Learn something new during Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrated from September 15 to October 15, this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, or El Mes de la Herencia Hispana, carries a theme that seems to speak directly to the credit union movement—“Honoring our Heritage. Building our Future.” It’s an ideal time to check in on your credit union’s own history of service to the increasingly influential Hispanic consumer segment, as well as your plans for evolving that service for a changing demographic.

This month, make it a point to learn something new about the Hispanic members in your cooperative, as well as those who have not been exposed to the credit union difference. Here are a few questions you may consider asking on your quest to learn more. 

Is the immigration process part of your financial journey?

Many people are surprised to learn that of the country’s more than 54 million Hispanics, most are native-born Americans, and nearly three in four are U.S. citizens. It’s important to acknowledge, however, the 19 million foreign-born Hispanics living and working in the U.S.

Many foreign-born Hispanic individuals have gone through the immigration process to obtain U.S. citizenship, and many others are working on adjusting their status. Others may not be eligible for U.S. immigration status at this time. The immigration process is a time-intensive and costly one, as well as a major part of the lives of many Hispanic immigrants. Credit unions are in an ideal position to help members going through this process with both financial tools and education. In addition, simply understanding how complicated the process is and welcoming individuals of all backgrounds at your credit union can go a long way toward building lasting relationships, establishing trust and making people feel welcome and comfortable doing business with your cooperative.

Which is your preferred language?

Often, credit union leaders interested in adapting their programs for Hispanic consumers are overwhelmed by the misperception they have to begin by translating into Spanish every piece of communication, including websites and disclosures, in their credit union. Thankfully, this is not the case.

It’s true many Hispanics, both U.S. and foreign born, prefer to speak Spanish. In fact, a record 35.8 million Hispanics speak Spanish at home. Yet, a strategic Hispanic growth plan begins by identifying the specific needs of the community and the particular target market a credit union is trying to reach. Initial Spanish-language materials (or better yet, bilingual materials) will only be required for those introductory products and services, and of course, member communications deemed essential to the strategic Hispanic member growth plan.

Often, Spanish-speakers tend to be the foreign-born population, which is also the most untapped and unbanked group. There is a reason large financials like Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank offer Spanish-language services across all of their channels, and even why the government continues to introduce more Spanish-language services and materials. Everyone is trying to reach the most untapped groups because they present the greatest growth opportunity for the majority of businesses.

How can our products improve your financial life?

Product penetration is increasing at a faster rate among Hispanic members as compared to non-Hispanic members. A 2014 analysis of the median annualized product and service growth rates of Hispanic and non-Hispanic members for a group of nearly 30 Coopera credit union clients revealed:

• Checking penetration: The median Hispanic growth rate (5.5%) was more than three times the median growth rate (1.7%) for non-Hispanics.
• Loan penetration: The median growth rate for Hispanics was 4%, higher than the median growth rate for non-Hispanics of 3.4%.
• Services per member: The median growth rate was 1.5% for the Hispanic segment. This is almost twice the median growth rate (0.8%) of the non-Hispanic segment.

This tells us that Hispanic credit union members are interested in ongoing relationships with their cooperatives. Understanding the needs—both today and in the future—of this loyal market can go a long way toward crafting an effective onboarding program. The key is to ensuring your products and services are culturally relevant and meet the needs of the community. If products aren’t adapted to the market, they will not resonate. The good news is you only have to repackage what you have instead of starting from scratch.

To grow, credit unions must make a strategic effort to learn as much as possible about the youngest, fastest-growing and most untapped consumer segment in the U.S. The upcoming celebration of Hispanic heritage presents the perfect opportunity to do precisely that.