DURHAM, N.C.—One company is betting the next big credit union growth tool may not be another ad campaign or branch push—it may be a simple question typed into an AI chat prompt box.

That’s the core idea behind Warrant’s Credit Union Directory, a free national directory that founder and CEO Austin Carroll said is designed to solve what may be one of the movement’s most persistent consumer problems: most people don’t know which credit unions they can actually join.

Rather than simply listing institutions, the tool pairs a searchable directory of more than 4,000 credit unions with filters tied to eligibility, geography and product needs, plus an AI “matchmaker” that lets users ask natural-language questions such as what credit union a teacher in Austin, Texas, might qualify for. Carroll said that’s especially important as credit unions try to reach younger consumers who increasingly expect conversational search, not long lists and dropdown menus.

“What we really wanted to do was provide a service for the community and make it really easy for people to understand what credit unions they could potentially join,” Carroll said, noting Warrant’s recent work inside the Curql accelerator program included visits with credit unions around the country focused heavily on member adoption and Gen Z awareness. “There is a statistic out there that 33% of Gen Z don’t even know that a credit union is an option…they’re not even quite sure what it is and how it can help their financial situation.”

That may be what makes the tool stand out from existing “find a credit union” directories, she contended.

Carroll argued many current directories focus largely on listing institutions, while Warrant’s version is centered on eligibility intelligence—the often-messy mix of employer ties, school affiliations, military connections and geography that can make credit union membership confusing for consumers.

Several Filters

Users will be able to filter by employer, school or university, whether they are a teacher or student, military connection, and by product categories such as checking, savings, loans, mortgages or credit cards, she said. The directory also automatically surfaces nearby credit unions based on a user’s IP location, making the first interaction more immediate and helping surface institutions consumers may not even realize are in their area.

Austin Carroll

Carroll said the AI chat tool is meant to complement—not replace—those filters, giving users another way to search based on how they naturally ask questions online today. For credit unions, she said, that could create a new inbound discovery channel without requiring institutions to add new software, spend more on marketing or navigate new compliance hurdles.

Credit unions that want to improve how they appear in the directory can use a claim link on the site to customize their profiles and make sure product and eligibility information is current.

Carroll said Warrant does not plan to charge for the directory itself, describing it as a free service intended to help credit unions attract new members and loan volume. Instead, the company—whose core business is selling workflow software to credit union marketing teams—views the directory as aligned with its broader mission of helping credit unions compete more effectively with banks and fintechs.

“We don’t make any money from the credit union directory,” Carroll said. “It’s just a free service that we offer and we’re really passionate about it…this is just doing our part to increase awareness.”