What is the Value of a Strategic Plan?
Chip Filson contemplates what value, if any, credit unions can find in strategic planning. And if there is value to be found, what’s the easiest way to get it out?
Has the Credit Union System Lost its Entrepreneurial Edge?
Chip Filson discusses the student-run credit union boom of the 1980s and the excitement, inspiration, and drive that went along with it, begging the question: where did that entrepreneurial spirit go?
What Credit Unions Can Learn from Morris Plan Banks
Chip Filson contemplates the old Morris Plan Bank model, its history, its eventual downfall, and why credit unions purchasing banks might be following in its flawed footsteps.
Facts vs. Fictions: the NCUSIF Financial Model Works—Even When Mismanaged
Chip Filson compares the NCUSIF’s projected net operating loss against the actual data and discusses potential ramifications for the variance in these numbers.
Warren Buffet’s Wisdom for Coops
Chip Filson contemplates how Warren Buffet’s wisdom offers a new perspective on the credit union industry.
Taxi Medallions in the American Cooperative System
The role of ownership has always been a core aspect of the cooperative model. But if that’s the case, why did the NCUA undermine the right of ownership in the NYC taxi medallion issue? Chip Filson contemplates the ramifications of this choice.
Current Whole Bank Purchases Illuminate Core Issues and a Glaring Deficiency
In a follow-up to his article on bank acquisitions, Chip Filson dissects four recent bank purchases made by credit unions and ponders the lack of transparency which he believes may suggest an unsettling trend.
Ten Questions for Whole Bank Purchases
Chip Filson urges credit unions to carefully review these ten questions before considering any bank purchase.
When Leaders Lack Confidence in Their Organization
Chip Filson scrutinizes the NCUA’s new Risk-Based Capital rule and the unsettling realization that these new guidelines may signal from the board a lack of faith in their own organization.
Do Small Credit Unions Matter? Should They? Will They?
Does the disappearance of the “small” credit union signal bad things to come for the industry? Chip Filson looks at the trends and suggests setting our sights back on the small to restock the pond.
