Taxation is Not a Systemic Threat to Credit Unions
As the industry celebrates the recent tax-exemption win, Chip Filson issues a stark reminder that taxation is not the biggest threat the industry faces. Instead, the real danger is coming from inside the industry and the erosion of the member-owner role.
The Art of the Steal
Chip Filson shares the consequences of regulation without enforcement: unchecked mergers doling out hundreds of thousands to executives while paying credit union owners less than they’re due.
An Annual Meeting that Owners Stand in Line to Attend
Chip Filson asks what your credit union is doing to create excitement about annual meetings, and shares two examples, big and small, if organizations doing their best to respect their owners.
What Trump’s Removal of NCUA Board Members Means and Actions Now Needed
Chip Filson speaks out against the recent firings of NCUA board members Tanya Otsuka and Todd Harper, and calls for credit unions to begin taking action to protect the industry and the NCUA’s status as an independent regulator.
Form Follows Function Even in Credit Unions
Like the Wainwright Building in Chicago or many species of animal on Earth, credit unions were originally formed to function in a certain way. But has the form evolved away from that function and what does that mean to the future of the industry, Chip Filson wonders.
The Power of Community
In the race to grow, credit unions might be losing out on an important aspect of what makes them so impactful: their local effect. Chip Filson shares how credit unions parallel local press in that way, and reinforces the importance of community.
Data to Consider Before Jumping Into Two New Financial Services
Chip Filson shares information on product penetration for Buy Now, Pay Later and cryptocurrency products among American households; data he feels may shape whether credit unions should feel an immediate need to implement at their own institutions.
How Members Turned A Credit Union Around
As a reminder that past is often prologue, Chip Filson recalls how State Department Federal Credit Union turned itself around back in the eighties after years of misused funds and lack of member transparency.
The Ultimate Cooperative Advantage
In a financial business, the temptation to prove success through dollar signs and numbers is pervasive. Chip Filson reminds credit unions that their greatest success is demonstrated in their relationships with members and the impact on their communities.
Do Americans Want or Need More Credit Union Charters?
Chip Filson shares stories of the keh and the tanda, two kinds of financial institutions benefiting small communities in America, what credit unions can learn from them, and the opportunities these cooperatives signal.
