2025 Chairman’s Board Report

For nearly eight decades, Keesler Federal has remained true to its founding vision of “people helping people.” Every decision by leadership considers one central question, and one question only - will this benefit our members?

Whether you are securing a mortgage, financing a car, or seeking a loan, you can rest assured that Keesler Federal is there to help you achieve your financial goals. By helping our members build stronger financial lives, Keesler Federal helps build stronger communities.

Unlike banks whose mission is to return profits to stockholders, credit unions like Keesler Federal are designed to reinvest earnings and serve their members in the form of higher returns, lower financing costs and innovative products and programs. However, all financial institutions are faced with the reality that they must grow to survive and thrive.

In 2025, Keesler Federal legally merged with Jefferson Financial Federal Credit Union of Metairie, Louisiana – the largest merger in Mississippi and Louisiana history - and welcomed more than 40,000 new members into the Keesler Federal family. Our financial performance, combined with $700 million in assets from Jefferson Financial, further strengthened your credit union and increased total member assets to more than $5 billion – a new record.

We earned a net income of $48.5 million to add to our members’ equity. These strong earnings represent a Return on Assets (ROA) of 1.03 percent which compares very favorably to our peer organizations.

Our credit union continues to be well capitalized as measured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), posting a Net Worth Ratio of 12.37 percent at year’s end. This measure captures the strength of our credit union and indicates a very high level of safety and soundness.

This allows us to serve our members with a variety of innovative products and services, such as our popular Military Appreciation Loan Program which offers a 1 percent discount on the approved rate for qualifying consumer loans to active duty, retired veterans and their spouses. In 2025, we expanded this program to benefit first responders and educators.

Our loan portfolio remains a core driver of our financial performance. Last year, your credit union made more than 30,000 loans totaling almost $1.3 billion to your fellow members. We averaged $110 million in loan originations each month, and our Loan-to-Share Ratio for the year closed at 91.32 percent. The year finished with our total loan portfolio standing at more than $3.6 billion. Our total loan portfolio grew by $455 million in 2025, meaning we were able to help even more members with their financial needs.

Keesler Federal focuses on providing extraordinary service, competitive rates, and real value to its members. Every single member benefits from this approach. A recent independent survey conducted by America’s Credit Unions calculated that Keesler Federal’s combination of lower rates, lower fees, and higher returns on deposits combined to yield more than $77 million in additional value for our members.

We value our members and set ourselves apart from any other financial organization by having extraordinary member givebacks to show our appreciation. Last year, we gave back more than $7 million directly to our members. The givebacks came in the form of monthly cash deposits, credit card rewards, checking rewards, and tickets to sporting events and attractions.

Keesler Federal also continues to make investments in the communities where our members live and work. Last year, we donated nearly $1.6 million to 360 community organizations that support youth services, education, scholarships, veterans, and disaster relief.

In 2025, the federal government shutdown for 43 days marking the longest federal funding lapse in American history. Thousands of our members faced the loss of their paychecks and financial hardship through no fault of their own. Keesler Federal took immediate action to help our members with an innovative Paycheck Relief Program that no other credit union or bank in the nation offered. This was not a loan program. We simply advanced our members their regular direct deposit paychecks and then recouped the funds after the federal government back paid their employees. There were no costs or fees associated with the program. Over the course of the shutdown, we advanced over 5,000 paychecks totaling $6.5 million to more than 1,700 members, helping them maintain financial stability and relieving the stress that comes with financial hardship.

In 2025, Newsweek named Keesler Federal to its list of the “Best Regional Credit Unions in America” for the third year in a row. And for the sixth time, Forbes magazine ranked Keesler Federal as one of the strongest credit unions in the country. But most gratifying is the customer satisfaction rating from our members of 92 percent – a full 14 points higher than the average customer satisfaction rating for banks and credit unions.

We look forward to continuing to serve you as your financial partner today and in the years ahead. On behalf of the board of directors and our entire Keesler Federal team, we thank you for your loyalty and the trust you place in us to help with all your financial needs.