Email remains a heavy lifter for credit unions, whether it’s member notices, statements, loan workflows, or vendor coordination. That’s exactly why impersonation keeps paying, with the National Credit Union Association (NCUA) warning that all credit unions and vendors are active targets for phishing and social engineering, and urges rapid incident reporting when attacks hit. When a spoof lands, you’re not just dealing with fraud; you’re risking member trust, exam findings, and operational disruption. The fix? Clearer visibility and confident deployment of DMARC enforcement.
In a recent sector-wide analysis by Red Sift, the door remains wide open for spoofing attempts, with 74% (from 580 unions analyzed) yet to implement the strictest form of DMARC enforcement (p=reject).
Sector snapshot: 580 federally insured credit unions
Our DMARC readout of 580 credit unions shows:
- p=reject: 151 (26.0%) — blocks spoofed mail at the door
- p=quarantine: 119 (20.5%) — suspicious mail goes to spam
- p=none: 218 (37.6%) — spoofable mail still delivers
- No DMARC: 92 (15.9%) — no published protection
The takeaway? 53.5% of credit unions are effectively unprotected (no DMARC or p=none). Fewer than one in three (26.0%) are fully protected at p=reject; 20.5% have some level of protection (quarantine) but are still open to spoofing attempts.
How this compares to other financial institutions
In Red Sift’s recent analysis of the 510 largest U.S. commercial banks, 41.2% enforced at p=reject, well ahead of credit unions at 26.0%. Credit unions are trailing the broader sector on DMARC enforcement, widening the window for phishing and business email compromise.
Why the gap matters now
- Ongoing disruptions are real: Patelco Credit Union shut down digital banking and call centers for several days after a June 2024 ransomware attack; the credit union later confirmed data theft affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
- Third-party outages ripple fast: A 2023 ransomware hit on Trellance’s Ongoing Operations knocked approximately 60 credit unions offline, an example of supply chain risk unique to cooperative ecosystems.
- Fresh incidents keep coming: In August 2025, Connex Credit Union reported a breach impacting roughly 172,000 people, with exposed personal and financial data, a prime fuel for targeted phishing.
Why the gap persists
It’s not just implementing the right technology, visibility and confidence also remain an issue. Sender sprawl across core banking, statements, marketing and mortgage systems makes mapping hard. Fear of blocking statements or payroll stalls teams at p=none. Extensible Markup Language (XML) reports pile up without automation or clear workflows. Vendor mail often goes out unauthenticated or misaligned, extending the attack surface.
It’s not just about security, but mitigating member impact
Reaching p=reject reduced fraud risk and inbox noise. Members judge credibility one message at a time; letting look-alike emails through is a reputational liability credit unions can’t afford. With 74% of US credit unions still spoofable, DMARC enforcement is now table stakes. That’s why Red Sift OnDMARC is the essential solution for credit unions. OnDMARC delivers the visibility, automation, and vendor alignment needed to overcome sender sprawl and confidently reach p=reject without operational disruption.
By partnering with Red Sift, credit unions can close the spoofing gap quickly, protect members’ trust, and stay ahead of examiners’ expectations. Get started today by understanding your current DMARC status with our free Investigate tool. You’ll get insights and clear next steps to ensure you can stay ahead of emerging email spoofing threats.
