The Allied Angle

In this episode of The Allied Angle, Allied Solutions CEO Pete Hilger reflects on a year that tested financial institutions on every front — from market volatility and elevated fraud losses to regulatory pressure and shifting member expectations.

Pete shares candid insights on what 2025 revealed about risk management, leadership, and organizational resilience, and why incremental change is no longer enough in today’s operating environment. 

Looking forward to 2026, Pete outlines the priorities leaders should be focused on now — from strengthening core operations and leveraging data more effectively to making intentional decisions around growth, partnerships, and long-term positioning.

This episode offers a practical, executive-level perspective for financial institution leaders seeking clarity, confidence, and direction in a rapidly evolving landscape.

In this episode:

01:36  — Getting to know Pete.

Fraud didn’t just grow in 2025 — it evolved. In this recap special, The Allied Angle revisits the top fraud conversations of 2025. We connect the big picture (third-party vs first-party vs synthetic) to ground-level fixes: stopping account takeover, hardening card channels, eliminating terminal fallback, and turning security awareness into behavior change. You’ll hear from fraud experts Patrick Touhey, Brandon Bottomley, Zach Douglass, Josh Gideon, Suzi Straffon, John Denison, and James Maguire. 

In this episode:

:50 Fighting fraud truly is a team sport.

Younger members expect speed, transparency, and personalization — and credit unions can deliver without chasing every shiny tool. In this episode, Allied's SVP Strategic Initiatives Charlie Peterson joins us to unpack innovation, “The Pizza Effect," and more.

In this episode:

1:01 – Get to know Charlie.

4:02 – Who’s actually walking through the digital and branch doors of credit unions today?

5:33 – The importance of attracting, engaging, and keeping Gen Z.

8:35 – Defining innovation: What falls under that umbrella, and what doesn’t.

11:27 – Why adapting to the changing needs of your members is crucial for survival.

15:47 – Giving your members the attention they want without being intrusive.

20:03 – How to build lifelong relationships with your members.

22:27 – Actionable steps credit unions can take right now to strengthen bonds with Gen Z.

00:59 – Getting to know Dave and Matt.

05:32 – Recent shifts in how credit unions approach executive compensation and continuity planning.

08:12 – How executive benefits fit into overall talent recruitment strategies.

10:25 – A well-structured executive benefits plan as a key to succession success.

13:20 – Challenges credit unions face when implementing executive benefits packages.

16:14 – How TriscendNP helps credit unions create effective benefits strategies.

18:58 – “Credit unions aren’t built the same, and benefits plans shouldn’t be either.”

21:15 – Weighing short-term affordability against long-term impact.

23:14 – Guiding boards through compensation conversations and building confidence in their decisions.

25:32 – Emerging risks and trends to watch in executive benefits.

27:05 – Advice for credit unions considering a change to their benefits strategy.

28:42 – Final thoughts for credit union leaders.

On this episode of The Allied Angle, Zach Douglass, Director of Bond & Risk Management at Allied Solutions, joins the show to talk about the five loss trends hitting credit unions now. We cover what’s shifted in the last 6–12 months, early warning indicators, fast-acting controls, and the 30–60 day moves that actually reduce exposure.

In this episode of The Allied Angle, Jeff Marsh, President at Millennium Capital and Recovery Corporation, joins the show to talk about the evolving world of asset recovery. Jeff discusses how lenders can navigate today’s challenges in skip tracing and repossession, the role of technology and compliance, and how Millennium’s award-winning approach helps clients recover assets with transparency and efficiency.

Learn more about Millennium at https://nationwiderecoverymanagers.com/

This podcast is sponsored by Millennium Capital and Recovery Corporation.

In this episode: 

00:55  Get to know Jeff.

03:01  The evolution of the asset recovery industry over the past decade.

05:17  Key challenges for lenders in today’s recovery environment.

06:20  How is the current economic climate influencing skip tracing and repossession volumes?

07:34  Top compliance risks lenders must manage

09:55  How Millennium helps clients maintain a careful balance in borrower communications.

13:06  Effective technologies for optimizing skip tracing

14:30   Balancing AI and automation without sacrificing human oversight at Millennium.

16:41   What is TRACKR and how does it provide real-time data and visibility to lenders.

17:21   The trends shaping the future of asset recovery.

19:40  Final advice for lenders wanting to optimize their recovery strategy.

How effective is your security awareness training? In this episode of The Allied Angle, Josh Gideon, author and Director, Cyber Risk Management at Allied, joins us to unpack what most financial institutions get wrong about awareness programs and what to do instead. Drawing on decades of experience and research, Josh shares why traditional training falls short, how psychological safety and human behavior play a critical role, and what smaller credit unions and banks can do right now to strengthen their defenses.

View Josh's latest book, Don't Forget the Humans, here.

In this episode:

00:34   Get to know Josh

03:13    Defining security awareness and what prompted your strategy shift

06:20   How research shaped your cybersecurity approach (and practical takeaways for credit unions)

10:22   “Awareness should be more like a drill than a document.”

13:55   Supporting financial services employees at higher risk

16:42   Building a culture of psychological safety where employees aren’t afraid to make mistakes.

18:35   Security champions: their role in fostering awareness and accountability

21:48   Practical advice for smaller credit unions building a people-first strategy

23:47   One misconception about security awareness in financial institutions you’d like to change

In this special Intern Edition of The Allied Angle, we hand the mic to three members of Gen Z — and Allied’s summer internship program — for an honest, unfiltered, and deeply human conversation about how their generation is navigating life, money, and digital fatigue.

Tune in as Kira Right, Alli Johnson, and Eli VanHaaren share their perspectives on what Gen Z needs from financial institutions, how credit unions are missing the mark, and what it’ll take to earn their trust — and their business. 

00:54   Get to know Kira, Eli, and Alli.

05:47   Who is Gen Z? 

06:50   Why Gen Z is so misunderstood, and what do people often get wrong.  

09:51   The pressures Gen Z faces and how they differ from those of older generations. 

14:55   The financial institution you use and why you chose it. 

19:53   Steps credit unions should take to stay relevant to Gen Z. 

24:15   What credit unions can do to help ease Gen Z’s financial stress.

28:06   How credit unions can show up in a more human, intentional way.

30:47   Final advice: How credit unions can better connect with Gen Z.

Allied Solutions’ Nikki Warner sits down with Jeff Kennedy, David Tuyo, and Steve O’Connell to explore strategies for attracting and engaging Gen Z members.

From digital-first experiences to employee-driven community impact, and from authentic storytelling to trusted partnerships, these leaders share how they’re evolving to meet changing member expectations — without losing sight of the credit union promise.

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction

In this episode, Gabe Krajicek from Kasasa joins us to share how community-based financial institutions can grow, stay relevant, and keep a local-first mindset—no matter their size. We cover game-changing products like the Take-Back Loan, ways to boost engagement with innovative checking accounts, and how thoughtful product design can provide stability in uncertain times. Plus, Gabe offers practical advice for proving ROI and rethinking deposit and lending strategies in a shifting market.

Learn more about Kasasa at https://www.kasasa.com/.

This podcast is sponsored by Kasasa.

00:45   Get to know Gabe.

03:07   How Kasasa's partnerships with community-based FIs support growth and relevance.

06:56   Maintaining a local-first mindset while managing a large network. 

09:58   Kasasa's Take-Back loan: A game changer for both borrowers and lenders.

15:41    How thoughtful product design can provide stability during financial stress. 

16:53   Using checking products to boost engagement and stand out from competitors.

22:27   Helping institutions stay relevant as consumer behaviors continue to evolve.

24:33   The pressure to prove ROI with new product strategies and digital experiences.

26:20   Final advice to FIs who might be rethinking their deposit and lending strategy.