KEMBA Financial Credit Union

What KEMBA Financial Credit Union does

KEMBA Financial Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative headquartered in Gahanna, Ohio, serving individuals, families, and small-to-mid-sized businesses across Central Ohio. Founded in 1933 and recognized by Callahan & Associates as the #1 credit union in Central Ohio on Return to Members, KEMBA operates 12+ branches spanning Franklin, Delaware, and surrounding counties, supplemented by KEMBA Interactive Teller (KIT) kiosks that combine ATM functionality with live video teller service. Its product set spans consumer deposits (checking variants, savings, money market, CDs, IRAs, HSAs, Ohio Homebuyer Plus, Christmas Club, Youth Solutions), consumer lending (auto, mortgage, home equity, personal, student loans and refinancing, Visa credit cards), full business banking (checking, savings, credit cards, term loans, revolving lines of credit, commercial real estate), and wealth management delivered through an LPL Financial partnership.

The underlying technology stack is a standard credit union digital banking platform: a mobile app and online banking portal, the Genesis (Corserv) loan origination system powering online applications across product lines, Coconut Calendar for branch appointment scheduling, CO-OP shared branching for nationwide reach, and Visa/Mastercard card networks. Member experience is supplemented with TruStage insurance, Trust & Will estate planning, iGrad financial wellness content, and a KEMBA Perks referral program.

KEMBA's business model is the classic credit union net interest spread: it earns interest on consumer and commercial loan portfolios (auto, mortgage, home equity, personal, student, business, credit card) and pays interest on member deposits (savings, money market, CDs), with the spread constituting core revenue. Non-interest income is generated through account and transaction fees, credit card interchange, and referral/partner revenue from LPL Financial wealth management, TruStage insurance, and Trust & Will. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-SMB through branch, digital, and workplace channels (notably Mount Carmel Health), with a horizontal segmentation approach that addresses individual consumers, small-to-mid-sized businesses, wealth management clients, young adults and students, and credit rebuilders.

Name

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Legal name

KEMBA Financial Credit Union

Website

https://kemba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

KEMBA Financial Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Gahanna, Ohio, serving individuals, families, and small-to-mid-sized businesses across Central Ohio with deposits, consumer and commercial lending, and wealth management delivered through an LPL Financial partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (52213)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Consumer lending products
• Mortgage and home equity
• Business banking services
• Wealth management advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Loans: KEMBA generates revenue primarily through interest earned on loans including auto loans, mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, and business loans. Interest rates vary by product and creditworthiness.
2. Deposit Interest Paid: As a credit union, KEMBA pays interest on member deposits including savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates. The spread between loan interest earned and deposit interest paid represents core revenue.
3. Fee Income: Various fees including overdraft fees, ATM fees (waived with certain accounts), and other service charges generate non-interest income.
4. Wealth Management Services: Through partnership with LPL Financial, KEMBA offers wealth management, investment, and insurance products generating referral and partnership revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KEMBA Financial Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative providing deposit, lending, and wealth management products to consumers and businesses in Central Ohio. Core offerings include checking, savings, money market, and certificate accounts; auto, mortgage, home equity, personal, student, and credit card loans; and business banking with commercial lending. Wealth management, insurance, and estate planning services are delivered through partnerships with LPL Financial, TruStage, and Trust & Will.

Product overview

KEMBA Financial Credit Union is a Central Ohio credit union offering a comprehensive suite of banking and lending products through a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core digital experience centers on Digital Banking (online and mobile banking), supported by a full range of deposit products (Checking Accounts with four variants, Savings Accounts, Money Market, Certificates, IRAs, and HSAs) and lending products (Auto Loans, Mortgage Loans, Home Equity Products, Personal Loans, Student Loans with refinancing, and Credit Cards). Business banking includes dedicated checking, savings, credit cards, and commercial lending. Wealth Management services including mutual funds, retirement planning, and managed accounts are delivered through an LPL Financial partnership. The product portfolio is rounded out by specialized savings (Ohio Homebuyer Plus, Christmas Club, Youth Solutions), the KEMBA Advantage loyalty program, KIT Interactive Teller kiosks, financial calculators, and educational resources including TruStage Insurance and Trust & Will estate planning tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KEMBA Wealth Management: Wealth management division offering investment planning, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance, and financial advisory services through partnership with LPL Financial.

Products and services

• Checking Accounts Multiple personal checking account options including Hassle-Free Checking, High Performance Checking, Elements Checking (for teens ages 14-17), and Fresh Start Checking for credit rebuilders. Includes free bill pay, surcharge-free ATM access, shared branching, and instantly issued debit cards.
• Savings Accounts Traditional savings accounts with $5 minimum to open, competitive interest rates, and direct deposit options that establish credit union membership.
• Money Market Accounts

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 50,000+ surcharge-free ATMs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LPL FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationKEMBA Wealth Management partners with LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC), to offer securities and advisory services. LPL Financial registered representatives provide investment management, retirement planning, and insurance products through KEMBA Wealth Management. Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL while KEMBA provides the client relationship and referrals.
• Credit Union Student ChoicecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Credit Union Student Choice to provide private student loans and student loan refinancing products. Student Choice handles the loan origination platform and servicing, while KEMBA offers these products to its members. Also provides financial wellness resources through Student Choice's iGrad platform.
• Mount Carmel HealthminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkplace banking partnership. The Reynoldsburg branch specifically opened in 2010 to serve Mount Carmel Health employees located at Mount Carmel East and other nearby offices. KEMBA provides employee banking services and financial benefits programs for Mount Carmel staff.
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationKEMBA issues Visa-branded credit cards including Platinum Rewards Visa and Visa Signature cards, and Visa debit cards. Uses Visa payment network for card processing and transactions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• CO-OP Financial Services: Credit union service organization operating the shared-branching network to which KEMBA belongs (5,500+ shared branches). Indirect peer as an infrastructure/ecosystem provider that extends KEMBA's effective distribution without KEMBA-owned branches.
• LPL Financial: Independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor powering KEMBA Wealth Management's investment, retirement, and advisory offerings. Adjacent ecosystem participant providing the wealth-management back office KEMBA relies on rather than competing directly.

Direct peers

• Connexus Credit Union: Mid-size community credit union with strong digital-banking capabilities, comparable member-owned business model, and a full product suite from deposits to mortgages to wealth management. Comparable as a similarly scaled modern community CU operating in a defined geographic footprint.
• BCU (Baxter Credit Union): Mid-to-large community credit union serving a defined membership-base with consumer lending, mortgages, and digital-first banking. Comparable scale and full product breadth make BCU a useful benchmark for KEMBA's growth and digital roadmap.
• Security Service Federal Credit Union: Federally chartered, member-owned community credit union with strong deposit, mortgage, and business banking offerings. Similar cooperative structure and product breadth to KEMBA, useful as a peer for operational and digital maturity benchmarks.
• Wright-Patt Credit Union: Ohio-based community credit union headquartered near Dayton with a comparable full-service consumer and business banking product suite. Highly relevant as a fellow Ohio cooperative competing for employer partnership and deposit share across the broader Central/Western Ohio corridor.
• America First Credit Union: Large community credit union offering a comparable suite of consumer, mortgage, business, and wealth products under member-owned cooperative structure. Useful peer for assessing scale economies and product-pricing benchmarks.
• Day Air Credit Union: Dayton, Ohio area credit union of similar mid-size scale, offering consumer deposits, mortgage, business banking, and wealth advisory. Comparable in mission, structure, and product breadth, and a direct competitor for members living along the I-70 corridor between Dayton and Columbus.

Broad incumbents

• Huntington National Bank: Large Columbus, Ohio headquartered commercial bank with extensive Central Ohio retail presence and full-service consumer/business banking. Direct geographic competitor offering comparable deposits, lending, and digital products as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Chase Bank: National megabank with significant Central Ohio retail and business banking presence. Not a like-structure peer but a critical competitive incumbent whose digital capabilities and brand set the customer-experience bar KEMBA must clear.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KEMBAfinancial
• Facebookfacebook.com/kembafinancial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kemba-financial-credit-union
• Instagraminstagram.com/kembafinancial
• Xx.com/kembafinancial

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 KEMBA Financial Credit Union