WHAT IS
SAFE AND SOUND?
Capital is an important measurement of an institution's financial resilience. It acts as a buffer against losses and affords protection for members when a credit union is struggling financially. When it comes to safety and soundness, more capital is better.
On our test to measure the adequacy of a credit union's capital, GALAXY scored 26 out of a possible 30 points, better than the national average of 15.65.
GALAXY's capitalization ratio of 26.00 percent in our test was higher than the average for all credit unions, a sign that it's stronger than its peers.
Bankrate uses this test to estimate the effect of troubled assets, such as unpaid loans, on the credit union's reserves set aside to cover loan losses, as well as overall capitalization.
A credit union with a large number of these types of assets could eventually have to use capital to cover losses, decreasing its buffer of equity. Many of those assets are also likely to be in non-accrual status and thus aren't earning money, reducing earnings and elevating the risk of a failure in the future.
GALAXY scored above the national average of 38.09 on Bankrate's test of asset quality, racking up 40 out of a possible 40 points .
A below-average ratio of problem assets of 0.00 percent in our test was potentially indicative of greater financial strength than other credit unions.
How successful a credit union is at making money affects its long-term survivability. A credit union can retain its earnings, increasing its capital cushion, or put them to work addressing problematic loans, likely making the credit union better prepared to withstand economic shocks. Credit unions that are losing money, however, have less ability to do those things.
On Bankrate's test of earnings, GALAXY scored 8 out of a possible 30, below the national average of 10.11.
One sign that the credit union is doing better than its peers in this area was its earnings ratio of 0.00 percent in our test, better than the average for all credit unions.
Bankrate.com's Safe & Sound Ratings provide a star rating system to evaluate the current financial status of financial institutions. The information gathered about banks, credit unions and thrifts is updated as set forth in the Terms of Use of Safe & Sound Ratings and Reports. The Safe & Sound Ratings information is grouped by categories of banks, thrifts and credit unions.
Bankrate.com evaluates the financial condition of institutions and assigns a one- to five-star rating for each with five stars representing the highest rating. Institutions with satisfactory performance will generally receive a rating of three or more stars. The majority of institutions fall into the three- to four-star range. An institution with an "NR" rating may be too new to rate or may have limited the publicly available information in their regulatory filings. The "NR" is not an indication of financial strength or weakness. The Safe & Sound rating is believed to be reliable, but the information is not guaranteed. In addition, events since the information was collected may have altered the institution's financial condition.