6. “You Get Convenience” The average credit union might be much smaller than the average bank, but credit unions have a major advantage over banks—they cooperate. Could you imagine banks working together to serve each other’s customers? Keep imagining, because it doesn’t happen. As cooperatives, credit unions work together to better serve their 99 million members. One of the best examples is in the area of convenience. Many credit unions share each other’s ATMs and branch locations and have created a nationwide no-surcharge ATM network and a nationwide shared branch network. These networks are bigger than those of the biggest banks. What does this mean? If you are a member of a credit union in let’s say Wisconsin that participates in the nationwide shared branch network, wherever you travel in the country you can visit a shared branch location and do business at that branch as if you were back home in Wisconsin. That’s pretty cool and powerful! The names on the sign may be different, but the service you get isn’t. The ATM network works the same way, and of course it’s surcharge-free! To find a credit union branch or ATM near you visit www.co-opatm.org and www.co-opsharedbranch.org. 8 15 Reasons You Should Only Bank at a Credit Union