Strong labor market continues
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 138.4 in September, which is up from 134.7 in July, and is the highest level since October 2000. That’s not surprising. The economy [...]
News Archives
15 candidates credit union executives should watch on Tuesday night
It’s going to be a long and busy election night, with 435 House races, 35 Senate seats and 36 governors up for election. And if the crystal ball gazers are right, many of the [...]
A 5-year look at the loan-to-share ratio
The loan-to-share ratio is an insightful measure of a credit union’s liquidity. Driven by lending volume and deposit acquisition, the ratio represents a balancing act between two sides of the balance sheet. On the [...]
How financial marketers can get creative with certificates of deposit
An odd contradiction may be impacting your institution’s ability to raise deposits. Financial institutions routinely disclose substantial early withdrawal fees on deposit accounts — fees that, historically, they never really expect to collect. Yet in [...]
Four legal pitfalls to avoid this holiday season
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen so many Christmas commercials already that I wouldn’t be surprised if Macy’s announces it is moving its parade from Thanksgiving Day to Halloween Day. Or maybe [...]
Be not afraid of change, for you must be notified in advance
It is a common claim that human nature favors consistency. We, as humans, do not like change. For those like me, who are compulsive planners, this is truer than for those who like to “go [...]
CUNA leaders to host post-election landscape webinar Nov. 8
CUNA staff will host a post-election webinar Thursday, where CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle, Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan, Chief Political Officer Richard Gose and Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Political Action Trey Hawkins will [...]
This week: NAFCU eyes Nov. 6 elections, CECL implementation talks, Fed rates meeting
Americans will vote tomorrow in the midterm elections. Pre-election polling continues to hint that Democrats are poised to possibly win control of the House in the next Congress while the Senate is expected to remain [...]
Home services you’re wasting money on
It’s nice when you’re able to afford to pay someone to do something you don’t want to do for yourself. But, as nice as those services are, some of them are a [...]
Three ways to cut waste from your marketing budget
One of my favorite things to do when I attend a conference is to spend some time talking with credit union marketers. I love to hear what’s going well, but I also enjoy helping [...]
3 strategic shifts critical to successful digital transformation
Digital transformation used to be an IT department strategy focused on process efficiency. Today, that focus is shifting to a more holistic concept of digital transformation centered on the wants, needs and expectations of credit [...]
Respect: Credit unions leading the change
Today I’m sharing with you part of a chapter from a new book I’m working on. I won’t share the title with you because I haven’t quite decided on one yet [...]
Ravel: Make music with members
The 2018 CUNA Lending Council Conference ended on a high note with a “keynote concert” by Grammy-nominated musician Freddie Ravel Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif., Music has the power to move people from desperation to inspiration, [...]
Credit unions question NCUA budget boost
Since the number of credit unions is decreasing, the NCUA’s budget should be decreasing too, some credit unions are arguing. After all, if the agency has fewer credit unions to supervise, it should cost [...]
Data analytics doesn’t need to be daunting
Is your credit union considering a dive into the world of analytics? You might be readier than you realize. Tapping into data that will help you identify what members need involves nothing more than asking [...]