Back To Membership What is a Credit Union? A credit union is a cooperative, not-for-profit financial institution that is member-owned and controlled through a board of directors elected by the membership. The board serves on a volunteer basis and may hire a management team to run the credit union.  The board also establishes and revises policy, sets dividend and loan rates, and directs certain operations. The Primary Purpose In furthering our goal of service, Texas DPS Credit Union is dedicated to offering the best quality financial products and services at the lowest possible cost to our membership.  It is Texas DPS Credit Union's commitment to understand the current needs of our members and ensure that we are effectively meeting those. What You May Not Have Known Most financial institutions are owned by stockholders, who own a part of the institution and intend on making money from their investment. Texas DPS Credit Union does not operate in that manner. Rather, each credit union member owns one "share" of the organization. Therefore, the user of credit union services is considered as an owner and is entitled to vote on important issues, such as the election of member representatives to serve on the board of directors.  As a result, rather than paying profits to stockholders, Texas DPS Credit Union returns earnings to the members as better rate of returns, lower loan rates, improved services, and fewer fees. Become A Member!