Unverified listing What this means
The Lender Report built this page from public records. Essential Credit Union has not reviewed it. Every lender's page starts this way, and it says nothing about Essential Credit Union itself. Each figure shows its source and date. Work at Essential Credit Union? You can claim this page for free.
Credit union, Baton Rouge, LA
Essential Credit Union
A credit union based in Baton Rouge, LA. Its commercial book is mostly owner-occupied CRE. Public files show recent 1-4 unit investor, SBA 7(a) and real-estate-secured commercial loans it made.
- Kind
- Credit union
- Data as of
- June 30, 2026
- Page last changed
- November 12, 2026
- Commercial book
- $12.1M
- NCUA 5300,
- Holds, not loans made
- Commercial loans made, H1 2026
- 3
- NCUA 5300,
- Real-estate-secured
- SBA loans, 36 months
- 6
- SBA FOIA,
- 7(a) and 504, net of cancelled
- Total assets
- $434M
- NCUA 5300,
Does it fit my deal?
The deal is read here and kept nowhere. Leave out names, income and credit scores.
How to reach them
Each line shows where it came from
- Phone
- 866-345-7135 From the NCUA record, June 30, 2026.
- Website
- www.essentialcu.orgFrom the NCUA record, November 9, 2026.
- Names it files under
- ESSENTIALNCUA 5300,
- Address
- PO Box 66278, Baton Rouge, LA 70896NCUA 5300,
- Regulator record
- NCUA profile
You generally must be a member of a credit union to borrow from it. Field of membership: Non-Federal Credit Union. Designated low-income by NCUA.
Recently done
Recorded lending
Recorded lending. Two or more public files show loans this lender made.
| When | What the record shows | Source |
|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | Certified by the CDFI Fund as a Community Development Financial Institution.Membership in a public list, not lending volume. | CDFI Fund certified list, |
| Oct 2023 to Sep 2026 | SBA 7(a) approvals by processing method: 6 SBA Express.SBA ProcessingMethod field, net of cancellations. | SBA FOIA, |
| Jun 2025 to Jun 2026 | Owner-occupied CRE balance rose 7.2% to $8.3M in the year to June 30, 2026.Balances, not originations. Year over year from call reports. | NCUA 5300 |
| Jun 2025 to Jun 2026 | Non-owner-occupied CRE balance rose 7.1% to $1.9M in the year to June 30, 2026.Balances, not originations. Year over year from call reports. | NCUA 5300 |
Banks report no loan-level data for office, retail, industrial or construction loans. This list shows only multifamily and SBA loans.
| Period | Place | Loan | Amount | Rate | Term | LTV | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Louisiana | SBA 7(a), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $30K | 9% | 10 yr | SBA FOIA | |
| Jun 2025 | Louisiana | SBA 7(a), Offices of Chiropractors | $100K | 7% | 10 yr | SBA FOIA | |
| Jun 2025 | Louisiana | SBA 7(a), Offices of Chiropractors | $59K | 7% | 10 yr | SBA FOIA | |
| Mar 2025 | Louisiana | SBA 7(a), Wholesale Trade | $25K | 7% | 5 yr | SBA FOIA | |
| Aug 2024 | Louisiana | SBA 7(a), Limited-Service Restaurants | $30K | 6.75% | 5 yr | SBA FOIA | |
| Mar 2024 | Louisiana | SBA 7(a), Accommodation and Food Services | $30K | 7.5% | 5 yr | SBA FOIA | |
| 6 SBA 7(a) loans since October 2023, net of cancelled | $274K | SBA FOIA | |||||
A blank means the source did not report it.
What it holds
NCUA 5300, June 30, 2026
| Book | Holds | Of its loans | Year over year | Loans | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multifamily | $1.34M | 0.4% | Not reported | 5 | $268K |
| Construction and land development | $157K | 0.0% | Not reported | 2 | $78.5K |
| Owner-occupied CRE | $8.30M | 2.4% | +7.2% | 31 | $268K |
| Non-owner-occupied CRE | $1.93M | 0.6% | +7.1% | 8 | $241K |
| Farmland | $0 | 0.0% | Not reported | 0 | Not reported |
| Commercial and industrial | $378K | 0.1% | Not reported | 5 | $75.6K |
| Other real-estate-secured commercial | $0 | 0.0% | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Commercial total | $12.1M |
Table
| Quarter | Commercial book |
|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | $10.4M |
| Q4 2023 | $10.1M |
| Q1 2024 | $9.94M |
| Q2 2024 | $9.11M |
| Q3 2024 | $9.16M |
| Q4 2024 | $11.5M |
| Q1 2025 | $11.4M |
| Q2 2025 | $11.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $11.5M |
| Q4 2025 | $11.4M |
| Q1 2026 | $11.7M |
| Q2 2026 | $12.1M |
| Kind of loan | Period | Loans made | Dollars | Typical size | Largest | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 unit investor or business purpose | 2025 | 2 | $180K | $90.0K | HMDA, | |
| SBA 7(a), net of cancelled | 36 months to Sep 2026 | 6 | $274K | $30.0K | $100K | SBA FOIA, |
| SBA 7(a), net of cancelled | 12 months to Sep 2026 | 1 | $30K | SBA FOIA, | ||
| Real-estate-secured commercial | First half of 2026 | 3 | $900K | NCUA 5300, | ||
| Multifamily | First half of 2026 | 1 | $500K | NCUA 5300, | ||
| Owner-occupied CRE | First half of 2026 | 2 | $400K | NCUA 5300, |
How these public files were tied to this lender. HMDA: its legal entity identifier (LEI). SBA 7(a) loans: its NCUA charter number.
| Book | Average loan |
|---|---|
| Construction and land development | $78.5K |
| Multifamily | $268K |
| Owner-occupied CRE | $268K |
| Non-owner-occupied CRE | $241K |
| Commercial and industrial | $75.6K |
Programs on record: Federal Home Loan Bank member, Dallas district (FHFA).
Program lists that name this lender
Membership, not lending volume
- Listed by CDFI Fund: List of Certified CDFIs as: Certified CDFI (October 21, 2026). Certified by the CDFI Fund as a Community Development Financial Institution. Kind of institution: Credit Union. Certification: Certified by the CDFI Fund since 2015-05-28.
Being on a list says the lender is a member of that program on the date shown. It does not say how much it lends.
Where it lends
Offices beside loans on record
Capacity. Not a rating
Our calculation from public filings, as of June 30, 2026. Not a rating, and not a statement about safety or deposits.
| Measure | This lender | Its peers | How it is worked out | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business loan cap | $53.2M | $33.6M to $173M across 8 peers | Estimate: the lesser of 1.75 times net worth or 12.25% of assets. Low-income designated credit unions and some others are exempt. Not a statement from the credit union. | NCUA 5300, 12 CFR 723.8, Jun 30, 2026 |
| Business loans outstanding | $14.5M | $0 to $71.9M across 8 peers | Net member business loans, as reported on Form 5300. | NCUA 5300, |
| Cap used | 27.2% | 0.0% to 124.0% across 8 peers | Business loans outstanding over the estimated cap. This credit union is designated low-income by NCUA and is exempt from the cap. | NCUA 5300, |
| Largest single borrower | $5.90M | $5.12M to $23.4M across 8 peers | Estimate: the greater of 15% of net worth or $100,000. Not a limit the credit union has stated. | NCUA 5300, 12 CFR 723.4, Jun 30, 2026 |
| CRE to net worth | 8.7% | 0.0% to 90.5% across 8 peers | (Construction + multifamily + non-owner-occupied CRE loans) divided by net worth. Our own ratio, not a regulatory test or limit. | NCUA 5300, |
| Loans to assets | 80.5% | 63.8% to 87.6% across 8 peers | Total loans divided by total assets. | NCUA 5300, |
Estimates use the formulas in 12 CFR 723. Low-income designated credit unions and some others are exempt from the cap.
Loan channel and SBA processing
Public record only
- SBA Express
- 6 loans
- Approval to first disbursement
- 7.5 days, median of 6
SBA FOIA, SBA 7(a) loans, 36 months. Counted from SBA approval, not application. Lines of credit disburse fast.
Peers
Same kind of lender, similar size and book
| Lender | State | Total assets | Commercial book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge Telco Credit Union | LA | $458M | $352K |
| Campus Credit Union | LA | $936M | $59.3M |
| La Capitol Credit Union | LA | $798M | $11.2M |
| Centric Credit Union | LA | $448M | $43.6M |
| CSE Credit Union | LA | $446M | $37.3M |
| Neighbors Credit Union | LA | $1.41B | $57.3M |
| Ouachita Valley Credit Union | LA | $464M | $33.5M |
| Aneca Credit Union | LA | $274M | $49.2M |
What we don't know
- Whether it is taking new loans today, or on what terms.
- Who can join. A credit union lends only to its members, and field of membership decides who qualifies.
- Whether it makes multifamily loans. No HMDA multifamily loans are on file under this name for 2024 or 2025.
- Whether it takes brokers. No figure here means no evidence, not a refusal.
- Credit union concentration ratios here are our own calculation against net worth. They are not a regulatory test or limit. Originations are Jan-Jun 2026 year to date.
Check this page
Against the regulator's own record
- Name and charter. Essential Credit Union, NCUA charter 68736. Compare it with the regulator's record. [NCUA profile]
- Balances. $434M in total assets and $12.1M in commercial loans held, from the NCUA 5300 for June 30, 2026. [Source]
- Loans made. 3 real-estate-secured commercial loans made in the first half of 2026, from your NCUA Form 5300, and 8 loans in HMDA and SBA files, through September 30, 2026: 2 HMDA 1-4 unit investor 2025, 6 SBA 7(a) in 36 months. [How each file was tied to Essential Credit Union]
- Phone and website. Phone 866-345-7135, from the NCUA record. Website essentialcu.org, from the NCUA record. [How to reach them]
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For the record
Data as of June 30, 2026. Page last changed November 12, 2026.
- Regulator
- NCUA and state regulator
- NCUA charter
- 68736
- RSSD
- 693989
- LEI
- 2549004JE61TGJKFJQ92
- The Lender Report ID
- lr_002812
- Main office county
- East Baton Rouge
- Members
- 32,046
- NCUA region
- 2 - Southern
NCUA credit union details,
- Reported $434.2M in total assets as of June 30, 2026 (NCUA 5300).
- Held $12.1M of commercial and commercial real estate loans as of June 30, 2026 (NCUA 5300).
- Held $8.3M of owner-occupied commercial real estate loans as of June 30, 2026, up 7.2% from a year earlier (NCUA 5300).
- Held $1.9M of non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans as of June 30, 2026, up 7.1% from a year earlier (NCUA 5300).
- Held $1.3M of multifamily loans as of June 30, 2026 (NCUA 5300).
- Originated 2 1-4 unit investor or business-purpose loans totaling $180K in 2025 (HMDA).
4 more sentences
- Recorded 6 SBA 7(a) approvals totaling $274K from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026 (SBA).
- Originated 3 real-estate-secured commercial loans totaling $900K in the first half of 2026 (NCUA 5300).
- Listed 7 offices in 2 states (NCUA).
- Certified by the CDFI Fund as a Community Development Financial Institution. (CDFI Fund list, as of October 21, 2026).
Cite this
Source: The Lender Report, Essential Credit Union, https://lender.report/lender/essential-credit-union-la/, data as of June 30, 2026.
Sources
- NCUA 5300, June 30, 2026
- NCUA 5300, June 30, 2025
- HMDA, 2025
- SBA FOIA, September 30, 2026
- NCUA 5300, June 30, 2026
- CDFI Fund certified list, October 21, 2026
Figures come from public records and show the source and date beside them. Public records can be late, incomplete or wrong. A past loan does not mean a lender will make the same kind of loan today. Confirm anything important with the lender.
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Work at Essential Credit Union? Claim this page, free.
Source and date appear beside each figure. Banks report balances, not loans made. Loans made come only from HMDA and SBA files. We do not audit filings and can make errors joining them. Report a problem