The Friction Paradox – Compliance vs User Experience

Friction /?frikSH?n/ noun – Any unnecessary obstacles users encounter while interacting with banking products or services. These manifest in various forms, including cumbersome account opening procedures, complex loan applications, processes that are not aligned or consistent from channel to channel, or outdated digital interfaces. While some friction is essential for security and regulatory compliance, excessive…

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Is Your Org Structure Shackling Strategic Success?

Credit unions need to see their organizational structure as an organism, NOT a hierarchy. Innovation and adaptability reign supreme in credit unions. Being locked into a legacy organizational structure in a cross-functional, cross-silo operating environment often stifles short and long-term success. While these structures may have served the credit union well in the past, they…

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You Are a New Executive in a Credit Union, Onboard Yourself First!

Joining a credit union as a CEO, EVP, SVP, or VP is exciting yet challenging. As an executive leader, your role is pivotal in driving the credit union’s strategies, mission, vision, values, growth, and member satisfaction. It is rare to find a credit union with a disciplined process to onboard executives, which, by the nature…

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Feeling Pressure for a Hasty Executive Hiring Decision?

Recently, I have observed several credit unions make hiring mistakes for key executives, including CEOs. The disruption these “hasty hires” cause is palatable. In one situation, a CEO who lacked the strategic mindset the credit union needed was hired. In another, there was a significant skill gap; they hired a “finance person” when they needed…

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A Primer – Choosing the Next CEO

Every credit union will have to survive the succession of the CEO. The reasons for this succession can be planned or unplanned. If the succession turns out to be unplanned, there has been a vital miss in the Board’s responsibilities. This article will address what needs to be done for the Board to realize a…

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Credit Unions Embracing the Future

The Transition to Web3 and Distributed Ledger Technology A new technology solution no only holds the potential for all credit unions but promises to level the playing field for smaller credit unions. This disruptive technology affordably transforms a credit union, allowing it to offer decentralized and transparent systems that promise to democratize financial services. Web3…

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How Small Credit Unions Can Become Vital

Credit CU Management

For the past 20+ years, credit unions seeking to grow, have made charter changes to community charters, often from multi-common bond or sole sponsorship charters. The goal was to minimize the perceived barriers to membership. The belief was that if anyone could join my credit union, growth would be unconstrained. In some cases, this was…

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The Seven Steps to Becoming an Innovative Credit Union

As the financial landscape evolves and becomes disrupted, credit unions face the challenge of staying relevant. To maintain relevancy, innovation becomes a must-have if the organization is to meet the changing needs of its members. Embracing innovation is vital for credit unions to thrive. But innovation, for innovation’s sake, is not helpful. All innovation must…

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Credit Unions, Innovate or Die…

Credit unions have been around for over a century and have played a vital role in providing financial services to consumers. However, the financial services industry has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, and credit unions need to innovate to remain relevant in today’s market. In the late 90s, online banking was an innovation…

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