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Who consumes the credit union subsidies?

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  • Goddard, John
  • McKillop, Donal G.
  • Wilson, John O.S.

Abstract

Credit unions in the United States (US) are exempt (benefit from subsidies) from federal corporate income taxes, which are traditionally justified by their non-profit cooperative status and mission of meeting the financial needs of individuals of modest means. In recent years, the efficacy and fairness of these subsidies has been debated extensively as the traditional demarcation between banks and credit unions and their respective customer bases have blurred. To investigate how credit unions allocate subsidies to various stakeholders, we estimate a structural profit model for matched pairs of credit unions and commercial banks. We find that credit unions use most (approximately 90%) of their tax exemption for the benefit of their membership via above-market deposit interest rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Goddard, John & McKillop, Donal G. & Wilson, John O.S., 2023. "Who consumes the credit union subsidies?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finsta:v:69:y:2023:i:c:s1572308923000761
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfs.2023.101176
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Commercial banks; Credit unions; Profit inefficiency; Tax exempt status;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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