Credit unions face a growing demographic challenge: attracting younger consumers while serving an existing membership base that trends older. Union Credit is a financial technology company that operates a lending marketplace, connecting consumers with pre-approved loan offers from credit unions. Helping a new generation of consumers discover and engage with these institutions is central to its mission.
Barry Kirby, co-founder and chief revenue officer of Union Credit, focuses on helping consumers discover and engage with credit unions and other community-based financial institutions through digital channels. His work also centers on increasing awareness of the products and services these organizations offer. Since launching in 2023, Union Credit has partnered with Experian to support that effort. What began as an initial pilot has evolved into a broader relationship spanning multiple areas, including data and consumer services. As the partnership has grown, so has Union Credit’s ability to connect consumers with credit unions at scale.
One of Union Credit’s biggest challenges is helping consumers find and understand credit unions in a digital-first environment. Introducing consumers to these institutions requires both visibility and education. Through the Experian mobile app, Union Credit has helped credit unions reach a broader audience through established digital channels. This increases awareness of community-based lending options and makes it easier for consumers to explore alternatives when seeking financial products.
“Through the Experian app, we’re able to help get credit unions in front of roughly 85 to 90 million people digitally and help consumers understand what these local institutions can do for them. It’s a channel we couldn’t have tapped into ourselves.”
Barry Kirby, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Union Credit
For many community financial institutions, building large-scale consumer awareness independently can be difficult due to resource and marketing constraints. By leveraging existing consumer engagement channels, Union Credit helps credit unions extend their reach. It also provides consumers with greater visibility into a broader range of lending options.
Equally important is ensuring consistency between the information used to connect consumers with lenders and the criteria lenders use in their decision-making processes. Union Credit aligns its approach with the same data and credit attributes used by participating financial institutions. This helps reduce potential disconnections, improve matching accuracy and build confidence among lending partners.
The partnership is also grounded in clear communication. Kirby highlighted transparency and setting expectations early as key elements of building a stable, long-term relationship. Rather than attempting to solve every challenge, both organizations focus on their areas of expertise and maintain open communication about capabilities and goals. Ongoing collaboration has also played an important role. Through engagement with Experian teams, advisory boards, and industry events, Union Credit stays connected to emerging industry trends and evolving client needs. These interactions help inform product development and support the company’s ability to evolve alongside the financial institutions and consumers it serves.
The result is a model that benefits both financial institutions and consumers. Credit unions gain greater visibility among potential members, while consumers gain awareness of a wider range of financial products and providers. For Union Credit, creating those connections is key to supporting growth and helping community-based financial institutions remain relevant in an increasingly digital marketplace.
About Union Credit
Union Credit is a digital lending infrastructure and marketplace that connects consumers with pre-approved loan offers from credit unions. By helping credit unions reach borrowers through digital channels, the company supports member growth, expands lending opportunities and increases awareness of community-based financial institutions.
Learn more at https://www.unioncredit.app/
