Evansville-based Liberty Federal Credit Union was one of six Indiana financial institutions that made the Forbes Best-In-State Credit Unions 2025 list. Forbes collaborated with market research firm Statista to conduct surveys of more than 26,000 people nationwide.
Brent Joyce, Liberty FCU’s senior vice president of marketing, spoke with Inside Indiana Business about the credit union’s recognition.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tell me about Liberty FCU’s products and services.
Our organizational philosophy is to return more value to our members through our products and services. That can mean better rates on deposit and lending products, plus digital services that make banking easier. We’re consistently working to add new functionality to our mobile banking app, but the best example is our Vertical Checking account. It’s a free account that offers members a high interest rate and reimbursement of other banks’ ATM fees up to $15 per month.
In today’s rate environment, a lot of financial institutions provide a high-interest checking account. We launched Vertical Checking more than 10 years ago. The interest rate has only increased over time. People recognize and appreciate that type of stability when choosing their financial relationships.
Why do you think customers spoke so highly of Liberty FCU in the Forbes surveys?
People have so many choices for financial services. Forty years ago, you’d bank with the nearest financial institution. Today, you have options, both brick and mortar and online. So people start to see what’s out there. For us, that represents an opportunity. If we really, truly provide better products and services to meet our members’ needs, people will recognize that, and they’re happy to talk about it.
The credit unions were rated on factors such as trust, customer service and quality of financial advice. How does Liberty FCU approach these topics?
Credit unions exist to serve members. Our team really takes that commitment to heart. We have a training team that constantly works with frontline staff to make sure our members have a great experience with every interaction.
Digital tools and transparent and reasonable fees were also factors in the surveys. What’s Liberty FCU’s stance on these topics?
Liberty Federal Credit Union believes strongly in providing the best in digital services to our members. We routinely invest in enhancements to make sure we’re offering the latest and greatest in mobile services.
Our app lets you view and manage all your finances, including those not held at our credit union. It also offers you free access to your credit score and credit report. You can control all your debit and credit cards through our app, including setting spending limits and temporarily disabling a card in the event you think it might be lost or stolen. Our app offers a lot of advanced features, plus it offers the basic functionality: transferring funds, paying bills, etc.
Regarding fees, Liberty Federal Credit Union works to offer lower fees and fewer of them. One good example of this is auto lending. So many institutions build in an application fee. When you work with Liberty Federal Credit Union, we can provide your vehicle purchase with no application fee. That one example can save a member $100, maybe $150. So when you have examples like this throughout a banking relationship, it can add up.
How does Liberty FCU measure member satisfaction?
In many instances, we’ll survey our members. That’s the primary way we measure member satisfaction. It all goes back to returning value to our members in any way we can.
Member satisfaction is also reflected in engagement. Is the member using our products and services? If not, they’re likely using those from another institution. So we take any instances of attrition seriously, but in every instance, we’re looking to learn what we can do better. A key part of our success is not only measuring satisfaction but also our willingness to make changes accordingly.
What sets Liberty FCU apart from other financial institutions in Indiana?
There are a number of impressive, well-run financial institutions in Indiana. What sets us apart is our commitment to returning value to our members and our work with schools and nonprofit organizations. People see that in both the products that we offer and our presence within the communities we serve.
How does the Forbes recognition compare to other awards Liberty FCU has received?
We’re proud of the industry accolades we’ve received in recent years. In the past three years alone, Liberty Federal Credit Union has been named America’s Best Credit Union for Checking by Investopedia and Credit Union of the Year by the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions.
But our recent recognition by Forbes is based on feedback from our friends and neighbors right here in Indiana. These are the people that we serve every day. So that means a great deal to us.
How does Liberty FCU plan to build on this recognition to improve member services?
We’re honored by this recognition, but our plans remain the same. We’re already working on new and exciting enhancements to offer members in the coming months and early 2026. So it’s something we’re just going to stay the course.
That was my next question. What’s ahead for Liberty FCU?
I’d love to give you a much longer answer on this one, but here’s what I’m going to say. We have quite a few enhancements coming later this year and early next year that members will love. These generally center around payments and our Vertical Checking account. We’ll be releasing more details in the coming weeks.
At the same time, the credit union will also continue adding new branches to better serve our members. We have a few projects underway in both Kentucky and Tennessee. Locally, we’re excited to start construction soon on a new office in Boonville. Our members in Warrick County have expressed a lot of interest in adding a second branch there. We’re excited to have that project underway.