09/16/26

Stadium naming rights are not, by themselves, the issue. What they reveal about the modern credit union business model is.

Ohio does not have to look far to see the trend. Credit union names now appear on baseball parks in Akron, Dayton and Niles, a major concert venue in Columbus, and athletic facilities in Trotwood and Chillicothe. Several of these agreements are recent, including two separate baseball-venue naming deals by the same credit union and an extension keeping a credit union name on the Dayton Dragons’ ballpark through 2040.

As this new American Bankers Association resource explains, tax-exempt credit unions spent more than $155 million on advertising and promotions in the first quarter of 2026 alone. Nationally, they also account for roughly one-third of the 15 largest college-sports naming-rights agreements.

At the same time, large credit unions are expanding geographically, offering increasingly commercial services and acquiring community banks. That question is now squarely before Ohio through the proposed Interra Credit Union acquisition of The Hicksville Bank.

This is not about criticizing community sponsorships or avoiding competition. It is about whether tax and regulatory policies created for a limited, mission-driven model still make sense when institutions operate and expand like full-service commercial competitors.

The business model has changed. Policymakers should consider whether the rules need to change with it.

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This article was recently posted on Linkedin by OBL's SVP, Government Relations & General Counsel, Don Boyd.  The more Ohio bankers who engage with this issue, the more visibility we can bring to the conversation around competitive equity and the future of community banking and the more Ohio lawmakers will take notice.  Read, engage and share his post for more visibility.