Operations

CU Hero: Thompson Ministers to Members October 1, 2007 Like most heroes, Mendell Thompson doesn't see himself that way. Instead, the president/CEO of America's Christian Credit Union , Glendora, Calif., bestows that title on the many ministries his credit union serves that empower people to change their lives. "I manage... READ MORE

E-mail Spam Wars September 1, 2007 By Ron Daly Here's the good news: The ongoing battle to fight spam is making real progress. Internet service providers (ISP) are using more sophisticated and improved spam filters to catch unwanted e-mails and online scams. And consumers are more vigilant in managing their... READ MORE

Seven Ways to Head Off Staff Performance Issues September 1, 2007 You find them at nearly every place of employment—employees who exhibit "below standard" performance. At a credit union, it may be the salesperson with inconsistent numbers (dynamite one month, sluggish the next), or the assistant manager out with a... READ MORE

IT Compliance? But I'm a Credit Union! September 1, 2007 By Greg Brinton A client of mine once likened the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to a pair of Sumo wrestlers. Not wrestling each other mind you, but instead working in tandem... READ MORE

Member Service: Nice Isn't Enough September 1, 2007 By Lori Reeves Smile. Shake hands. Make eye contact. Call members by name. Ask if there's anything else you can help them with. Thank members for their business. These are standard measurements for quality service at many credit unions. These actions are... READ MORE

Serving the Underserved: Mobile Could Be Key September 1, 2007 By Roy W. Urrico Financial institutions should look to the 17.5 million people who are underbanked as a potential market in light of its size, demand for financial services, and demonstrated willingness to embrace mobile technology. So says a white... READ MORE

Spotlight: Catherine Tierney September 1, 2007 Who: Catherine Tierney What: President/CEO Where: Community First CU , Appleton Wis. First job and lessons learned: At 16, I worked at Mr. Donut, a local franchise producing and selling doughnuts, cookies, and sandwiches. I learned: How to budget my time so I could... READ MORE

Branch innovation: Change your focus August 1, 2007 By Beth Stetenfeld Credit unions can't afford to build branches that focus on the cost center (i.e., a traditional teller line) as the primary attraction of their retail space. That was the main message from Gene Pranger at CUNA Mutual Group's 2007... READ MORE

Card Security: Protect Data as if it Were Cash August 1, 2007 By Andre Muscat The theft of more than 45 million credit/debit card details and 455,000 merchandise records from TJX Co.s Inc. over an 18-month period was one of the worst security breaches to hit the headlines this year.... READ MORE

Why do CUs Fail? August 1, 2007 Build assets, boost your ROA (return on assets) and you'll improve your chances of survival. So says a Filene Research Institute report, "Determinants of Credit Union and Commercial Bank Failures: Similarities and Differences, 1981-2005." The report, authored by James A. Wilcox , Filene... READ MORE