Xceed Financial Credit Union to Merge with Kinecta Federal Credit Union

Xceed Financial Credit Union to Merge with Kinecta Federal Credit Union

Emily Claus discusses the merger of Xceed Financial Credit Union and Kinecta Federal Credit Union going into effect next month and debates the reasons behind low member participation.

Read more
Credit Union Merger Voting Turnout Paints Ugly Picture

Credit Union Merger Voting Turnout Paints Ugly Picture

Are credit unions really democratic institutions when less than ten percent of the membership can vote away that institution’s existence? Chip Filson wonders whether credit union cooperative design has eroded of the years.

Read more
What Airline Disasters Teach Us About Decision Making Under Stress

What Airline Disasters Teach Us About Decision Making Under Stress

Are credit unions staying situationally close-minded by using mergers as the only way out of a “bad” situation? NACUSO’s Denise Wymore thinks so, and suggests that the industry needs to look up from the blinking lights to find alternative means of succeeding.

Read more
Merger Math in Credit Unions: A Deeply Flawed Process

Merger Math in Credit Unions: A Deeply Flawed Process

Mergers may seem like a sound strategy for the individual institution, but are they a sound strategy for the industry and the member-owners who make them possible? Chip Filson doesn’t think so, and goes even further to say the process is broken against the member.

Read more
Chairman Hood’s House Testimony: Members’ Interest Only Matters When Selling to a Bank

Chairman Hood’s House Testimony: Members’ Interest Only Matters When Selling to a Bank

Chip Filson wonders whether members’ interests are protected in both credit union-bank acquisitions and mergers, or only the former.

Read more
The Unseen Cooperative Advantage

The Unseen Cooperative Advantage

At a time of year when everything feels hectic, Chip Filson reminds us of the wisdom of patience, both with the holiday season and with finding solutions to problems ailing the credit union industry.

Read more
How to Manage a Black Swan Event

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...

Read more
Have Members Seen ALL the Alternatives?

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.

Read more
Banks and Credit Unions Don’t Merge, Stop Saying Otherwise

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.

Read more
Merger or Acquisition: The Importance of Word Selection

Merger or Acquisition: The Importance of Word Selection

Merger, acquisition, are they really that different? Chip Filson thinks so, and says bank acquisitions are not in the interest of existing members.

Read more