Signals from the Field

If you downloaded our 2026 Consumer Preferences & Behavior Study for Financial Institutions, you already know the headline: consumer expectations are moving fast and the gap between what people want and what many institutions deliver is widening.

The Geear advertising team recently had the chance to attend the SMX Next virtual conference - a gathering of all of the brightest minds in the search marketing landscape. One theme that came up time and time again across sessions: conversion measurement is the backbone of a successful PPC account.

Geear is proud to announce that we have successfully completed our SOC 2 Type II examination, validating the effectiveness of our security controls over an extended audit period. While SOC 2 compliance is often associated with regulated industries such as financial institutions, this milestone also reinforces our commitment to protecting data, systems, and access for the B2B and manufacturing organizations we serve.

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Summary:

• Under-45 non-members default to traditional banks for nearly every high-priority factor (customer service, accessibility, branches, variety, community), while online-only banks win the digital experience categories (mobile app, online experience). Credit unions do not lead a single factor in 2022 or 2025 for this segment (per the slide’s “most often rated as best”).
• Credit unions gain ground once someone is already a CU member, but not primary (Non-PFI): in 2025, credit unions become “best” for customer service, and also lead on variety of offerings and financial education. While online-only banks remain “best” for mobile app and online experience.
• Primary credit union relationships (PFI) are strong, but no longer safe: in 2025, online-only banks match credit unions for “best” accessibility and continue to dominate “best” online experience; credit unions still lead most human/community factors.
• Surprising insight: In the Non-PFI segment, traditional banks are rated “least often as best” for mobile app in 2025. A sign that even “big banks” can lose perceived digital leadership if the experience lags or expectations rise.
• The strategic takeaway: Credit union growth in under-45 audiences is a two-front strategy. (1) break the “big bank default” among non-members, and (2) defend PFI members from online-only competitors by upgrading the accessibility and mobile moments that shape everyday satisfaction.

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A recent study by Geear found that consumers under 45 use Large Language Models (LLMs) as the second-most-used channel when researching financial institutions, trailing only search engines. As Gemini and ChatGPT become daily research tools, credit union and bank marketers are naturally asking: “How do we ensure our brand appears in these results?”

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