Credit unions have been recognised as the most highly regarded financial services organisation in the Ireland RepTrak® 2021 study carried out by The Reputations Agency. Credit unions took second place in the overall study with an overall score of 84.9. Bord Bia took the top spot while An Post took third place in the overall study.

Credit Unions were placed first in Governance and in Citizenship – two important drivers of reputation. In the analysis of brand personality traits that most closely correlated with reputation, credit unions came first in Friendly and Genuine amongst the 100 organisations that were studied.

The Ireland RepTrak® 2021 study is based on a survey of over 6,500 members of the public which gathered data on the levels of trust, respect, admiration and esteem they have for organisations in Ireland.

Speaking about the achievement, ILCU President, Helene McManus said: “We are delighted to celebrate this good news and congratulate Irish credit unions for their consistently high performance in the RepTrak survey. It really is a fantastic achievement to consistently remain in the top two for the past three years. It has been an incredibly difficult year for all organisations and businesses. Credit unions all around the country have remained a cornerstone of their local communities and continue to go above and beyond for their members.”

Commenting on the significance of this year’s results, Niamh Boyle, Managing Director, The Reputations Agency said: “Pride in Irish indigenous organisations increased average Reputation Pulse score by close to four points, with a five-point increase in Innovation, but with increases in Citizenship, Governance and Workplace scores also driving this increase. For the first time in 12 years, the reputation of the 53 Irish indigenous organisations (average 71.6) overtook the 47 multinationals organisations (average 70.9) that were studied.”