,045 Members and $21,941,853,000 Assets | |
First West Credit Union | BC; Southwest regions | 45 Branches, 283,000 Members and $14,262,840,000 Assets | |
Access Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg, Southern regions | 47 Branches, 205,000 Members and $13,432,569,584 Assets | |
Prospera Credit Union | BC; Southwest mainland regions | 24 Branches, 120,000 Members and $10,531,880,000 Assets | |
Steinbach Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg, Steinbach | 3 Branches, 113,000 Members and $10,255,187,138 Assets | |
Assiniboine Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg | 49 Branches, 216,000 Members and $9,600,000,000 Assets | |
Affinity Credit Union | SK; Saskatoon, Regina | 49 Branches, 144,000 Members and $8,276,895,000 Assets | |
Alterna Credit Union | ON; Southwest, West regions | 39 Branches, 206,000 Members and $8,076,763,000 Assets | |
DUCA Credit Union | ON; Southwest regions | 19 Branches, 92,000 Members and $7,547,272,000 Assets | |
Conexus Credit Union | SK; Saskatoon, Regina | 30 Branches, 144,926 Members and $7,360,742,000 Assets | |
FirstOntario Credit Union | ON; Hamilton, Halton, Niagara, Southwest regions | 29 Branches, 126,000 Members and $6,585,532,000 Assets | |
Libro Credit Union | ON; Southwest regions | 34 Branches, 119,416 Members and $6,231,053,000 Assets | |
UNI Financial (UNI Coopération financière) | NB: North, East Regions | 56 Branches, 178,000 Members and $5,256,462,000 Assets | |
Windsor Family Credit Union | ON, Waterloo | 24 Branches, 80,000 Members and $5,200,000,000 Assets | |
Cambrian Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg | 11 Branches, 70,000 Members and $4,987,895,000 Assets | |
Innovation Federal Credit Union | SK; Southern, Central regions | 28 Branches, 67,562 Members and $4,239,955,000 Assets | |
Coastal Community Credit Union | BC; Vancouver Island | 24 Branches, 120,000 Members and $3,400,211,000 Assets | |
Your Neighbourhood Credit Union (YNCU) | ON; Southwest regions | 16 Branches, 53,000 Members and $2,643,145,000 Assets | |
Caisse Populaire Alliance | ON; Northern region | 26 Branches, 55,677 Members and $2,577,729,000 Assets | |
Vision Credit Union | AB; East, Northwest regions | 24 Branches, 37,000 Members and $2,500,000,000 Assets | |
Northern Credit Union | ON; Toronto, Sudbury, Ottawa | 29 Branches, 88,500 Members and $2,493,000,000 Assets | |
Kawartha Credit Union | ON; Southeast regions | 23 Branches, 58,035 Members and $2,315,859,000 Assets | |
Kindred Credit Union | ON; Southwest regions | 8 Branches, 29,340 Members and $2,279,075,000 Assets | |
Cornerstone Credit Union | SK; Southeast regions | 15 Branches, 30,000 Members and $2,126,815,000 Assets | |
Prosperity Credit Union | SK; Southeast regions | 30 Branches, 33,000 Members and $2,100,000,000 Assets | |
Synergy Credit Union | SK; West regions | 12 Branches, 27,000 Members and $2,029,512,000 Assets | |
Sunrise Credit Union | MB; Southwest regions | 19 Branches, 34,763 Members and $1,968,557,847 Assets | |
Kootenay Savings Credit Union | BC; Southeast regions | 11 Branches, 38,000 Members and $1,707,283,000 Assets | |
Provincial Credit Union | PEI; Charlottetown, Stratford, Montague, Stella Maris | 10 Branches, 35,000 Members and $1,617,033,962 Assets | |
Fusion Credit Union | MB; Western regions | 18 Branches, 30,000 Members and $1,551,007,065 Assets | |
East Coast Credit Union | NS; Eastern regions | 20 Branches, 46,814 Members and $1,527,855,040 Assets | |
Tandia Credit Union | ON; Southwest region | 8 Branches, 26,770 Members and $1,456,364,000 Assets | |
Ukrainian Credit Union | ON; Southwest regions | 16 Branches, 29,000 Members and $1,316,357,000 Assets | |
Mainstreet Credit Union | ON; Southwest regions | 10 Branches, 25,000 Members and $1,119,878,931 Assets | |
Credit Union Atlantic Limited | NS; Halifax, Dartmouth, Tantallon | 8 Branches, 20,000 Members and $1,100,000,000 Assets | |
Stride Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg | 5 Branches, 20,000 Members and $1,096,388,200 Assets | |
Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union | BC; Shuswap | 5 Branches, 20,000 Members and $1,054,978,000 Assets | |
Buduchnist Credit Union (BCU) | ON; Southwest regions | 7 Branches, 23,000 Members and $1,037,413,000 Assets | |
Brunswick Credit Union | NB; Saint John, Rothesay | 14 Branches, 42,927 Members and $995,580,392 Assets | |
Sunshine Coast Credit Union | BC; Sechelt, Gibsons, Pender Harbour | 3 Branches, 17,000 Members and $966,379,692 Assets | |
IC Savings & Credit Union | ON; Toronto | 8 Branches, 18,290 Members and $939,239,608 Assets | |
Community Savings Credit Union | BC; Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster, Coquitlam | 7 Branches, 15,000 Members and $921,783,559 Assets | |
Integris Credit Union | BC; Central regions | 9 Branches, 27,000 Members and $900,000,000 Assets | |
1st Choice Savings & Credit Union Ltd | AB; Southern regions | 5 Branches, 18,000 Members and $830,962,319 Assets | |
Khalsa Credit Union | BC; Lower mainland, Victoria | 6 Branches, 23,630 Members and $820,972,295 Assets | |
Penfinancial Credit Union | ON; Niagara | 6 Branches, 19,202 Members and $797,175,344 Assets | |
Northern Savings Credit Union | BC; Queen Charlotte, Prince Rupert, Terrace, Masset | 2 Branches, 17,000 Members and $796,953,998 Assets | |
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union | NL; Southeast region | 12 Branches, 20,000 Members and $783,767,587 Assets | |
Rosenort Credit Union | MB; Rosenort, Altona, Pembina | 3 Branches, 7,045 Members and $765,412,323 Assets | |
Weyburn Credit Union | SK; Weyburn, Yellow Grass, Lang | 3 Branches, 8,047 Members and $734,136,140 Assets | |
StellerVista Credit Union | BC; Kootenay, Boundary regions | 7 Branches, 19,800 Members and $730,851,452 Assets | |
TCU Financial Group | SK; Saskatoon, Regina | 5 Branches, 14,500 Members and $722,088,229 Assets | |
Lakeland Credit Union | AB; Bonnyville, Cold Lake | 2 Branches, 11,200 Members and $714,984,065 Assets | |
First Credit Union | BC; Vancouver Island, Powell River | 8 Branches, 15,000 Members and $672,632,793 Assets | |
Sudbury Credit Union | ON; Sudbury | 6 Branches, 15,000 Members and $608,267,126 Assets | |
Radius Credit Union Ltd | SK; Southern region | 8 Branches, 4,500 Members and $607,430,676 Assets | |
Bow Valley Credit Union | AB; Cochrane, Airdrie, Calgary, Canmore, Banff | 6 Branches, 10,000 Members and $606,023,213 Assets | |
Bulkley Valley Credit Union | BC; New Hazelton, Houston, Burns Lake, Smithers | 4 Branches, 16,000 Members and $597,508,000 Assets | |
Parama Credit Union | ON; Toronto | 2 Branches, 6,000 Members and $591,595,181 Assets | |
Motor City Credit Union | ON; Windsor | 2 Branches, 13,000 Members and $576,509,000 Assets | |
Sharon's Credit Union | BC; Vancouver, Coquitlam, Surrey | 4 Branches, 15,609 Members and $564,816,334 Assets | |
St. Stanislaus-St. Casimir’s Polish Parishes Credit Union Limited | ON; Southeast region | 5 Branches, 17,000 Members and $537,560,000 Assets | |
Niverville Credit Union | MB; Steinbach | 3 Branches, 9,700 Members and $537,153,629 Assets | |
Atlantic Edge | NL; Northwest Newfoundland, Southeast Labrador | 16 Branches, 24,000 Members and $522,971,368 Assets | |
VantageOne Credit Union | BC; Vernon, Okanagan, Armstrong | 4 Branches, 9,598 Members and $484,302,000 Assets | |
Rocky Credit Union | AB; Rocky Mountain House | 1 Branch, 7,597 Members and $473,877,415 Assets | |
Pathwise Credit Union | ON; Oshawa, Bowmanville | 2 Branches, 12,500 Members and $423,713,062 Assets | |
Williams Lake & District Credit Union | BC; Central regions | 3 Branches, 11,797 Members and $414,449,343 Assets | |
Omista Credit Union | NB; Moncton, Fredericton | 4 Branches, 10,503 Members and $412,562,866 Assets | |
Moya Financial Credit Union Limited | ON; Toronto, Hamilton | 2 Branches, 5,373 Members and $405,140,093 Assets | |
Your Credit Union | ON; Ottawa, Cornwall | 4 Branches, 10,000 Members and $393,468,000 Assets | |
Comtech Fire Credit Union Ltd | ON; GTA, East Ontario | 6 Branches, 12,000 Members and $389,462,888 Assets | |
Summerland Credit Union | BC; Summerland | 1 Branch, 7,200 Members and $388,191,844 Assets | |
Lakeview Credit Union | BC; Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd | 3 Branches, 10,500 Members and $374,527,517 Assets | |
Unity Credit Union | SK; Unity | 1 Branch, 4,500 Members and $373,678,569 Assets | |
Crossroads Credit Union | SK; Canora, Preeceville | 4 Branches, 6,800 Members and $373,208,467 Assets | |
Equity Credit Union | ON; Toronto | 1 Branch, 4,200 Members and $370,212,381 Assets | |
Swan Valley Credit Union | MB; Swan River | 2 Branches, 7,000 Members and $367,552,499 Assets | |
Sydney Credit Union | NS; Sydney | 3 Branches, 13,000 Members and $363,294,959 Assets | |
Valley Credit Union | NS: West regions | 7 Branches, 11,000 Members and $340,993,026 Assets | |
Accent Credit Union | SK; Kelvington, Quill Lake, Jansen | 3 Branches, 4,653 Members and $338,993,077 Assets | |
Healthcare & Municipal Employees' Credit Union Limited | ON; Hamilton region | 6 Branches, 11,000 Members and $329,000,000 Assets | |
Consolidated Credit Union | PEI; Summerside | 1 Branch, 8,000 Members and $323,646,627 Assets | |
Nelson And District Credit Union | BC; Nelson | 3 Branches, 10,200 Members and $317,394,218 Assets | |
Biggar & District Credit Union | SK; Biggar, Landis, Perdue | 3 Branches, 3,852 Members and $317,377,620 Assets | |
Ladysmith & District Credit Union | BC; Vancouver Island | 2 Branches, 6,005 Members and $316,745,870 Assets | |
Mosaik Credit Union | NS; North Shore, Annapolis Valley, Southern | 9 Branches, 14,000 Members and $315,000,000 Assets | |
Revelstoke Credit Union | BC; Revelstoke | 2 Branches, 5,000 Members and $280,575,146 Assets | |
Vermilion Credit Union | AB; Vermillion, Mannville | 2 Branches, 4,152 Members and $272,673,185 Assets | |
Christian Credit Union | AB; Edmonton, Lethbridge | 3 Branches, 5,726 Members and $269,341,015 Assets | |
OPPA Credit Union | ON; Barrie | 1 Branch, 8,000 Members and $263,661,340 Assets | |
Lighthouse Credit Union | ON; GTA | 1 Branch and $247,987,332 Assets | |
Raymore Credit Union | SK; Raymore, Dysart | 2 Branches, 3,000 Members and $240,118,147 Assets | |
Belgian Alliance Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg | 3 Branches, 5,000 Members and $239,263,543 Assets | |
Compass Credit Union | MB; South region | 4 Branches, 6,400 Members and $232,960,146 Assets | |
Southwest Credit Union | ON; Sarnia, Corunna, Wyoming, Wallaceburg | 4 Branches, 6,300 Members and $230,755,346 Assets | |
Kingston Community Credit Union (KCCU) | ON; Kingston | 3 Branches, 9,685 Members and $225,063,734 Assets | |
Columbia Valley Credit Union | BC; Golden | 1 Branch, 4,500 Members and $224,163,347 Assets | |
Greater Vancouver Community Credit Union | BC; Lower Mainland | 4 Branches, 5,000 Members and $218,053,826 Assets | |
Winnipeg Police Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg | 2 Branches, 4,100 Members and $216,071,497 Assets | |
Osoyoos Credit Union | BC; Osoyoos | 4 Branches, 4,000 Members and $207,141,902 Assets | |
Ganaraska Credit Union | ON; Cobourg | 2 Branches, 4,100 Members and $201,917,876 Assets | |
Northern Birch Credit Union | ON; Toronto, Hamilton | 3 Branches and $200,887,485 Assets | |
Oshawa Community Credit Union | ON; Oshawa | 1 Branch, 3,200 Members and $144,682,479 Assets | |
Me-Dian Credit Union | MB; Winnipeg | 2 Branches, 3,897 Members and $133,504,648 Assets | |
Souris Credit Union | PEI; Souris | 1 Branch, 3,445 Members and $118,694,239 Assets | |
Turtleford Credit Union | SK; Turtleford | 1 Branch, 2,145 Members and $116,631,789 Assets | |
Sandhills Credit Union | SK; Leader | 1 Branch and $108,697,269 Assets | |
The Energy Credit Union | ON, Southern Region | 3 Branches, 3,800 Members and $91,929,216 Assets | |
St Joseph's Credit Union | NS; Petit-de-Grat | 1 Branch, 3,000 Members and $91,853,489 Assets | |
Bay Credit Union | ON; Thunder Bay | 2 Branches, 4,500 Members and $88,846,811 Assets | |
Beaubear Credit Union | NB; Miramichi | 2 Branches, 4,200 Members and $81,611,908 Assets | |
Public Service Credit Union | NL; St. John's | 1 Branch and $75,579,705 Assets | |
Dundalk District Credit Union | ON; Dundalk, Feversham | 1 Branch, 2,000 Members and $70,932,053 Assets | |
Teachers Plus Credit Union | NS; Bedford | 1 Branch, 2,700 Members and $70,041,080 Assets | |
Morell Credit Union | PEI; Morell | 1 Branch, 2,400 Members and $68,250,142 Assets | |
New Waterford Credit Union | NS; New Waterford | 1 Branch, 2,000 Members and $60,034,857 Assets | |
iNova Credit Union | NS; Halifax | 1 Branch and $56,227,798 Assets | |
Glace Bay Central Credit Union | NS; Glace Bay, Sydney | 1 Branch, 3,750 Members and $45,000,000 Assets | |
Venture Credit Union | NL; Eastern regions | 4 Branches, 3,700 Members and $34,000,000 Assets | |
Korean (Toronto) Credit Union | ON; Toronto | 1 Branch and $27,019,296 Assets | |
Acadian Credit Union | NS; Chéticamp | 1 Branch | |
ABCU Credit Union | AB; Beaumont | 2 Branches, 6,700 Members | |
Cape Breton Credit Union | NS; Sydney, Glace Bay | 2 Branches, 5,700 Members | |
Dominion Credit Union | NS; Dominion | 1 Branch | |
Golden Horseshoe Credit Union | ON; Hamilton | 2 Branches, 3,200 Members | |
NBTA Credit Union | NB; Fredericton | 1 Branch, 4,500 Members | |
Ontario Educational Credit Union | ON; Mississauga | 2 Branches | |
Princess Credit Union | NS; Sydney Mines | 1 Branch |
There are three federally regulated credit unions in Canada:
These federal credit unions are members of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC), meaning your eligible deposits at these two federal credit unions are insured and protected for up to $100,000.
Federal Credit Unions are regulated just like banks are in Canada; they are both regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) and operate under the Bank Act.
Provincial credit unions are regulated by their home provinces. Provincially regulated credit unions are not covered by CDIC deposit insurance but are usually covered by provincial coverage. For example, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) covers eligible deposits at credit unions and at caisses populaires in Ontario for up to $250,000 for non-registered accounts and offers unlimited coverage for registered accounts. Given the location restrictions of credit unions, each province typically has different companies. For a complete list of credit unions, you can view our list.
While credit unions may have limited branches, many credit unions and smaller banks participate in the EXCHANGE Network. If you are a participating credit union member, you can use ATMs at all EXCHANGE ATMs across the country without any fees. In comparison, if you are a big bank customer, you may be charged a fee to use another bank’s ATM.
Some participating credit unions and banks in the network include Alterna Savings, Canadian Western Bank, Coast Capital Savings, DUCA Credit Union, FirstOntario Credit Union, HSBC Bank, ICICI Bank,Laurentian Bank, Manulife, Meridian Credit Union, National Bank, and Vancity Credit Union.
Many credit unions started as closed bond unions, meaning they only service a specific segment. For example, a closed bond credit union would only serve members of a particular profession or religion.
Today, only some closed bond credit unions exist, such as the Ontario Provincial Police Credit Union and various Teachers' unions. However, most of them are open bonded and provide their service to the surrounding neighbourhoods. Given most credit unions operate locally, they have a strong understanding of local first-time home buyer incentives.
All Atlantic Canada credit unions have an agreement that allows members to visit other unions. For example, if you're a Nova Scotia Credit Union member, you can walk into a separate PEI company and receive the same service.
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