Grow Your Credit Union

Are credit unions ready to leave remote work behind? Corporate CEOs are making bold moves, with 80% planning full-time office returns in the next three years. For credit unions, the decision isn’t just about where employees work—it’s about maintaining culture, collaboration, and member service.

But as leaders wrestle with workforce strategies, bigger shifts are looming. A planned merger between First Technology Federal Credit Union and Digital Federal Credit Union would create the sixth-largest credit union in the U.S. While this promises growth, critics argue it could erode competition and push smaller credit unions closer to extinction.

And finally, we cover the broken process of employee onboarding: With only 39% of employees finding it clear and 22% calling it disorganized, credit unions must rethink how they welcome new talent—or risk losing them altogether.

In this episode hosts Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed welcome guest Shawn Premer, Chief Human Resources Officer at Consumers Credit Union to discuss these challenges—and offer solutions to keep credit unions growing.

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, hosts Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed welcome on guest Matthew Fehrmann, CIO of Kohler Credit Union to talk about these three topics.

• Core System Challenges: Addressing prevalent dissatisfaction with core systems in the credit union section by exploring the considerations between opting for a complete core conversion versus optimizing existing systems to better meet organizational needs.
• FinTech Partnerships Back-out Plan: The importance of having a robust contingency plan when collaborating with FinTech companies. Such plans are vital to ensure operational continuity and mitigate risks associated with potential partnership failures.
• Cybersecurity Management: The complexities of cybersecurity within credit unions. Guidance on selecting appropriate cybersecurity vendors and strategies to remain vigilant against evolving cyber threats.

Additionally, we are proud to introduce a brand new segment titled Behind The Data, powered by the Filene Research Institute, offering listeners data-driven insights pertinent to the credit union industry. In this episode we address the CFPBs newest ruling on "Open Banking." Read more about that here.

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, hosts Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed welcome Mina Worthington, President and CEO of Solarity Credit Union, to explore the future path for credit unions. They discuss the potential of embracing small business community banking, the importance of reinforcing the cooperative difference, and how credit unions can remain relevant and successful in a rapidly changing financial landscape.

Plus, we discuss how credit unions can balance fee eliminations while staying financially sustainable and examine how reimagining the in-branch experience is driving innovation across the industry.

With credit unions managing an average of 182 vendors per week, ensuring alignment between all partners can be a daunting task. But what if getting all your vendors in the same room could unlock new opportunities for strategic growth?

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, Joshua Barclay and guest co-host Mike McWethy, EVP of Texans Credit Union welcome on Tansley Stearns, President and CEO of Community Financial Credit Union to talk about the value of getting all vendors into one room to align on strategy.

Plus:

• Are credit union boards equipped to meet strategic goals, and how should board recruitment be reimagined?
• What challenges do credit unions face with member onboarding, and how can they improve the process?
   

A huge thanks to this episodes sponsor, InvestiFI

InvestiFi is the only InvestTech solution built to allow for trading to and from deposit accounts, enabling Credit Unions to retain more assets and attract new members. Help your members navigate the complexities of financial markets with ease from within their current online banking experience with InvestiFi. Learn more at investifi.co.

Are you facing the challenge of building the right team to drive your credit union forward? Many leaders grapple with whether to hire specialists with deep expertise or passionate generalists who bring versatility. In an industry that's rapidly evolving, how do you assemble a team that's both agile and aligned with your vision?

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, Joshua Barclay and guest co-host James McBride, president and CEO, CONNECTS Federal Credit Union welcome on sponsored guest Kian Sarreshteh, co-founder and CEO of InvestiFI to talk about strategies for building the ideal team for growth by balancing specialists and generalists.

Plus:

• Discover how embracing radical transparency can align your organization and enhance collaboration.
• Learn how integrating investment services directly into your online banking can keep deposits in-house and meet your members' evolving needs.
• Explore effective ways to enhance member loyalty and increase share of wallet in your credit union.

A huge thanks to this episodes sponsor, InvestiFI

InvestiFi is the only InvestTech solution built to allow for trading to and from deposit accounts, enabling Credit Unions to retain more assets and attract new members. Help your members navigate the complexities of financial markets with ease from within their current online banking experience with InvestiFi. Learn more at investifi.co.

You want your credit union to be data-driven, but are you asking the right questions to get there? Many credit union leaders have access to endless amounts of data but struggle to translate that into real business impact. Dashboards look great, but how do you use them to move the needle on what truly matters?

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed  welcome on sponsored guest Ben Stangland, President of Strum Platform to dive deep into the real questions your credit union should be asking to make your data work for you. Questions that go beyond vanity metrics like clicks and opens. 

Plus:

• Is your culture designed to truly understand your members?
• How can vendors evolve into true partners, rather than just another service provider?

A huge thanks to this episodes sponsor, Strum Platform

Strum Platform revolutionizes credit union marketing with hyper-targeted segmentation and campaigns that drive loans and deposits. Let us show you how to triple email open rates with campaigns that target the right member at the right time with the right message in minutes. Schedule a demo today to see the power of Strum Platform in action.

With growing scrutiny on financial institutions, forced-place collateral protection insurance (CPI) has become a significant pain point for both members and credit unions. Hidden costs from CPI can lead to inflated loan payments, causing financial strain on members and, in extreme cases, vehicle repossessions. So, how can credit unions protect their members from these pitfalls while maintaining the necessary insurance protections?

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, hosts Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed welcome on Dan Daggett, Chief Strategy Officer at Credit Unions First, to unpack the real cost of forced-place CPI. They dive into why it’s a problem and explore a member-friendly alternative—lender single interest (LSI) insurance—that keeps the protection but ditches the hidden fees.

PLUS

• Common mistakes in board dynamics and vendor relationships—and how credit unions can fix them.
• How to keep your employees adaptable and ready for change in today’s fast-paced world.

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Credit Unions First

Credit Unions First is a fintech insurance credit union service organization that is always putting your “members first,” with all that they do. Credit Unions First is dedicated to creating efficiency for your team and while they are at it, they will show you how to keep more of your members’ dollars, yes, YOUR members' dollars, in your communities where it belongs. ThReach out to Credit Unions First today and find out what they can do for your credit union www.creditunionsfirst.org !

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Listen to Members First Mindset

With operational costs rising—up nearly 6% over the past year—credit unions face the ongoing challenge of maintaining the efficiency needed to stay competitive. How can your credit union effectively transform increasing operational expenses into opportunities for improvement through team empowerment and technology adoption? 

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed welcome on guest David Tuyo, President and CEO of University Credit Union to talk about innovative strategies to tackle rising operational costs in credit unions. 

PLUS

• How can credit union leaders cultivate a sales-focused culture that aligns with their mission to serve members, without compromising integrity?
• How can you foster talent development, even when there's a risk of employees leaving for other opportunities?

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Strum Platform.

Strum Platform revolutionizes credit union marketing with hyper-targeted segmentation and campaigns that drive loans and deposits. Let us show you how to triple email open rates with campaigns that target the right member at the right time with the right message in minutes. Schedule a demo today to see the power of Strum Platform in action. Visit www.strumplatform.com to learn more.

A significant gap exists between executives' perception of how much they trust their employees and how trusted employees actually feel. We can bridge this gap by fostering a trust-based environment which involves encouraging mistakes as learning opportunities and ensuring clear communication and follow-through on employee contributions. Could this forward-thinking approach also lead to growth?

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, hosts Joshua Barclay and Becky Reed welcome on Brian Lee, President and CEO of Landings Credit Union to talk about trust in leadership and “making mistakes matter.” 

Plus: We explore why pursuing growth at all costs is a flawed strategy AND examine strategies for maintaining a healthy balance sheet in the post-COVID era.

A huge thanks to our sponsor, Strum Platform.

Strum Platform revolutionizes credit union marketing with hyper-targeted segmentation and campaigns that drive loans and deposits. Let us show you how to triple email open rates with campaigns that target the right member at the right time with the right message in minutes. Schedule a demo today to see the power of Strum Platform in action. Visit www.strumplatform.com to learn more.

Credit unions often remain stuck in traditional ways of thinking, slowing down their ability to innovate and keep up with modern financial expectations. They need to break away from old habits and start thinking like modern, agile organizations to better serve their members in today's fast-paced financial landscape. Are we ready to stop thinking like credit unions and shift into a different mindset entirely? 

In this episode of Grow Your Credit Union, host Joshua Barclay and guest co-host Mike McWethy, EVP, Texans Credit Union talk with Nolan Waltman, EVP/COO, First Service Credit Union about why the key to credit union growth is to start operating like a FinTech. 

PLUS: 

• We talk about how you can identify and create better offerings for your most valuable members.
• We get tips on how to create commercials that go beyond boring and deliver a memorable message.

Huge thanks to our sponsor, InvestiFi. 

InvestiFi is the only InvestTech solution built to allow for trading to and from deposit accounts, enabling Credit Unions to retain more assets and attract new members. Help your members navigate the complexities of financial markets with ease from within their current online banking experience with InvestiFi.