Why should financial health matter to a bank or credit union, and where's the return?

Because customers expect it and few get it: 80% expect their primary financial institution to help improve their financial health, but only 14% agree strongly that it does. Customers who think their institution supports their financial health are more satisfied, more loyal, and more interested in buying more, and institutions that have acted on it report results in savings, satisfaction, and product adoption.

Do customers really expect this?

Yes. In the Financial Health Network's 2019 Financial Health Pulse® data, 80% of customers said they expect their primary financial institution to help them improve their financial health, and only 14% agreed strongly that it actually does (Financial Health Network, January 2021). That gap is the opening: most institutions aren't yet seen to deliver on something most customers want.

What's in it for the institution?

Customers who think their institution supports their financial health were (Financial Health Network, August 2020):

• 3 times more likely to be "very satisfied" with it;
• 3 times more likely to recommend it, and over twice as likely to expect to stay over the next five years;
• 5 times more likely to report interest in buying additional products and services.

These come from a survey, so they show that the belief goes with better relationships, not that a program causes them. The job is to earn the belief with something real.

What have other institutions done, and what happened?

• BECU (about $29 billion in assets) piloted an emergency savings program: a one-time call with a trained consultant to set goals and automate savings. Participants who automated saw a 34% increase in net savings and an 11.5% increase in dollars deposited at the credit union, compared with a control group (Financial Health Network, December 2023).
• Bank of America judged performance on customer measures such as satisfaction and attrition, not only product results. Between 2015 and 2022, customer satisfaction rose from 74% to 85% and net charge-offs fell by nearly 50%, which the case study attributes to that strategy (Financial Health Network, May 2024). Much else changed in those years, so read this as one bank's account, not a controlled result.
• Virginia Credit Union found its Financially Healthy members adopted 32% more products than its Financially Vulnerable members (Financial Health Network, December 2025).

Is this only for big institutions?

No. The examples run from a regional credit union to one of the largest banks in the country. What they share is the approach: measure customers' financial health, match people to help that fits, and track what happens, for customers and for the business. None of that depends on size.

How do we build the case for our own institution?

• Take a baseline of customer financial health with a validated measure. See how to measure member financial health credibly.
• Pick the business outcomes leadership already watches: retention, product adoption, deposits, satisfaction, or losses.
• Compare like with like, so a result can stand up to your board. See how to prove a financial wellness program works.

How does Attune help?

Attune runs the FinHealth Score® and keeps each person's results over time in the FinHealth Record™, connected to what they were offered and what changed, so the business case can be measured at your institution, not borrowed from someone else's. To work out what yours would look like, book a call.

More answers for measuring financial health and proving programs work: Prove your financial wellness program works.