Atomic Credit Union

What Atomic Credit Union does

Atomic Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative financial institution headquartered at 711 Beaver Creek Road, Piketon, Ohio, serving members who live, work, or worship across 19 chartered counties in southeastern Ohio. Founded in 1955 and operating with 101-250 employees, the credit union runs an 18-branch retail network alongside a digital banking platform (iOS and Android mobile apps, online banking portal, mobile deposit, card controls, and Apple Pay / Google Pay / Samsung Pay integration), with MeridianLink powering online loan applications. Its product set spans consumer deposit accounts (savings, checking, money market, certificates, HSA, IRA), youth accounts, a full lending book (auto, mortgage, home equity, personal, agricultural, business, operating lines of credit, and Sallie Mae-routed student loans), and Visa Platinum credit and debit card products, plus merchant services for business members. The institution is NCUA-insured (NMLS 412622) and is governed as a member cooperative with Thomas D. Griffiths as President and CEO.

The credit union's defining strategic asset is the Student-Run Credit Union Program, launched in 2011 with three branches in Jackson City Schools and now operating over 100 student-run branches across 39 school districts in 14 southeastern Ohio counties. During the 2025-2026 school year, 1,094 student volunteer employees processed 42,601 transactions and helped students save $342,013.37. Adjacent programs include the Barnyard Buckaroo youth agricultural loan product (up to $2,500 at 1% APR for 4-H/FFA members), $500 annual college scholarships, and community donations ($41,500 in 2025). The program's policy impact was formalized in 2025 when Ohio Governor DeWine signed the HB 276 amendment allowing students to satisfy financial-literacy graduation requirements through credit-union student branches.

Atomic's business model is conventional for a community credit union: primary revenue from interest income on consumer, mortgage, auto, agricultural, business, and student loans; secondary revenue from deposit account fees, overdraft protection, wire transfers, credit-card interchange, and merchant services. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through community relationship banking — physical branches, school-based student-run branches, and digital self-service tools. No public revenue or asset figures are disclosed; a 2023 CDFI Fund award of $3.7M and 2025 Treasury/OCC roundtable participation with Federal Reserve, NCUA, and FDIC leadership indicate elevated external engagement despite the institution's rural, community-scale profile.

Name

Atomic Credit Union

Legal name

Atomic Credit Union, Inc.

Website

https://atomiccu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Atomic Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative credit union headquartered in Piketon, Ohio, serving personal, youth, small-business, and agricultural members across 19 southeastern Ohio counties through 18 branches and a digital banking platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (52213), Credit Card Issuing (522210)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Credit Cards & Revolving Credit (FSABAAAC), Student Credit Cards (FSAKABAG)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Consumer lending
• Credit union membership
• Commercial lending
• Community banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Piketon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Loans: Primary revenue source from mortgage loans, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, and credit cards. The credit union earns interest on all lending products including student loans (through Sallie Mae partnership), agricultural loans, and commercial real estate loans.
2. Deposit Account Fees and Services: Fees from checking accounts, overdraft protection services, wire transfers, and account maintenance. Also includes money market accounts and certificate accounts that generate fee income.
3. Credit Card interchange and fees: Revenue from Visa Platinum Credit Cards and Business Credit Cards including interchange fees and annual/card fees where applicable.
4. Business Banking Services: Merchant services for business clients, business checking accounts, operating lines of credit, and commercial lending products including equipment financing and real estate loans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Atomic Credit Union provides deposit accounts (savings, checking, money market, certificates, IRAs, HSAs, youth accounts), consumer and commercial lending (auto, mortgage, home equity, personal, business, agricultural, operating lines of credit), credit and debit cards (Visa Platinum, student cards, business cards), merchant services, and digital banking. Its signature offering is the Student-Run Credit Union Program, operating more than 100 school-based branches across 39 southeastern Ohio school districts that deliver hands-on financial literacy to students.

Product overview

Atomic Credit Union is a financial services institution offering a comprehensive suite of deposit accounts, lending products, and digital banking services for personal and business members in southeastern Ohio. The core offering centers on savings and checking accounts (including youth accounts and IRAs) alongside diverse lending products spanning auto loans, mortgages, home equity, personal loans, and business financing. Card products include Visa Platinum credit cards with rewards programs and debit cards with mobile wallet integration. The institution distinguishes itself through the Student-Run Program, operating nearly 100 school-based credit union branches that provide hands-on financial education. Additional offerings include agricultural lending through the Barnyard Buckaroo Program, health savings accounts, certificates with competitive rates, and digital banking via iOS and Android mobile apps. Business services encompass checking, savings, loans, lines of credit, and merchant services. The credit union supplements its products with financial education resources including calculators, articles, and how-to videos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Student-Run Credit Union Program: A financial literacy and experiential learning program operated inside local schools, managed by student volunteers with Atomic Credit Union employee supervision. Features student-run branches inside schools.
• Barnyard Buckaroo Program
• Student-Run Branch

Products and services

• Savings Account
• Certificates (CDs)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
• Money Market Accounts
• Checking Account
• Youth Accounts
• Auto Loans
• Mortgage Loans
• Home Equity Loans and Lines of Credit
• Personal Loans
• Sallie Mae Student Loan
• Visa Platinum Credit Card
• Debit Mastercard
• Visa Prepaid Gift Cards
• Student Credit and Debit Cards
• Business Savings Account
• Business Certificate Account
• Business Checking Account
• Business Loans
• Operating Lines of Credit
• Agricultural Lending
• Business Credit Card
• Merchant Services
• Digital Banking
• Student-Run Credit Union Program
• Barnyard Buckaroo Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Student-Run Program Impact: 1,094 student volunteers processed 42,601 transactions and helped students save $342,013.37 during 2025-2026 school year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, founding partner and core partners.

• U.S. Department of the TreasuryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Atomic Credit Union President/CEO Thomas Griffiths participated in national financial literacy roundtable hosted by Treasury and OCC, contributing to discussions on financial education policy and the future of financial literacy initiatives.
• Jackson City Schoolsfounding partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Jackson City Schools was Atomic Credit Union's first school district partner, opening the first three Student-Run Credit Union branches in elementary schools in 2011. Atomic was the first in Ohio to open a Student-Run Credit Union within an elementary school.
• 39 Southeastern Ohio School Districtscore partnersStrategic or Co-development Partner39 school districts across 14 southeastern Ohio counties (Athens, Clinton, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton) partner with Atomic Credit Union for the Student-Run Program. Districts include Bright Local Schools, Bloom-Vernon Local Schools, and others.
• 4-H and FFA (Youth Agricultural Organizations)core partnersStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 4-H and Future Farmers of America to support youth agricultural borrowers through the Barnyard Buckaroo Program, enabling students to finance market animal projects for fair competitions.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kemba Financial Credit Union: Ohio-headquartered community credit union offering a similar consumer and business deposit, lending, and digital banking product mix to members in and around central/southern Ohio. Comparable size, charter type, and community focus make it the closest direct peer.
• Pathways Financial Credit Union: Central Ohio community credit union with a comparable member-owned structure, consumer and business banking suite, and digital channels. Similar size tier and Ohio-based community-CU operating model.
• Telhio Credit Union: Ohio-based community credit union offering consumer, business, and mortgage lending to members across central and southern Ohio. Similar community-cooperative model and rural/small-city market overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Wright-Patt Credit Union: One of the largest credit unions in Ohio, headquartered in Beavercreek with a broad consumer and business banking product set across southwestern Ohio. Comparable geography and product mix, but substantially larger scale.
• America First Credit Union: Large community-oriented credit union with deep student/youth banking and financial-literacy programs, branch networks, and consumer/business lending. Comparable community CU positioning and youth-engagement focus, though at materially larger scale.
• BECU (Boeing Employees Credit Union): Large member-owned community credit union with a comprehensive consumer and business product suite, digital banking, and financial education programs. Comparable cooperative structure and community-bank mission, though at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union: California credit union serving school employees and the education community, with a comparable affinity-segment strategy and member-base focus on educators. Useful peer for benchmarking education/community-based acquisition motions.
• Greenlight Financial Education: Fintech offering youth debit cards, financial education, and parent-managed banking. While not a credit union, it competes for the same youth/student banking segment that Atomic's Student-Run Program cultivates.

Regional players

• Mountain America Credit Union: Member-owned credit union offering consumer, business, mortgage, and youth financial education products across a regional footprint. Comparable community-cooperative model and youth financial literacy emphasis, but operating in a different geography (Intermountain West).

Others

• Banzai: Financial literacy platform used by schools and credit unions to deliver classroom financial education. Not a direct competitor, but a partner/adjacent in the same youth financial literacy category that anchors Atomic's Student-Run Program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Atomic_CU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@atomiccreditunion153
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtomicCreditUnion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atomiccreditunion
• Instagraminstagram.com/atomiccreditunion

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atomic Credit Union