Decking the Halls: Celebrating While Staying Safe
Stephanie Underwood offers advice on how to keep the holiday spirit alive and well in your workplace this year while also staying safe.
The Key to Credit Unions’ Future: Trust Each Other
Chip Filson says an often overlooked element of the credit union model is the trust and involvement of regular member-owners in their credit union. By placing more trust in the member-owner, we are strengthening our credit unions, not burdening them.
How to Manage a Black Swan Event
I have never heard the expression of a “black swan event” before this year, so of course I had to Google the meaning. A Black Swan Event refers to a highly improbable occurrence with three characteristics: It is impossible to predict, It carries a massive impact, and Its shock value...
Is Cannabis the Next Golden Opportunity for Credit Unions?
With medicinal and recreational marijuana businesses becoming more commonplace, Emily Claus debates the high-risk, high-reward stakes credit unions should be aware of when considering working with these accounts.
Beyond the Single Transaction: People Helping People
Julie Gessner makes the case for consultative services as a means to balance members’ desire for instant gratification along with great member service and connection.
Cooperative Trade Associations Need to Evolve with the Times
Trade Associations have had a critical role in the credit union industry over the years. Chip Filson is concerned though that they may be resting on their laurels, and have failed to evolve with an ever changing industry. What does the future hold in store for them?
Have Members Seen ALL the Alternatives?
When voluntary mergers are proposed, do members of the absorbed credit union deserve more say in where their members’ equity should go? Vic Pantea thinks so. He looks at the potential merger of Xceed Financial Credit Union and Kinecta FCU and wonders what should happen to $95M in equity.
Banks and Credit Unions Don’t Merge, Stop Saying Otherwise
Saying a credit union “merged with” instead of “acquired” a bank may seem trivial, but Chip Filson doesn’t think so. He says it blurs the lines between the two different financial institutions and weakens the cooperative nature of credit unions.
Solving the Millennial “Problem”
Millennials (and now Gen Z) have become the boogeymen of credit union marketing. Esteban Camargo suggests that the solution to the “problem” might mean credit unions need to take a tougher look at themselves first.
Understanding the Member Perspective: An Experiment
Taking a step back from the CUSO end of things, Bob Anderson experiments with seeing things from the members’ perspective and walking in their shoes to see what he can learn and where his CUSO can improve.
