Using The Banking Deserts Map

The Banking Deserts Map in Peer Suite’s Market Share Reporting*, powered by FedCommunities data combined with census and Callahan's branch data, equips credit unions with the insights needed to identify underserved areas. This tool supports the development of targeted strategies to drive growth, enhance community outreach, and foster innovation in regions with limited banking access.

Why Credit Unions Should Explore Banking Deserts

• Membership Growth: Expanding into banking deserts allows credit unions to attract new members. These underserved communities are often in need of alternatives to payday lenders and check-cashing services, aligning with credit unions' mission to support the underserved.
• Community Outreach and Expansion: Banking deserts offer a unique opportunity for credit unions to fill a critical service gap. Whether through opening branches or partnering with local organizations, credit unions can provide essential financial services to these communities.
• Market Opportunities: With limited competition from traditional banks in banking deserts, credit unions can establish themselves as the primary financial service provider, driving sustainable long-term growth and increasing market share.
• Addressing Financial Inclusion: Banking deserts are often home to unbanked or underbanked populations. By entering these areas, credit unions can bridge the gap in financial access, offering services such as checking accounts, loans, and financial education, which empowers individuals and contributes to economic stability.

Explore the Banking Deserts Map below to see how your credit union’s footprint aligns with regional banking deserts, and identify potential areas for expansion.

Navigating the Banking Deserts Map

The Banking Deserts Map is an interactive feature available exclusively at the Plus level of Peer Suite, found in the Market Share Reporting section via the left navigation. Don't have access to Market Share Reporting yet? Contact us to learn more about gaining access.

Begin by Selecting a Comparison Set: This defines the data shown on the Banking Deserts Map. You can include markets to define the area you want to analyze and individual institutions in you want them highlighted on the map.

Key Map Features

• Market Boundaries: Yellow outlines indicate the counties in your selected market(s). Adjust or add markets via your comparison set to focus on specific regions.

• Banking Deserts (Yellow-Shaded Areas): These areas have been identified as banking deserts.
  • According to FedCommunities, a banking desert is a census tract without a physical bank branch within a certain geographic radius from its population center or within the tract itself. That radius is determined by the type of community within which the census tract lies: 2 miles for urban communities, 5 miles for suburban communities, and 10 miles for rural communities.
• Potential Banking Deserts (Dark Grey-Shaded Areas): These areas have been identified as potential banking deserts.
  • FedCommunites defines a potential banking desert as a census tract that will become a banking desert if one bank branch closes within a certain radius from its population center or within the tract itself. That radius is 2 miles for urban communities, 5 miles for suburban communities, and 10 miles for rural communities.
• Branch Pins: The map displays branches with the following pin colors:
  • Navy pins: Your primary's branches
  • Teal pins: Credit Unions called out in your comparison set with branches in your market.
  • Light grey pins: All other credit union branches in your market
  • Red pins: Bank branches in your market.

• Branch & Tract Snapshots: Hover over a branch pin or census tract to see key data points.

• Triangle CU ATM Pins: These represent freestanding credit union ATMs, while in-branch ATMs will appear in the “Branch Snapshot.” ATM data is specific to credit unions.

Below the map, explore census insights connected to your selected market(s)