Helping members tackle debt and unique challenges

Credit unions across the country are using financial counseling programs to help members pay off debt, save for the future, and afford homes. In just one example, Colorado-based Ent Credit Union has already helped members pay off more than $700,000 in debt in the first half of 2025 alone.  

The credit union has certified 140 Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors through a customized in-house version of the Financial Counseling Certification Program (FiCEP). The coaching program runs at nearly all of Ent’s 60 branches, and virtual coaching is also available. Top coaching topics include budgeting (29.7%), debt management (24.8%), credit building or rebuilding (each at 11.9%), and savings (11.9%).  

The latest America’s Credit Unions blog features how Ent’s financial coaching program meets the growing financial needs of its community, with additional stories from Michigan and Hawaii in separate blog posts.

Michigan’s Team One Credit Union focused on building relationships with financial guidance at the core of their efforts. A key part of that effort was training staff as FiCEP-certified counselors to support, advise, and advocate for members, and those efforts are paying off.  

In Hawaii, only one in five households on the island of Kaua’i can afford to buy a home. Other state-mandated upgrades provide challenges for those already in a home. Kaua'i Federal Credit Union is addressing the island's housing affordability crisis for Native Hawaiians with uniquely tailored programs to help residents, one household at a time.

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