A credit union can be a fine choice. Just don't assume it's automatically the better deal. A few things are worth knowing before you commit: - The box is fixed. Banks and credit unions each lend inside their own set of programs. If your credit score, down payment, or debt-to-income ratio doesn't fit that box, they either can't do the loan or the terms suffer, and there's nowhere else for them to send it. - The training differs. Loan officers at banks and credit unions are typically registered with the NMLS (the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System) but trained internally by the institution, rather than independently licensed and tested the way an independent mortgage originator is. Many are less deeply versed in the full range of loan options. - The hours are bankers' hours. Which is rarely when you're out looking at homes on a night or weekend. - Portfolio lending is rarer than people think. Most credit unions don't lend their own portfolio money, so despite being member-owned and not-for-profit, they're unlikely to have unique programs or meaningfully better terms than the broader market. Exceptions exist. We have seen a small credit union do a portfolio 20-year loan on better terms than we could match, but that happens rarely. The move is simple: compare the actual offer against a competing quote instead of assuming the credit union wins by default.