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This insightful monthly market commentary will help you look beyond the headlines to better understand what is driving the current market trends that could impact your credit union’s investment portfolio.
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Uncertainties shouldn’t dissuade an honest reflection on whether leadership teams have the right tools to tackle the tasks at hand.
Now is the time for credit unions to distinguish themselves by being part of the solution to the challenges our society is facing.
More purpose trumps maximizing profit at the world’s largest asset manager. Member-owned financial cooperatives should take note.
A collaborative culture that sticks to old principles while embracing innovation remains a key to the movement’s responsiveness and relevance.
Credit unions have been making decisions based on perceived outcomes rather than purpose. That needs to change.
A 2020 challenge: How to deepen relationships between staff, members, and the tech tools that bind, or separate, them.
Strategic decisions made around three essential elements will prove critical to the future success of the credit union movement.
The most successful decade in the history of the movement is coming to an end. How can credit unions prepare for what comes next?
Many credit unions talk about mission, vision, and values. But even a guiding light requires people to look up and follow it.
Planning and variety go a long way in helping credit unions steadily create content that showcases their brand and humanity without breaking the budget.
These partnerships can serve members and the credit union, or they can damage the cooperative. There is no one right answer for everyone, but there is a wrong approach.
Credit unions must ensure they are effectively serving current members while positioning themselves for the next iteration of financial services.
The mobile-only bank’s marketing gambit provides lessons in how to make lemonade out of lemons.
Small improvements can add up to big value for credit union products and services.
Credit unions will face headwinds in the coming year, but a well-managed credit card portfolio can weather the storm.
These key do’s and don’ts will help any credit union build a superior member experience program in a snap.
Now’s the time to go beyond financial metrics to measure — and empower — employee, member, and community impact.
Real strategy sets the credit union’s course for a decade or more and helps decision-makers determine where to invest and how to grow. It deserves undivided attention.
With a decade of hindsight in the bank, what have credit unions learned from the Great Recession, and are they ready for the next one?
For credit unions to continue their strong performance in 2019 and beyond, they must focus on the needs of members as well as on the needs of those serving members.
Callahan & Associates co-founder leaves a legacy larger than the sum of his considerable accomplishments. This is an ideal time to remember the Irishman's defense of leadership for the greater good.
The regulator blames the victim while selling out credit union members when they need their credit unions most.
Doing the right thing is a business model that combines profit, passion, and the pursuit of happiness.
Credit unions should harness the power of technology to provide real-time updates on their financial and social impact.
Salad and scotch isn’t the real issue at the regulator. The real issue is how it liquidated taxi medallion lenders and borrowers to top up its own budget with TCCUSF recoveries.
The regulator’s war on concentration risk belies the reality that all credit unions have niches and concentrations, and it's an excuse not to creatively seek workouts in the cooperative spirit.
Lost momentum is hard to get back, and the loss of forward momentum in the U.S. economy has become entrenched.
Credit unions must deliver ever-greater value to their members. This requires constant investment that is made easier, and more successful, by collaboration.
A Mr. Rogers commencement speech shows how business theories can inspire the human dimension of credit union service.
Credit unions with a core processing platform and basic business intelligence software can start identifying missed opportunities today.
Taking time throughout the year to discuss the credit union’s strategic direction will help leaders address changes to the landscape as they occur.
Industry leaders don’t need a crystal ball to see the future. It’s written in auto, jobs, and housing.
Challenging the reticent and pushing for actionable insight from naysayers can enliven a stagnant feedback loop and push company culture forward.
The weeklong desert festival offers deep insights on sustaining a cooperative movement.
Credit unions can’t predict the future, but they can prepare for it by thinking about how to respond to change.
A family reunion fracas spurs some thought about why it's important to prepare everyone in an organization to tell its story.
Modern marketing connects on values, not stuff. Credit unions can do that by telling their story better.
Credit unions are different, and better. Consumers are catching on, but market share indicates untapped opportunity awaits.
Growing a productive company culture requires different care for “annuals” and “perennials.”
Shiny coin of $736 million does little to disguise the regulator’s $21.7 billion error at the cost to America’s credit unions.
Three behavioral economics concepts can boost savings during a liquidity crunch.
The industry is safe, but it’s not sound. Today’s political climate is right for the regulator to take on a new role as the movement’s champion.
Profits aren’t un-American, but empowering economic freedom is the difference-maker in the credit union brand of patriotism.
To meet consumer expectations in the digital space, credit unions must think differently about their entire operation, not just technology platforms.
Look at the shape of the yield curve within the context of other factors in the economy and not as a stand-alone predictor of recession.
Defining what makes the credit union different can be the key to ensuring employees articulate that difference in word and deed.
Two conferences this spring bring to light five ideas that credit unions can use.
The smart use of data analytics can turn a credit union’s communications strategy from potentially creepy into authentically clever.
Credit unions narrowly escaped taxation in the Hawkeye State, but other battles are underway, and the war is far from won.
Credit union title changes demonstrate the movement's stance on member service.
The regulator kept the corporate crisis bailout money for itself, further undermining the pillars of the cooperative system. Does anybody care?
Organizations that are willing to think ahead — and put time and money toward creating new solutions to old challenges — are often those that outperform their peers.
A book about culture prompts deeper thinking about the importance of multiple teams in support of the movement.
The process of strategy requires year-long attention.
Designing products that serve the "predictably irrational” is the new path to putting members first.
Re-usable booster rockets deliver a powerful lesson about sustainability and strategic thought in the credit union space.
Banks are peddling a false narrative about credit unions based on real facts. To counter this, focus on a public narrative about mission.
It’s time to ask questions and think strategically about how to help this fast-growing segment of the American workforce.
A common bond across space and time is still a bond. Credit unions must make the case for millennials and beyond.
More than 75% of credit union credit card issuers grew at a below-average rate in 2017. How can cooperatives buck this trend in 2018?
The lion ate the lamb for dinner, but on this last day of the month, the stock market is finally quiet.
The movement’s future requires daily attention to sharing its present impact.
Trade news is back in the spotlight after the Trump Administration announced $50 billion in new tariffs aimed directly at China.
Seeing a northern Virginia farm go bold prompts considerations of what credit unions can tell their members and their communities.
The trade story is not done. It’s just in intermission.
The credit union movement needs to tell its small stories, the ones that bankers can't tell.
What market drivers could also impact the credit union investment portfolio?
A half-century after he helped save public broadcasting, what can the TV icon, and my family friend, teach the credit union movement in its own moment of crisis?
Financial institutions are in the numbers business, but credit unions must also look beyond metrics like growth, share, and loss.
How credit unions define their mission, and the actions they take to deliver on it, creates member value as well as a distinct competitive advantage for the movement.
Whether inflation swells or holds steady in the coming year relies on two variables.
Huge new reserves for the NCUSIF appear as if from nowhere while credit unions get peanuts from the corporate credit union bailout.
If members don’t think their credit union is relevant, sooner or later, it won’t be.
Credit unions need to redefine the debate to clarify the difference between for-profit banks and member-owned financial cooperatives.
Whether a credit union's staff and leadership is comfortable going off script to solve member problems is a matter of culture.
The NCUA board touts its payback to credit unions, but soaring reserves hide a different story.
Credit unions don't want to lose their tax exemption, but does the movement take the time to explain member-ownership? And why it matters?
Get relevant or crash to the ground. Choose wisely.
Hike the Hill, demand change, join together to encourage state and federal lawmakers to step in and save the system from the regulators.
The mega bank's new low-balance fee looks like a tax on those who can afford it least. How will consumers, and credit unions, react?
The regulator listens to no one but itself — keeping more and spending more while the FDIC shrinks. Now, the fund owners have the means to model the fund’s performance.
The CEO of the world’s largest investment house says businesses must prove they’ve got more in mind than short-term plays.
How will independent experts view the NCUA’s merger of the corporate credit union bailout leftovers into the share fund?
Creating future accounting fictions is at the core of the regulator’s rationale for paying itself more and returning less to credit unions.
Visits with management teams at six credit unions uncovered different riffs on the same theme: Now’s the time and we’re the people.
Plus, a congressional spending bill vote looms.
When was the last time your credit union asked members what they want? Bringing them into the conversation is one way to develop a truly member-centric lens.
Refocus and avoid the trap of price creep.
How can credit unions push the movement forward? By tackling tough questions and discovering the right, not easy, answers.
This monthly market commentary helps credit unions look beyond the headlines to better understand what is driving market trends that could impact the investment portfolio.
A change in the funds rate and 10-year note would bring the yield curve back into the realm of normal after years of being out of bounds.
What solutions could the future hold if the movement's institutions leveraged their community connections to further the well-being of all involved?
Perception is a powerful reality in a world of commoditized financial service offerings.
Why we might not see a higher funds rate next year.
A razor-sharp focus on four areas of credit card lending helps credit unions operate a program that supports critical priorities, provides income, and deepens member relationships.
What the potential for tax reform means for the stock market.
And what we can expect of the new Fed Chairman.
Are you willing to get involved in saving the NCUA from itself and the credit union movement for future generations?
Keeping credit unions’ money for itself in the corporate bailout fund merger is the last straw — NCUA’s self-interest trumped its cooperative responsibility.
1987 and 2017 share at least one common trait, but remembering Black Monday is not to create fear. It's to encourage watchfulness.
After four consecutive weeks of losses for bonds, the bond market has been up each day this week. Will tomorrow's consumer price index release bring that streak to a halt?
Reflections on what credit unions can do to build community and commitment — and re-create themselves along the way.
Friday’s jobs report will be messy and easily forgotten. Traders will go through the motions of reacting, but the numbers will have no staying power.
Don’t be the first or the last financial institution on the block to raise rates.
The NCUA does not need to keep credit union corporate bailout money, if the past is still prologue.
The markets react mildly to yesterday's Fed meeting.
The much-publicized Google memo got me thinking. Finance is a traditionally male-dominated field. In credit union land, 51.4% of CEOs are female yet collectively manage only 18.5% of the industry’s assets.
Free from congressional oversight, how will the still-independent NCUA answer calls for its own financial answerability?
Interchange income at credit unions swaps places with punitive fees as a growing driver of industry revenue.
A CEO explains why his CUSO postponed its annual conference — aiding in hurricane recovery efforts and living cooperative ideals is just the beginning.
Remember the 90s? That's the last time first-time homebuyers purchased homes at the same level as second quarter 2017.
Uncertainties regarding a new Fed chair, the debt ceiling, budget, and tax reform make it unlikely there will be a carefree Christmas.
Each credit union needs to develop its own best practices for board governance, but there are some critical common themes.
Small can be mighty when it comes to stealing market share and serving it better than the banks.
Eliminating barriers and connecting with members distinguishes credit unions from other financial institutions and makes the movement stronger than it’s ever been.
With housing trends skewing national in scope, concerns arise that a bubble could blow up.
It's no longer IF, but WHEN. Autonomous cars are coming. Are credit unions ready to respond?
The regulator is offering a rare opportunity for input on how it handles billions in credit unions’ money, but the movement better move fast.
Merging the TCCUSF and NCUSIF is a good idea. But don’t let NCUA fool you into keeping $1 billion of your members’ money.
Here’s how and why to learn more and then speak out about the NCUA’s proposed merger of the corporate credit union and share insurance funds. Plus, attend our webinar.
Stocks, bonds, and the debt ceiling. There's a lot fueling a sense of economic uneasiness.
An analysis of home values by ZIP code could topple the assumption that owning a home remains the best of investments.
A snapshot of the bond market reveals bullish speculators are back.
Payouts to senior managers after the PenFed takeover of Belvoir FCU also show need for transparency.
Yesterday's FOMC statement has bond traders thinking Fed tightening might be over.
Speculative bond traders see in Europe the opportunity to put the market back on track.
Jim Blaine remembers the man who made a major mark in his St. Louis community and well beyond.
Why some traders are worried about President Trump’s visit to Europe for the G-20 summit.
While the NCUA and the industry examines the merger process, maybe it’s time to consider providing a way for credit unions considering going away to save their value and re-deploy it for the common good.
A Keystone State credit union vanishes to merger but not without a fight.
The success of both the credit union and the member should increase as their relationship deepens over time.
Shorter-term rates have moved higher, but the bumps in the overnight rate have had little impact past the two-year note.
Ongoing planning beats static plans every time. Now’s the time to learn the practice of real strategic thinking.
A look at one recent merger shows how information shared and withheld can influence the outcome: the disappearance of yet another credit union with a proud, long history.
Answering that question and focusing on jobs to be done can create a more fruitful credit union-member relationship.
The proposed NCUA rule would require payoffs to take place in the open, exposing merger deals to transparency before members give away millions in equity and member value.
Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is not a game-changer for inflation or Fed policy.
Innovating to provide specific answers to questions like, “How have your members’ lives changed for the better since they signed up with you?”
Professional sports team offer insight into how to support this critical element of success.
Thursday offers a lineup of three possible threats to the markets.
The housing market is hot right now. Here's what credit unions can do to make homeownership a reality for members.
Summer is the perfect time to think strategically about how the credit union will tackle strategic planning in the fall.
Three ways the special investigation into Trump’s presidential campaign could impact the economy.
Winning and collaborating are not mutually exclusive.
What traders learned from yesterday's FOMC statement, and how they'll react to the latest health care vote.
As credit unions face new marketplace disruptions, it’s time to take a closer look at some traditional responses to these challenges.
Traders and Wall Street are making a big deal out of the French election. Here's what Americans need to know.
The movement in the bond market this week was not based on real concerns about the geopolitical scene.
I hate but understand the 'I wish this practice would just die' movements.
Fed officials can no longer deny they consider the markets when deciding monetary policy.
Cybersecurity is a problem that defies easy definition, solution, provenance, and conclusion.
Credit unions appear to be taking divergent paths, but will mission trump “bank lite” as the year unfolds?
Growth in consumer credit has sparked concern about credit quality. How will credit unions know when it’s really time to worry?
When employees prioritize what is best for the member, they demonstrate the cooperative difference.
Does the Fed still matter to bond traders?
Will the health care bill make it to the floor? And how will the market respond to Congressional pressuring?
The debate over credit union mergers should be about engaging member-owners as much as throwing shade at sales jobs by self-serving insiders.
Why the merger system is too rigged for “insider gains.”
Bond traders responded fervently to yesterday's rate hike.
A focus on aspirations and results trumps obsessing about weaknesses and threats.
Last week's Dow rally fades into memory as the market looks for additional positive reinforcement.
Some mergers now appear to be little more than bank-like takeovers, without the transparency.
The NCUA board chair's GAC speech may pave the way for a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the credit union movement to leverage the loosened shackles of regulatory reform. Are we up to it?
Talk about action on technology, analytics, touchpoints, and the personal touch highlight the credit union industry’s largest gathering.
This is not an indictment of large credit unions. Instead, I hope it’s a reminder to all of us of why we're here.
The stock market reacted to Trump’s speech on Tuesday with a triple-digit jump on Wednesday.
The March meeting is the Fed’s best shot to start what it claims will be three tightenings this year.
Merging the corporate credit union fund with the share insurance fund is an idea worth considering.
Wall Street has fought the bull market for the past year, always looking for a better buying opportunity.
When member-owned financial cooperatives are sold in a merger that is really a fire sale, the benefit goes to the buyers, the selling board, and senior managers at the members’ expense.
There is an alternative approach to self-dealing credit union mergers that corrupt the ideals of member-owned financial cooperatives.
For many, thinking about the credit union as a whole is a brand-new experience.
The appeals court reviewing the president's travel ban could render a decision before the week's end.
Credit unions seem to be dividing between mission-based and bank lite. What do you see?
Considerations to help any credit union assess its ALM policies, procedures, and management practices.
Headlines seldom make a business plan or tell you what to do next.
Trump needs to start working on big issues and stay away from the petty stuff or he will destroy what is left of the goodwill in the markets.
The concern around disruption in financial services is greater than ever before, but your credit union can take critical steps now to look at disruption through a different lens.
Buyer demand for the 10-year is not what traders hoped for.
Too many credit unions support worthwhile causes that have nothing to do with their core mission.
How automated automobiles threaten to disrupt American society and the credit union business.
A new approach to member service helps credit unions better understand the underlying needs of members and serve them more effectively.
Only in a culture that celebrates process and smart risk-taking does true innovation take root.
The need for credit unions has perhaps never been greater for the average American household.
U.S. employment might be nearing its maximum limit, but there are still pockets of unemployed workers around the country.
The year's first economic reports are out, and at least one is good news for credit unions.
All is calm, but is all bright?
There will most certainly be more liquidation to come unless the market narrative changes dramatically.
News from the European Central Bank is not what traders needed or wanted.
This financial cooperative decided to stake its future on hiring a new leader based on mission, credit union experience or not.
More than $8 billion of credit union money is tied up in and around the regulator’s bailout of the corporates, but little else is really known.
November might have been a nightmare, but today’s Treasury rates aren’t far off 2015.
With a more favorable environment, credit unions are poised to make an even greater impact in the coming year.
What would “normal” rates look like in the coming year, and what events might prevent rates from getting there?
The lack of liquidity in the bond market has been an ongoing problem, and now the dam seems to be breaking.
Something doesn't add up with the NCUA internal watchdog's report.
Traders are doing little besides watching the newswires for election news.
When the agency sets no measurable goals, it's hard for credit unions to hold it accountable.
The agency’s board ducks responsibility and shrouds in secrecy what’s happening with $3 billion in recoveries from the sellers of dubious private mortgage securities.
Once the dust settles, why U.S. traders will go back to watching the German market.
Determining how to devote limited resources to new opportunities is a challenge, but investing in new ways to deliver value is essential to remain relevant to members.
What do jobs, houses, and autos say about the road ahead for credit unions?
In September, China reported a sharper drop in exports than was expected. What does that mean for the bond market?
Blockchain technology has the promise to introduce unprecedented control and security in the payments world, but do credit unions care, and should they?
Credit unions can’t match resources with their big bank competitors, but they can still be outstanding in their field.
What should credit unions expect from Friday's barrage of economic reports?
The NCUA could accomplish so much more by being open about how it plans to manage and distribute billions of dollars from the corporate credit union collapse and bailout.
Oil rallies for a day, and stocks tag along for the ride.
Three ways credit union understandings and practices have changed.
Both stocks and bonds rallied yesterday on the heels of two central bank meetings.
Why participants of the program say Callahan's Leadership Team Development is boosting their performance and success rate.
Neither stocks nor bonds have made headway in either direction.
Expected news out of Europe has nonetheless piqued the interest of traders everywhere.
The markets were quiet for most of August, and traders are eager for September to bring more activity.
The latest news should be good for credit unions invested in the failed corporates, but lack of regulator clarity makes it hard to know what's really going on.
The world is nervously awaiting Janet Yellen’s speech tomorrow, but the over-hyped event will not live up to expectations.
The lack of a unified opinion from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors will leave the Fed in the dust when rates rise.
Although there are differences in bond rates around the world, they are all trading in the same direction.
Bank of England cuts rates while the American traders chew on domestic numbers and the Fed waits for European picture to clear.
While yesterday's FOMC statement was one of the most positive in quite a while, you wouldn’t know it by looking at where the bond market ended.
Federal regulator grows its own budget instead of using credit union’s cooperative insurance fund as a collective resource to rehabilitate or resolve credit unions in difficulty.
Markets are set for day four of the summer snooze fest. If today ends up as dull as the first three days of this week, traders will have a lot of pent up energy to expend tomorrow.
A common language, framework can help turn operational survival into strategic thriving. But getting there takes team development.
PSCU Member Forum speakers offer lessons on listening to the front line and why to lead the process, not the content.
Central bank across the pond chooses to hold rates steady, giving the pound a boost over there and, along with JP Morgan earnings, some market optimism over here.
The need for monitoring grows as does the bank account as another $161 million is added ahead of the fund’s 2021 shutdown date.
Credit unions’ overarching focus on creating and delivering value to members provides a solid foundation for steady performance while markets whipsaw in the face of uncertainties.
How three possible rate paths could throw a curveball during the 2017 budgeting process.
The knee-jerk reaction to the Brexit vote is over, but the extent of the fallout is still unknown.
Against the predictions of traders, the UK voted yesterday to leave the European Union.
The British are at their polling stations, and the Brexit vote is on.
Credit unions are embracing business intelligence, but their approaches to data and analytics vary as they leverage technology to deliver increased member value.
The Fed should admit it plans to raise interest rates only once it sees stronger economic growth, calm global conditions, and a sustainable upward trend in inflation.
Mario Drahi and George Soros are dinging stocks and giving bond traders a reason to dip below a key level.
It's time for a few more credit unions to inspire the same revolution for evolution.
While credit unions await payback, a look at the agency’s audit numbers for the past six years show its secretive rescue plan might have cost more than it saved.
Despite the strong suggestion by the Fed that it will increase rates in June, two events could cause it to hit the pause button.
Three critical questions about the corporate resolution plan to be addressed at this Thursday's board meeting.
A new study shows how little personal responsibility executives feel toward cybersecurity. Here’s why that’s wrong.
Credit unions are operating from a position of strength; now, credit union leaders want to leverage that strength to have a greater impact on their members and communities in the area of financial health.
Credit unions have the opportunity to build on historic growth by helping members achieve fiscal fitness, one family at a time.
Industry co-workers and friends remember the legacy of Mr. O’Rourke.
As peak season for home sales approaches, the outlook for mortgage lending remains positive.
A review of NCUSIF audits show a rebuff of reality that marks seven years of building budgets while thwarting the fund’s intent to sustain and nurture.
The collaborative model is the best — and perhaps only — way credit unions can compete in the critical realm of business intelligence and the Big Data it requires.
The best of the best? What’s that mean? Serving everyone is the ultimate sustainable model for capitalism and for credit unions, the original crowdfunders.
NCUA chair Debbie Matz leaves the board as the movement prepares to live with burdensome new capitalization standards that data show nearly no credit unions currently run afoul of.
NACUSO conference points up innovative opportunities, regulatory challenges for collaborative entrepreneurship in the credit union model.
The regulator's drastic move is a troubling illustration of how the agency created to foster the movement’s safety and soundness is becoming a threat to its future.
What the future might look like should the U.S. Fed adopt the policies of the central banks in Europe and Japan.
Securities end quarter strong, while next quarter could determine rates for years to come.
Fed officials have sounded sounded more upbeat on the economy than Yellen sounded last week.
With Ed, there was only one direct path to the goal. That path was either with you, around you, over you, under you, or through you. You could step aside or get on board.
The Fed has been throwing off mixed signals for years; yesterday’s FOMC statement was just the latest.
Memo to U.S. traders: Set aside the ECB and focus on what our own Fed might say next week.
Friday's U.S. jobs report is taking on more importance than we have seen in some time.
Traders have avoided getting caught up in the Chinese stock market, but can they wean themselves away from oil enough to watch fundamentals again?
Credit unions need to value service as much as profitability and be able to show it.
Traditional retailers and credit unions are not necessarily on the same side of the digital divide when it comes to moving the model online.
Amid volatile movement in the stock market, the Federal Reserve is simply watching the world go by.
New technology has displaced oil’s major role in the global economy.
Expect economic hurdles and high jumps in 2016.
A drop in the Chinese currency sparks a new wave of selling.
Each year, the National Mortgage News publishes a list of top 200 loan originators. Here's why credit unions need to be on the list.
It’s times like today when credit union executive teams most need a strategic mindset to lay the foundation for future success.
Crowdfunding provides opportunities for credit unions, small businesses, investors, and local communities.
If credit unions can embrace the idea of Collaboration 3.0, they can become the disruptors rather than the disrupted.
Now’s the time to double down on the credit union difference and spread financial wealth and wellness.
Cyber risk touches every part of a credit union, so CEOs and other members of the C-suite must prepare for real-time, hands-on management of such events.
This analysis of the estates of the five liquidated corporate credit unions includes five action steps that credit unions can take individually and collectively to help retrieve their funds from the $4-$5 billion windfall.
The fate of the payout from liquidated corporate credit unions rests with the NCUA.
The year-end action by FOMC could set the tone for 2016.
After the big jump in October payrolls, a more normal gain is expected.
Credit unions should get together to tackle data, overcome challenges, and compete.
Movement in the excess reserve rate could mean a major increase in income.
Does bad news from the nation's largest retail sales department store bring sad tidings for the holiday season?
Credit unions are gaining members and market share. For now. Better telling our industry’s story is more critical than ever in this marketplace of experiential consumers.
If and when the Federal Reserve finally raises the overnight funds rate, the bond market will already be way ahead.
Early warning signs suggest values in hot markets are getting stretched, and increased mortgage rates will send some areas into overvalued territory.
Stock traders like easy money, but they don’t like seeing the Federal Reserve basing decisions on shaky global markets.
Despite a rally in Chinese stocks, traders are looking for bad news.
More good news for the long-term outlook of the housing market.
Authentication advancements that empower mobile lending were among the highlights during the annual fall financial innnovations event.
Stock traders are trying to use Wednesday’s rally as a launching pad for a better fourth quarter, but the market is looking a bit wobbly.
Pope Francis brought his message and his popularity to Washington, and this family was there to witness it.
Investors are fed up with market confusion. Will a lecture today by the Fed chair provide any clarity?
How the markets will react to today's FOMC statement is anyone's guess. The markets stopped making sense a long time ago.
Where the markets end price-wise today is anyone’s guess. But we can be certain that the markets will end the day just as uncertainly as they are beginning.
The bond market’s problem isn’t just selling by China.
Although Donald Trump might tell you China is trying to destroy America, the simple fact is the Chinese need to raise money to fund support efforts at home.
Foundering currencies and cratering commodities point to reluctance to raise rates when FOMC meets next month.
This indecision over whether to tighten rates is wasted angst.
Michael Wettrich, president and chief executive of the $90 million Education First Credit Union in Ohio, makes the case for supplemental capital at credit unions.
Supplemental capital is a useful tool that is long overdue; however, it is not without risk and potential complications.
A slow summer day, mixed earnings for two symbolic companies, and dropping oil prices present a mixed bag for a sluggish global economy.
Traders shrug at the deal struck between the European Union and Greek Parliament but turn their attention to ECB president Mario Draghi.
Hopefully, U.S. traders are not really focusing on Chinese markets. Why optimism over Greece in Europe is growing also is unclear.
Regardless of what happens in Europe, we can expect one outcome on Monday.
The rhetoric out of Greece suggests the crisis could be resolved as early as next week.
This data-dependent board of governors will do nothing until evidence slaps it in the face.
Minor consumer splurge in May drives first strong numbers in many months.
Will new mortgage disclosures set to take effect in August help or hinder consumer understanding of debt?
The German bond market led the way on Wednesday as the 10-year note closed the day at 0.85%.
Zillow mortgage research shows that many small borrowers will pay 10% more for every dollar borrowed than a borrower with a $400,000 loan.
Global stock markets are having a sympathetic reaction to the Shanghai Composite.
The markets are trading quietly as the Fed takes a wait-and-see approach on raising interest rates.
This quarterly snapshot from TRUST Mutual Funds shows total investments at credit unions increased $14 billion since year-end 2014.
Bond traders are on their tiptoes in an effort to not disturb the German beast.
TILA/RESPA integrated disclosure is so much more than a disclosure regulation. Many believe it will be a bigger deal than the Qualified Mortgage rule from January 2014.
Fed chair Janet Yellen’s comments during an IMF conference on Wednesday contributed to a global sell-off of stocks last night.
Dow futures are down 20 points in preopening trading and bond prices are close to unchanged to start the last day of April.
The deadline to submit comments about NCUA's risk-based capital proposal is April 27. This roundup of RBC2 commentary offers inspiration and suggestions for crafting a comment.
More than 1,000 credit union advocates from across the industry have made their voices heard. This selection of comments about NCUA’s revised risk-based capital proposal highlights drawbacks of the rule and underscores the importance of feedback.
The NASDAQ teeters on the precipice of breaking even after 15 years, and the German 10-year yield sneaks a surprise attack on the bond market.
Legal battle and years of uncertainty could follow a final rule like this.
Data from different sources documents discrepant views about the Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund.
This "fundamentally flawed" policy actually creates a capital problem.
Rick Metsger says the NCUA has a duty to protect the insurance fund against "material risks."
Alchemy and innovation at CUSO conference shows a movement on the move.
Like generals, regulators are always fighting the last war.
Disappointing numbers in U.S. housing starts could be a lingering effect of the winter blues.
Much of the logic surrounding RBC2 is absurd, especially the idea that it offers any more protection than effective examination.
Reserves are different from capital, and with RBC2, credit union members pay the price.
In yesterday's FOMC minutes, the Fed laid out three conditions that must be met in order for it to consider the first tightening.
The Massachusetts credit union turns its debit card 90 degrees to improve functionality and impress the user.
Credit unions might not be subject to CRA guidelines, but they still need to be aware of the value of CRA-eligible loans.
The argument that existing capital regulations are ineffective just doesn’t hold water.
Systemic rules like RBC are always simplistic and inflexible, a kind of bureaucratic bludgeon.
The NCUA is proposing an invasive, possibly illegal solution to a problem that does not exist.
The Federal Credit Union Act requires the NCUA to submit an annual report to the President and Congress by April 1. Another year has come and gone with no report.
The bond bulls and economic bear crowd is over-hyping the potential for tomorrow’s jobs number to be a game changer.
Credit unions should focus their efforts on persuading NCUA board member Rick Metsger to change his mind on RBC.
NCUA will assume it's all peachy-keen unless the agency hears from credit unions.
The annual performance of the share insurance fund is a real-world test of NCUA’s ability to identify future risk, document potential shortfalls, and accurately manage uncertainties.
Already commented once? Do it again. Haven't yet? Now's the time.
Current comment period should be just the beginning of constant contact with those who rule our world.
Yay or nay, the cooperative system needs your participation on matters of such consequence.
Reversals and consistency in stocks and bonds.
Exercise your right and do the right thing for your members by commenting on the risk-based capital rule. It's your "vote." Make it count.
March's statement and forecast proves the central bank is as vulnerable to short-term factors as any short-term trader.
Ed Callahan passed away six years ago, yet his impact on the industry still resonates today.
Year-end data clearly proves there is no capital problem or shortfall in the credit union system.
Poor weather and cloudy consumer moods drag down retail performance, to the apparent surprise of economists.
Properly pricing and managing the loan portfolio is a major driver of success for a credit union.
Bonds are down, jobless claims are up, and the 10-Year Treasury yield could hinge on February's jobs reports.
When will the NCUA pay attention to how the FDIC views risk-based capital?
Escape the circus and live beyond the limits of the imaginary lid. Comment on the RBC rule.
A half-million members respond so far to North Carolina credit union’s offer of free credit scores. President digs it, too.
Watch for frenzied news coverage at month's end as stock traders target two landmarks for the Dow and NASDAQ.
Is it time to rethink how and what we measure, especially in the credit union world where “high performance” has a different meaning than in for-profit financial institutions?
Is making the NCUA look professional more important than debating rules before they're passed?
Qualified mortgage rules should reflect bigger credit unions as part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Albert Einstein hailed the power of compounding interest. But that power works both ways, as payday lenders well know.
Rising wages, employment may be greeted by rate hikes as Fed works to direct economic harmony.
A new era of transparent debate and both sides of the story will be good for us all!
NCUA is setting an anti-democratic precedent in its repeated efforts to keep private the legal opinions about its public regulatory authority. RBC is one example. The CUSO rule is another. Will there be more?
How did the three board members and NCUA fare during the open meeting in which the agency released the revised risk-based capital proposal?
New Jersey de novo says it’s well capitalized but heavily restricted, and CEO has some suggestions for working together.
To craft an effective response, credit unions must understand how board members view the rule.
If NCUA implemented the role of the practitioners in the spirit of member participation, then the precedent could be an important milestone in how the agency works with credit unions.
A speech by the vice chair of the FDIC should be top of mind as the industry considers the new risk-based capital proposal.
The beginning of 2015 looks much the same as 2014.
First quarter is an ideal time to pay slightly above market to lock in long-term CDs and reactivate interest in money market offerings.
Investment gains of more than $700 million prove the three liquidated corporates have always had positive capital.
Discussions held during the largest ever credit union conference still resonate today.
Emerging signs of economic strain underscore the need for financial prudence.
The fact an examiner jeopardized sensitive data from $13.1 million Palm Springs FCU is appalling at so many levels.
Bankers entering the credit union workforce have a lot to learn — or relearn — about cooperatives, members, and the credit union difference.
More than 2,500 participants attended the 1984 National Examiners' Conference to "share expertise and experience.” Here are photos of a few of them.
Grow Financial Federal Credit Union learned several lessons during the decade it spent refining its culture and achieving its current level of employee engagement.
Annual core processing market share guide raises questions. Answering them helps improve the process.
What the CFPB got right, and wrong, in its 2014 Student Loan Ombudsman's Annual Report.
Why Suncoast Credit Union took on a low-income designation and how it plans to tap the benefits that designation provides.
Compared to a 4-pound cell phone from the 1980s, an expensive mid-'90s flip phone would look great — until you saw the iPhone 6. With EMV, credit unions are being pressured to adopt technology that is obsolete.
The ability to manage interest rate risk is another advantage of the cooperative model.
The credit unions on NCUA’s risk-based capital panel have an opportunity to make a difference for the cooperative system.
NCUA's listening session should be a wake-up call for credit unions. Why does the regulator want to follow an ineffective banking model when the cooperative approach has proven time and again to be superior?
It’s a constant struggle to separate illusion from future vision, but here are three likely paths that the evolving rate situation may take in the year ahead.
Why performance trumps gender and other advice for aspiring leaders.
Good leadership requires addressing the causes of problems, putting solutions in place that eliminate repeat problems, and taking accountability for institutional failures.
A successful CEO shares guidance and best practices for tomorrow’s business leaders.
Latest TCCUSF audit shows NCUA underestimated corporate credit unions' capital reserves by 6.4 Billion and the need for a thorough review of NCUA's stewardship.
Being a small credit union hasn't stopped West Virginia-based Element FCU from developing solutions to better serve its members.
Comparing home-based credit unions to buggy whips trivializes the modern quality services they provide to their members
RBC mandates a one-sided approach to financial soundness that requires credit unions to play only defense with no offense. No team wins that way.
NCUA has yet to provide a weighting for human error.
The 2013 annual audit of the TCCUSF shows credit unions are due billions of dollars in refunds. Now is the time for a thorough review of NCUA’s stewardship.
NCUA asserts home-based credit unions are "stuck in the past," but the fact these credit unions have an average charter length of 55 years and have survived the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Great Recession tells a more meaningful story.
NCUA’s proposed rule to prohibit credit unions from operating out of private residences has wide-reaching effects not only for the 74 home-based federal credit unions but also for every credit union operating in this country.
By traditional measures, credit union originators are less efficient than their for-profit competitors. They're not going to get rich quick, but that’s not what credit unions are about.
The simple reserving formula and a 7% well-capitalized ratio credit unions employ is a more effective method for measuring capital adequacy.
Credit unions lead the financial services industry with strategies that embrace corporate social responsibility. Best of all, CSR isn’t just feel-good PR; it’s a proven benefit for an institution’s own employees.
Backtesting NCUSIF reserve expenses for losses shows no link to actual losses for past five years
Bank regulators vote to strengthen the leverage capital requirements for the eight largest banking organizations by taking an approach the cooperative model has used for more than 100 years.
NCUA chair Debbie Matz does not understand that in member-owner cooperatives, it is the consumer who decides what is relevant or not.
The new high rate of corporate perpetual capital could drive credit unions to bank with non-credit union organizations.
In the hands of skilled credit union underwriters, creative loan structures can help deserving buyers acquire affordable homes and achieve the American Dream.
PSFCU members reward their credit union’s philanthropy with lasting loyalty.
Two economic cornerstones that nearly crumbled during the recession — jobs and housing — are now structurally sound and ready to lift credit unions to the next level of success.
When Denver Community switched charters to expand its membership base, it gained regulatory advocates as well as potential members.
NCUA’s proposed RBC rule would double credit union capital requirements versus banks for common asset classes where risk weights are different.
An analysis of capital requirements for a bank and a credit union with the same asset size and composition.
An independent review council with a staff separate from NCUA will enhance the distinct characteristics of the cooperative model.
Is the RBC approach the best framework for how cooperatives determine their level of reserves?
Conclusions from commentaries and studies about why the risk-based capital requirements did not prevent severe losses.
The downside of what a regulatory-designed and imposed capital system would do to credit unions
This hearing allows McWatters to present his thoughts on the NCUA board’s role and for senators to learn about his views on the regulation of financial cooperatives.
NCUA's proposed rule not only presents an unbalanced portrait of the home-based credit union today but also overrides the right of a credit union to choose a different design and purpose.
Home-based credit unions are a part of the movement’s DNA and have played a vital role in their members’ lives for decades. In this CBS News clip, the network praises the noteworthy accomplishment of this refreshing kind of financial institution in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
Anecdotes and comments about NCUA home-based credit union rule demonstrate the power of the cooperative model.
When did a public hearing become a secret proceeding?
A credit union owner's analysis reveals a $357 million real loss of market value in the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund over the past 12 months.
NCUA overestimated losses on investments by $7.6 billion and now estimates it owes credit unions a refund of $1.9 billion in TCCUSF premium overpayments.
How Wright-Patt Credit Union reorganized in the face of a changing payments landscape.
Timely data that provides transparency at all levels of system performance can be a significant, cooperative strong, advantage for credit unions.
If the tables were turned, how would an NCUA examiner respond to NCUA's own management of NCUSIF funds?
The community benefits when young adults learn about common financial concepts; credit union team members can present economic education lessons through classes, workshops, contests, and events.
Erie FCU is upgrading its relationship-building efforts and empowering its leadership team members to make their own decisions.
How effectively are existing NCUA information and examiner resources being used?
The final CUSO regulation passed at the November board meeting took more than two years to develop and will not collect any meaningful information until early 2016.
A proper corporate social responsibility platform creates a win/win/win situation for the credit union, its members, and the community.
In November, the board approved the highest overhead transfer rate in the agency’s history of managing the NCUSIF.
A properly designed CSR platform creates a win/win/win situation for the credit union, its members, and the community.
Legacy assets taken from the five liquidated corporates have increased in total value in the past 18 months.
NCUA’s November board actions and subsequent commentaries represent a lack of meaningful interaction between regulators and credit unions.
A standardized set of specifications for the credit union industry will make product and service integration easier and less expensive.
MIT FCU mines mutual opportunities within its select community.
At its October board meeting, the NCUA released a final liquidity rule to be put in place by March 2014
Alliant Credit Union CEO David Mooney talks about the importance of innovation in the credit union movement.
One difference between community banks and credit unions is a banker’s emphasis on ROE and a credit union’s emphasis on ROA.
A former bank executive points to mission and long-term strategy as the primary differences between credit unions and banks.
Banks and credit unions operate in disparate systems, yet the providers of financial services have many traits in common.
Crowdsourcing software enables the Washington credit union to solicit ideas from employees and build off the solutions of one another. So far, participation is high and credit union leadership is pleased.
Several factors contribute to the impression that regulating credit union cooperatives is the same as banking oversight, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
The need for a better partnership is well illustrated by the board’s July 25 decision to assess an eight basis point, $700 million insurance expense for the TCCUSF.
Strategic planning beforehand helped Justice FCU perform strongly during the economic recession.
As of June 30, 2013, the total of the reserves established by each of the five corporates prior to liquidation shows that $5.4 billion of combined OTTI write downs are still unused.
EECU weaves effective risk management into the credit union by starting with its people and culture, then using technology to enhance risk analytics.
Complex regulations, increased regulator pressure, and risk-based exams have forced risk management to be more global.
Member One FCU uses ERM to identify and measure the impact of current business risks while assessing emerging threats.
Mountain America Credit Union altered and enhanced its own existing program, creating a richer, deeper risk management protocol.
A Midwest credit union branch puts OBM principles to work in the field.
The results of the Co-Ops 4 Change "NCUA Survey" are in!
Co-Ops for Change is crowd-sourcing data on each corporate credit union’s portfolio that was taken to collateralize the NCUA Guaranteed Notes (NGN).
No credit union in America has come close to the bottom-line financial results of Arrowhead Credit Union’s 3.75% ROA for both 2011 and 2012.
A Canadian community credit union uses impact measures to gain a better understanding of how it is growing as a cooperative.
Kevin Carter, a realtor who has successfully worked with credit unions, shares specific traits he looks for in lending partners.
Why tomorrow’s cooperative workers will need to know more, do more, and own more, and how we can help them get there.
Five key questions to ask about your credit union.
Credit unions are rediscovering the power of a community action website – a channel to encourage members to speak out and to participate on issues of common concern and interest.
We offer a broad and diverse education and we should share that with students.
Having a background and deep understanding of cooperative principles is a very desirable attribute of any incoming NCUA Board member.
The future direction of the credit union movement depends on having regulatory leadership which understands both the industry and the cooperative principals by which we operate.
I have a great working relationship with NCUA but I think our industry is being confronted with the need to transform itself.
The writings of Michael Porter help us understand why NCUA's activities have discouraged the creation of member-owner value.
At the heart of credit unions is a new organizational model based in cooperative design. It should also be at the core of the regulatory system. A radical overhaul is called for.