generally managed more at the local level and "profits" theoretically go into returned interest on members' savings accounts. even the staff/employees at the top are likely to reside in the area, so are more likely to be personally invested in and know the people in the CU's region/community. the priority of a CU's senior executives isn't going to be the quarterly NYSE price. from what i've personally seen/looked into, they generally make better loan decisions and have better strength ratings than most banks. i guess it's possible, but CU's don't seem to get involved in big development projects and all that exposure. CU's certainly didn't go as overboard with the lending that created the '07/'08 mortgage meltdown.