The ACUMA team is onsite at our FOCALpoint Workshop in Louisville, KY. Peter Benjamin, President of ACUMA was joined by Carolyn Morganbesser, Assistant Vice President Mortgage Originations at Affinity Federal Credit Union, and Bernie Chavira, AVP of Mortgage Lending Originations at Define Mortgage Solutions for this special edition episode of the ACUMA OnPoint Podcast. Coming together and connecting with other professionals in the credit union mortgage industry are just some of the keys to their success. They both were able to share with us their favorite parts of the workshop and how being vulnerable allows them to be not just better professionals, but also, better leaders to their teams. 

No one accidentally succeeds. No matter how big the challenge is, believing in yourself, your capabilities, and the value of your efforts is critical to achieving success. At the heart of all this lies a single word – optimism. Ali Nassirian, Vice President of Home Loans at Golden 1 Credit Union, understands the value of optimism. In this podcast, he and ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, share some insightful thoughts about optimism’s importance.

Are you an active advocate for credit unions? As an active advocate, you can:

• Better influence lawmakers with a real-world view of the lending process.
• Better explain to your members what the rules mean.
• Better explain how they as borrowers benefit from the new rules.

Elizabeth Sullivan, CUNA’s Senior Director of Advocacy & Counsel, joins ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, in this podcast’s frank discussion about why credit union lenders need to get actively involved in advocacy. If you’re not part of the process, as the pundits say, you better learn to live with the solutions, whatever they may be.

Credit union real estate lenders too often suffer heartburn over being called “salespeople,” especially in light of serving their members, according to Dr. Bruce Lund, founder, and director of The 90-Day Sales Manager. But supporting the demand for services drives the need to occupy the sales niche when courting professional partner firms to help the credit union and its members achieve their goals. Join Dr. Bruce Lund, Homebot’s Nicole Herrick, and ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, as they discuss strategies to stimulate sales staff, and create “solo-preneurs” to operate within the credit union philosophy to create the right partner relationships and repeatedly beat the competition. It’s time for “The Great Reset.” Is your sales staff ready? Sponsored by Homebot.

When Scott Albrecht became manager of a small credit union located within a Fortune 15 company in Columbus, Ohio, he wanted to ignite in his staff a passion for service, creating a credit union that replicated the old TV sitcom Cheers, “where everybody knows your name.” These days Albrecht serves as the AVP of Learning Development for ServiStar Consulting, a position that enables him to teach that same passion for service to credit unions nationwide. On this podcast, hosted by ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, Albrecht discusses the secrets for igniting the enthusiasm to create and foster the credit union’s mission of creating a passion for financial wellness for members. Tune in if you want the inside skinny.

How do mortgage lenders rise to success in their industry? The most successful mortgage veterans know mastery of critical techniques is just part of the equation. Embracing the lifestyles of the members and communities they serve opens the door to new levels of understanding, and from that understanding comes mastery. In this episode ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, and Sean Dugan, Director of Origination Technology and Sales for Black Knight, interview Brent Green, CMB, Mortgage Sales Manager for Lake Michigan Credit Union, on the strategies he employed to rise to success in his local market. His formula? A rich mix of education, mentoring, commitment, market savvy, and so much more. Sponsored by Black Knight.

Effective leadership is critical to success, but leadership skills are neither a natural talent nor a career rite of passage. Good leaders earn their position. In this podcast, ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, digs deeply into the leadership question with Casey Cunningham, the founder & CEO of XINNIX. Cunningham knows that leaders must be strong, but that strength must be based on honesty and vulnerability in the face of their subordinates. Those with stamina and dedication earn the privilege of leadership and can expect the best results from both their teams and themselves.

There are so many different opportunities for people to continue to learn and grow within the credit union space. ACUMA’s FOCALpoint Workshops are just one of those many ways. But we are joined today, by Julie Bowering from Elements Financial and Amber Speer from Texell Credit Union just getting to know them and why they chose to attend the FOCALpoint Workshops. Sharing their insights on collaboration, networking, and the sessions overall, they are sure to offer a new perspective on what made them want to attend this event. 

True professions are defined as enterprises that actively provide training and support for those who will take the reins in the future. Unfortunately, the question of how that will happen is too often ignored. In this podcast, ACUMA Peter Benjamin, CMB, discusses staff development with Andy Woodman, VP of Mortgage Lending and Loan Trading at Georgia United Credit Union. Joined by Lender Price’s Dawar Alimi and Dustin McClelland, Woodman believes leadership growth should be actively cultivated. It takes time and effort to help employees professionally advance in ways that will help them - and their credit union - grow. Sponsored by Lender Price. 

Navigating the mortgage market requires vigorous attention to detail and up-to-date market intelligence to make the right decisions at the right times and for the right reasons. In this podcast, ACUMA President Peter Benjamin, CMB, welcomes mortgage industry expert Bill Bodnar, Chief Revenue Officer for Tabrasa LLC, and Chief Market Analyst for the Mortgage Market Guide, to help listeners understand and effectively use market data to reach their mortgage lending goals in ways that build foundations for even greater success.