A credit union is a non-profit. A non-profit can be owned by a government or an individual, similar to how a for-profit can be owned by a government or individu

A credit union is a non-profit. A non-profit can be owned by a government or an individual, similar to how a for-profit can be owned by a government or individual. In other words, the two descriptions are completely orthogonal. Most credit unions (really, the vast majority) are privately owned, typically by the account holders themselves.