What’s Next for DEI?

You feel Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are essential to your credit union’s mission and values, but with the political and societal anti-DEI feelings, you may be getting pushback. Some of the population have even demonized the acronym “DEI.” But we are in the “People Helping People” business, and inclusivity is vital to that purpose.…

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An Engaged Team is Vital to Member Engagement

An Engaged Team = An Engaged Member In today’s competitive financial landscape, credit unions continuously seek ways to differentiate themselves from traditional banks. One of the most compelling differentiators is the relationship credit unions foster with their members. Member engagement, which goes beyond conventional customer service, is at the heart of this, and its success…

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Open Banking – Securing Member Data

Part 5 CUToday’s June 26 newsletter: Truliant FCU Faces Proposed Class Action Lawsuit Over Data Breach: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.–Truliant Federal Credit Union faces a proposed class action lawsuit after a data breach reportedly exposed the private information of more than 48,000 members… CUToday’s July 2 newsletter: ‘Serious Security Incident’ Leads to Major System Outage at Patelco…

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Mitigating the Risks of Open Banking

Part 2 Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) recently faced a lawsuit centered on using artificial intelligence (AI) in its customer service operations. The lawsuit highlighted several critical issues, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and transparency. This incident underscores the broader risks associated with adopting advanced technologies, such as AI, within the framework of open banking.…

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Serving Members as an Act of Stewardship

Several years ago, I worked with Dale Turner, now CEO at TruStone Financial Credit Union. As the VP of Lending, he stood at the podium of an all-staff meeting and challenged the entire credit union to “think for the member, don’t just respond to the member.” Dale had the wisdom to know the difference between…

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Leaders, Avoid “Bobbleheads”

In leadership, the tendency to surround oneself with individuals who constantly nod in agreement—often called ‘bobbleheads’ due to their constant nodding—can be detrimental to effective decision-making, innovation, and overall credit union success. This behavior can lead to a lack of critical evaluation of ideas, as everyone agrees without questioning or offering alternative viewpoints. While it…

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Is Your Org Structure Top-Heavy?

First, let’s understand the impact of a top-heavy organizational structure on a credit union’s effectiveness, efficiency, and overall performance, which is critical. Here are the risks a top-heavy organization poses: Addressing a top-heavy organizational structure can be a significant challenge for a new CEO. Still, there are several practical steps to streamlining the organization and creating…

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10 Reasons to Hire a CMO as the New CEO

Credit union boards seem to default to a CFO or COO as the new CEO. The thinking is sound; credit unions are a business of money (finance) and serving members (operations), which are the two key skill sets of the CFO and COO, respectively. But, in the dynamic business landscape of credit unions, the Chief…

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