The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast

In a heavily regulated industry like financial services, innovation can seem daunting. There are so many regulatory hoops to contend with, not to mention a fierce aversion to risk. But as Jerome Emanuel, Chief Lending Officer at Alternatives Federal Credit Union has discovered, if you focus on solving a proven problem and finding ways to say yes, the doors that end up opening just might surprise you.

Jerome joins us for this month's episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss Alternative FCU's game-changing FAIR Mortgage product, including what inspired it, how they got it off the ground, and what the results have been to date. He also addresses this month's BIG question:

How can a financial product address systemic inequality, and what risks are entailed in changing the rules of the “game?”

In this age of multibillion-dollar credit unions, it can be easy to forget that most started with a small group of people looking to pool their resources. 

Well, Jessica Gordon Nembhard is here to remind us. Professor of Community Justice & Social Economic Development in Africana Studies at John Jay College, CUNY and author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, she believes that wonderful things can happen when communities come together for mutual aid. 

Among other things, we talk about the proliferation of Black cooperative responses during Covid, the importance of credit unions as community assets, opportunities for credit unions to play a more central role in supporting cooperative development and ecosystem building, and the challenges currently facing Black-owned credit unions, including potential strategies to better support these vital community institutions.

We also address this month’s BIG Question: 

What role do Black cooperatives currently play in the ongoing fight for economic, racial, and social justice, and what potential is not being realized?

Demand for clean energy products is on the rise, and not just from well-to-do Tesla owners. There is also widespread interest and demonstrated need in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. But how can credit unions meet that need?

Enter the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program (CCIA), which is currently offering funding to credit unions and other community lenders to deliver green products, with a focus on the underserved. We’re joined by two leaders in the credit union movement, Cathie Mahon, President and CEO of Inclusiv, and Blake Jones, a founding board member of Clean Energy Credit Union.

Cathie and Blake share how credit unions can leverage new government funding opportunities and why they are so well positioned to deploy clean energy solutions in their communities. They also address this month’s BIG question:

Why should credit unions care about clean energy, and what do they stand to gain from helping low-income and disadvantaged communities deploy clean energy projects?

We all know that products are a credit union’s bread and butter, so to speak. But a “product-first” mentality can result in more transactional relationships with your members, not to mention a product mix that may not fully meet their needs.

This month, we talked to Alicia Portada, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Lower East Side People’s Credit Union, about how they focus on following the need, keeping boots on the ground, and keeping more vulnerable communities front and center when it comes to their expansion strategy. We also tackled this month’s BIG question:

What if credit union marketing efforts were less product-focused and more partnership-focused? What would that look like in practice, and how could this approach help realize The Credit Union Difference?

As AI has wriggled its way into more nooks and crannies of our everyday lives, we’ve been hearing quite a bit of chatter about technology versus humanity. We’re not here today to speculate about possible dystopian futures, but we are here to talk about why it’s so important for even the most technologically advanced credit unions to keep the focus on their people. 

Chylon Pappas, VP of Corporate & Government Engagement at First Tech Credit Union, joins us to share how First Tech does just that. She helps us unpack this month’s BIG question: 

What does a people-first focus look like in practice, and what are the key things more credit unions should be doing to better serve their employees, members, and broader communities?

Welcome to our 100th episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast! We couldn't have asked for a better guest to help us celebrate this milestone—the inimitable Linda Bodie, Chief + Innovator at Element Federal Credit Union.

Linda joins us to share some incredible stories from her over 25 years as a leader in the credit union movement, including how Element FCU became the first financial institution in the country to offer mobile deposit on iPhone; what led to the creation of CU*Pride, the credit union association for LGBTQ+ professionals; and how Element FCU succeeds in taking risks and making its members laugh along the way.

We also tackle this month's BIG question:

How can credit union leaders foster a space—for members and staff—that is both safe and brave?

A shared commitment to serving the financial needs of the underserved has long distinguished credit unions from other financial institutions. In this episode, we talk to Jules Epstein-Hebert, the Director of Membership, Growth, and Partnership at Inclusiv, a nonprofit that has been championing the cause of financial inclusion for 50 years. 

We reflect on the movement over the past five decades and tackle this month’s BIG question:

How has our economy become more or less inclusive in the 50 years since Inclusiv’s founding, and how has the strategy for closing gaps and removing financial barriers evolved accordingly?

This is both an exciting and bittersweet episode. After recording 97 episodes of The Remarkable Credit Union, longtime host and PixelSpoke's founder and former CEO, Cameron Madill, joins as a guest to share his top takeaways from his 20 years leading an impact-focused marketing agency for credit unions. Accompanying him is PixelSpoke's new CEO, Katie Stone, who further expounds on leadership lessons she's learned since joining PixelSpoke and how she hopes to carry them forward in her new role.

They also address this month's BIG question:

What should credit union leaders focus on to best equip their teams for success, maximize impact, and ensure the longevity of their credit union?

Next month, Katie will be begin co-hosting the podcast along with current co-host and PixelSpoke co-owner Kerala Taylor. Stay tuned!

In a movement where large asset sizes have become a badge of honor, Express Credit Union is proud to be small. They believe that their intimate size affords them the opportunity to truly know their members and to pivot quickly when faced with unexpected challenges.

This month, we’re excited to welcome Express Credit Union’s Chief Business Officer, Elizabeth Escobar, to talk about how to meet members where they’re at, what Express has to teach the country’s fourth largest credit union, and how to stay engaged with your members in the long-term.

She also addresses this month’s BIG question:

How can credit unions retain their people-to-people focus in a post-Covid era that relies on digital more than ever?

Most credit unions have a set of brand guidelines that include dos and don’ts for their color palettes, logos, images, graphics, and copy. But do guidelines like these truly capture the essence of your brand? Allison Netzer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Nymbus and co-author of Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank, would answer that question with a resounding NO.

Allison joins us on this month’s episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to talk about who credit unions should be tapping into to help shape and promote their brand, why “member-first” isn’t really a brand differentiator, and what problem-solving has to do with brand identity.

She also addresses this month’s BIG question:

How can credit unions unlock the true power of brand, and how can a more brand-focused mindset help take the credit union movement to the next level?