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Credit Union Member Benefits: Does Local Religiosity Matter?

Travis Davidson et al.

Journal of Financial Services Research2025https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-025-00451-3article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.37

Abstract

We examine the impact of religiosity on credit union member benefits and document a positive association between local religiosity and member benefits. Members of credit unions in more religious counties enjoy lower interest rates on loans, higher interest rates on deposits, and consequently lower interest spreads. The effect varies by credit union types, and results suggest a stronger association between religiosity and member benefits for credit unions with a narrower field of membership. Further analysis indicates local religiosity is associated with improved operating performance, lower non-interest expenses, and higher quality earning assets, but increased liquidity risk. The results are robust to various model specifications, subsamples, and economic conditions.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-025-00451-3

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@article{travis2025,
  title        = {{Credit Union Member Benefits: Does Local Religiosity Matter?}},
  author       = {Travis Davidson et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Financial Services Research},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10693-025-00451-3},
}

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Credit Union Member Benefits: Does Local Religiosity Matter?

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.