Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Credit Unions vs Payday Loans in North Carolina
57 credit unions are headquartered in North Carolina, with 5,235,077 members in total. 29 are federal credit unions and 28 are state-chartered; all are federally insured by the NCUA.
- Credit unions
- 57
- Members
- 5.2M
- Federal
- 29
- State-chartered
- 28
- Members per 100 people
- 49
- CUs per 100k people
- 0.5
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in North Carolina
North Carolina has 231 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 57 credit unions headquartered here — about 4.1 loan stores for every credit union. Local credit unions count 5,235,077 members — roughly 49 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
57
0.5 per 100k residents
5.2M members
Payday & loan stores
231
2.2 per 100k residents
5 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in North Carolina: OneMain Financial (88), Lendmark Financial Services (65), Mariner Finance (39), ACE Cash Express (34), loanDepot (5).
Borrowing $500 for 6 months in North Carolina
| Option | Payment | Total cost of borrowing |
|---|---|---|
| Installment loan at the North Carolina rate cap (15% APR) | $87.02/mo | $22.10 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR) | $90.27/mo | $41.62 |
| Payday loan renewed every 2 weeks (typical $15 per $100, not available in North Carolina) | $75.00 every 2 weeks | $975.00 |
- Monthly payment at the North Carolina rate cap vs median monthly household income
- 1.4%
Example calculation with fixed monthly payments; the payday row shows typical out-of-state pricing for comparison. Actual rates and terms vary by lender.
What it means for a household in North Carolina
- Median household income
- $74,061
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.0 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 16.3%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 13.2%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for North Carolina are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in North Carolina
| Payday loan in NC | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Not allowed — storefront payday loans are banned | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Rate cap | Capped at 15% APR | Up to 28% |
| Term | Usually 2–4 weeks, due in one payment | 1 to 12 months, in installments |
| Credit check | Usually none; a bank account and income are required | Membership required; payments can be reported to credit bureaus |
Payday rules: North Carolina law as summarized on our North Carolina payday page. PAL rules: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) rules for federal credit unions (PAL I and PAL II); state-chartered credit unions may offer similar small loans.
Credit unions by city in North Carolina
Credit unions are headquartered in 29 cities and towns across North Carolina. Pick a city for addresses and websites, or scroll down for the smaller towns.
All credit unions in North Carolina
| Credit union | Headquarters | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Employees' Credit UnionState-chartered | Raleigh | 2,978,851 | ncsecu.org |
| Civic Federal Credit UnionFederal | Raleigh | 349,847 | civicfcu.org |
| Coastal Federal Credit UnionFederal | Raleigh | 345,251 | coastal24.com |
| Truliant Federal Credit UnionFederal | Winston Salem | 333,731 | truliant.org |
| Allegacy Federal Credit UnionFederal | Winston Salem | 185,077 | allegacy.org |
| Self-Help Federal Credit UnionFederal | Durham | 145,117 | self-help.org |
| Latino Community Credit UnionState-chartered | Durham | 125,782 | latinoccu.org |
| Skyla Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charlotte | 112,990 | skylacu.com |
| Self-Help Credit UnionState-chartered | Durham | 100,933 | self-help.org |
| Marine Federal Credit UnionFederal | Jacksonville | 77,115 | marinefederal.org |
| Members Credit UnionState-chartered | Winston Salem | 47,453 | memcu.com |
| Champion Credit UnionState-chartered | Canton | 36,123 | championcu.com |
| Fort Bragg Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fayetteville | 35,348 | myfortlibertyfcu.org |
| Telco Community Credit UnionState-chartered | Candler | 34,980 | telcoccu.com |
| Carolinas Telco Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charlotte | 31,566 | ctelco.org |
| Mountain Credit UnionState-chartered | Waynesville | 31,225 | mountaincu.org |
| Summit Credit UnionState-chartered | Greensboro | 30,746 | summitcu.org |
| Piedmont Advantage Credit UnionState-chartered | Winston Salem | 27,779 | pacu.com |
| First Flight Federal Credit UnionFederal | Cary | 20,560 | efirstflight.com |
| Duke University Federal Credit UnionFederal | Durham | 15,561 | dukefcu.org |
| Lion's Share Federal Credit UnionFederal | Salisbury | 12,578 | lionsharecu.org |
| American Partners Federal Credit UnionFederal | Reidsville | 11,303 | apfcu.com |
| Nova Credit UnionState-chartered | Charlotte | 11,107 | novacu.com |
| R T P Federal Credit UnionFederal | Rtp | 9,312 | rtpfcu.org |
| Bragg Mutual Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fayetteville | 9,152 | braggmutual.org |
| Carolina Cooperative Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charlotte | 8,490 | carolinacu.com |
| Carolina Federal Credit UnionFederal | Cherryville | 7,435 | carolinafcu.org |
| Electel Cooperative Federal Credit UnionFederal | Raleigh | 7,381 | electel.org |
| Telco Credit UnionState-chartered | Tarboro | 6,645 | telcu.com |
| Welcome Federal Credit UnionFederal | Morrisville | 6,330 | welcomecu.org |
| Vision Financial Federal Credit UnionFederal | Durham | 6,064 | vffcu.org |
| North Carolina Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Goldsboro | 5,869 | nccfcu.org |
| Revity Federal Credit UnionFederal | Greensboro | 5,866 | revityfcu.org |
| Healthshare Credit UnionState-chartered | Greensboro | 5,727 | healthsharecu.org |
| Weyco Community Credit UnionState-chartered | Plymouth | 5,691 | weycocreditunion.com |
| Acclaim Federal Credit UnionFederal | Greensboro | 5,053 | acclaimfcu.org |
| Shuford Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hickory | 4,374 | shufordcu.org |
| Wnc Community Credit UnionState-chartered | Waynesville | 4,038 | wncccu.org |
| Greater Kinston Credit UnionState-chartered | Kinston | 3,833 | greaterkcu.org |
| Emergency Responders Credit UnionState-chartered | Winston Salem | 3,380 | — |
| Blue Flame Credit UnionState-chartered | Charlotte | 3,036 | blueflamecu.com |
| Charlotte Fire Department Credit UnionState-chartered | Charlotte | 3,016 | cfdcu.org |
| Cs Credit UnionState-chartered | Catawba | 2,841 | csnccreditunion.org |
| Mcdowell Cornerstone Credit UnionState-chartered | Marion | 2,687 | mcdowellcornerstone.com |
| First Carolina People's Credit UnionState-chartered | Goldsboro | 2,163 | fcpcu.com |
| Hsm Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hickory | 2,137 | hsmsfcu.com |
| Oteen V. A. Federal Credit UnionFederal | Asheville | 2,109 | oteencreditunion.com |
| Tcp Credit UnionState-chartered | Rural Hall | 2,099 | tcpcu.org |
| Lithium Federal Credit UnionFederal | Bessemer City | 1,619 | lithiumfcu.com |
| Allvac Savings and Credit UnionState-chartered | Monroe | 1,464 | allvaccu.com |
| Greensboro Credit UnionState-chartered | Greensboro | 1,420 | revityfcu.org |
| Guco Credit UnionState-chartered | Greenville | 1,383 | gucocu.org |
| North Carolina Press Association Federal Credit UnionFederal | Raleigh | 1,291 | ncpress.com |
| Arcade Credit UnionState-chartered | Asheville | 761 | arcadecu.com |
| Internal Revenue Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Greensboro | 723 | irefcu-ncsc.com |
| Texas Gulf Carolina Emp Credit UnionState-chartered | Aurora | 385 | — |
| Mount Vernon Baptist Church Credit UnionState-chartered | Durham | 280 | mvbcdurham.org |
Credit unions in smaller towns of North Carolina
Other cities and towns in North Carolina where credit unions are headquartered, and how many there are in each.
- Aurora 1
- Bessemer City 1
- Candler 1
- Canton 1
- Catawba 1
- Cherryville 1
- Kinston 1
- Marion 1
- Morrisville 1
- Plymouth 1
- Reidsville 1
- Rtp 1
- Rural Hall 1
- Tarboro 1
- Waynesville 2
Credit unions are listed in the city of their headquarters; many have branches in other cities and accept members from across the state or the country, so members per 100 people is an approximation.