CU2.0 Podcast Episode 24 John Pembroke, CUES on the Talent War

It's a war for talent. That's the flat out statement of John Pembroke, CEO of CUES, the organization that probably knows the most about senior level and board level recruitment at credit unions.

The good news: Pembroke in this podcast offers up plentiful tips to help credit unions win the talent war.

The bad news: the war is real and many credit unions just aren't winning, in the war for talent, in efforts to diversify the board, in efforts to field a board that is suited to leading an organization that increasingly is tech centric.

That's why you must listen to this podcast.

Like what you are hearing? Find out how you can help sponsor this podcast here. Very affordable sponsorship packages are available.

Find out more about CU2.0 and the digital transformation of credit unions here. It's a journey every credit union needs to take. Pronto.

CU2.0 Podcast Episode 23 Gabe Krajicek of Kasasa

If Kasasa were a bank branch network, it would be the nation’s fourth largest and it says that some time this year it will overtake Bank of America and be the 3rd biggest.

Surprised? You bet. Probably you know that Kasasa has been building up its customer base for digital banking products - checking in particular - but now it is big enough where it's tooting its horn.

This"branch network" isn’t a consumer facing product - CO-OP Shared Branching it is not - but what’s interesting is that lots of FIs, some 907 community banks and credit unions, now have joined together to offer Kasasa products, particularly the free, rewards based checking.

And that’s also where Kasasa has a real plus - according to company CEO Gabe Krajicek, Kasasa consumers have free access to essentially every ATM in the US. When fees are imposed, the consumer is reimbursed.

And that’s an enormous perk for credit union members when many institutions have ATM fleets that can be counted on one hand.

Think about the enormity of that plus for credit union members in Kasasa institutions.

Kasasa also aims to put high quality digital products in the hands of consumers because, said Krajicek, often consumers say they couldn’t belong to a credit union because the digital is no good.

But what if it in fact is good? With the right digital products, community institutions can and will survive, said Krajicek.

Along the way, Krajicek- whose company serves both community banks and credit unions - says community institutions would better serve their interests if they recognized that they have more in common and in particular they have in common a shared enemy and that’s the money center banks.

It’s an interesting thesis. So often community banks and credit unions are reflexively Hatfield and McCoy. But what if they joined together to oppose a shared foe?

What if?

What if cooperation flourished?

It's a big vs. small battle, he said.

And nowadays it's becoming a life or death struggle where many community institutions are vanishing.

Krajicek tosses out big ideas. Come along for the ride in this CU.0 podcast.

Listen here.

Like what you are hearing? Find out how you can help sponsor this podcast here. Very affordable sponsorship packages are available.

Find out more about CU2.0 and the digital transformation of credit unions here. It's a journey every credit union needs to take. Pronto.

CU 2.0 Podcast Episode 22 Talking Payments and Data Analytics with Trellance's Lou Grilli

What do you think when you get an alert from your credit union offering you a 2.9% car loan - and you already have a 1.9% car loan that you got two years ago from the same institution?

Duh, right?

Lou Grilli, an executive at payments CUSO Trellance, thinks a lot about exactly those kinds of questions and he believes that for credit unions the solution will come through smarter, faster data analytics.

His opinions are rooted in information gleaned from the experiences of the roughly 2000 credit unions that own Trellance.

What your member will do, or need, tomorrow already is known in today’s data. You just have to look at it.

And Grilli thinks data analytics can unlock tactics for encouraging more member use of your institution's cards - which is a goal of just about every credit union.

Along the way, Grilli also talks about the future of contactless cards, also what to expect from digital wallets such as Apple Pay.

Payments in the past five years have changed much more dramatically than they had in the preceding 25 and Grilli has a ringside seat.  That’s why he is worth a long listen in this podcast.

Like what you are hearing? Find out how you can help sponsor this podcast here. Very affordable sponsorship packages are available.

Find out more about CU2.0 and the digital transformation of credit unions here. It's a journey every credit union needs to take. Pronto.

CU2.0 Podcast Episode 21 Ron Shevlin on "Is the Party Over?"

Cornerstone Advisors' Ron Shevlin's report on "What's Going On in Banking 2019. Is the Party Over?" is out and he's in the CU2.0 Podcast to share some of his findings.

Read the report here.  It's free.

To compile the report Shevlin surveyed some 300+ senior executives in financial institutions - around 120 in credit unions - and they spill their views of their tomorrows.

Has the Trump bump become the Trump slump, asked Shevlin.

A lot of the report focused on technology and what financial execs see as musts.

Some 63% of credit union executives describe their digital banking as future ready - which prompted this reporter to choke and then ask, are they doing marijuana related banking and smoking too many samples?

Listen to the podcast to hear Shevlin's views.

As always, Shevlin is an independent, sometimes quirky viewer of financial services. That's why his viewpoint matters.

Listen up and learn. Here's the podcast.

Like what you are hearing? Find out how you can help sponsor this podcast here. Very affordable sponsorship packages are available.

Find out more about CU2.0 and the digital transformation of credit unions here. It's a journey every credit union needs to take. Pronto.