Key financial indicators for federally insured credit unions largely improved in the first quarter of 2012, according to Call Report data submitted to and compiled by the National Credit Union Administration.

"The credit union industry reached important milestones in late March. Credit unions' total assets topped $1 trillion, and the industry's net worth exceeded $100 billion for the first time," says NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz. "Credit unions now have the potential to lend to 667,000 more members added in the first quarter, on top of the 1.4 million members added in 2011. In addition to membership reaching a record 92.5 million, delinquencies and charge-offs fell, and the industry netted almost $2.1 billion in income."

During the first three months of this year, credit unions' total assets, net worth, and membership all hit new highs. Total assets increased $40.1 billion (4.2 percent) to end the quarter at just over $1 trillion. Industry net worth grew by $2.1 billion (2.1 percent) to $100.3 billion. However, the overall number of federally insured credit unions fell to 7,019 from 7,094.

Declines in interest expenses and reserving for loan losses, coupled with a rise in other operating income, raised the industry's net income. In the first three months of 2012, credit unions booked nearly $2.1 billion in net income, up $369.6 million from the prior quarter.

Notably, credit unions' return on assets (ROA) ratio, an important measure of industry earnings, stood at 84 basis points as of March 31. The ROA ratio was up 17 basis points from the end of last year.

Member shares continued to rise during the first three months of 2012. Total savings at credit unions climbed to $866 billion, a gain of $38.6 billion (4.7 percent) for the quarter. In comparison, members' total savings increased $41.0 billion for all of 2011. In the first quarter, share drafts (checking) climbed 11.4 percent, regular shares (savings) rose 8.3 percent, money market funds grew 3.8 percent, and retirement accounts increased 1.0 percent. In contrast, nonmember deposits and share certificates fell 2.2 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

The industry's net-worth ratio fell to 10.01 percent for the quarter, as assets grew more quickly than net worth. The 20 basis point change in the ratio was the first quarterly decline in a year. The ratio remains strong and exceeds the statutory well-capitalized standard of 7.0 percent.

Credit unions reported declines in delinquencies and charge-offs during the first quarter. The industry's delinquency ratio dropped to 1.44 percent. The net charge-off ratio fell to 0.78 percent. Despite these positive declines, both ratios remain elevated above historical norms.

New bankruptcy filings by members also increased. For the first three months of 2012, credit unions reported 70,938 members filing for bankruptcy, a 34.5 percent increase over the prior quarter. However, the percentage of loans charged off due to bankruptcy fell significantly to 20.7 percent of charged-off.

The industry's lending rose for the fourth consecutive quarter, but credit unions' total loans only inched up by $532.5 million to $572.0 billion. A rise in first mortgages, used vehicles loans, and non-federally insured student loans offset declines in other lending products such as credit cards, unsecured loans, and other real estate loans. Because deposit inflows exceeded loan growth, the industry's loan-to-share ratio declined to 66.05 percent from 69.07 percent.

Member business lending also rose. On March 31, the industry had $37.8 billion in outstanding member business loans, a quarterly rise of 1.4 percent, and an additional $1.9 billion in unfunded business loan commitments.