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ALM First’s 2026 Derivatives Symposium
« All Events ALM First’s 2026 Derivatives Symposium June 8, 2026 @ 8:00 am - June 9, 2026 @ 5:00 pm
ALM First’s 2026 Financial Institute
« All Events ALM First’s 2026 Financial Institute March 22, 2026 @ 8:00 am - March 25, 2026 @ 5:00 pm
What is human resources (HR) automation?
Human resources departments rely heavily on document-driven processes to get work done. To streamline processes and free up time, many organizations choose to automate their HR processes with an enterprise content management (ECM) system. Automation handles many administrative HR tasks that, though critical, slow down productivity when performed manually. Such tasks include: Filing, organizing and retrieving content. Routing information for review and approval between team members or departments.
Credit unions talk interchange proposal, liquidity with Fed vice chair
Credit unions met with Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson Monday to discuss a range of policy priorities to help credit unions increase service to members and communities. America’s Credit Unions President/CEO Jim Nussle, members of its advocacy team, Leagues, and credit unions discussed the Fed’s debit card interchange cap proposal, liquidity, the fraud epidemic, and more.
Acquire and connect with the next generation of your credit union members
Publisher’s Note: CUInsight and Greenlight Financial Technology invite credit union leaders to join our upcoming free webinar on Wednesday, February 14th titled, “Engage and Empower: How Power Financial CU successfully connects with Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and their families.” We hope you’ll join us! Register here.
Don’t lower loan rates quite yet
Yes, interest rates across the yield curve are down, but does that mean loan rates should follow suit? Maybe not quite yet. If the last couple of years have taught depositories anything, it’s that liquidity and the stickiness of deposits can change quickly. Balance sheets grew tremendously from 2020 through 2021, and financial institutions had more cash than they knew what to do with at that time.
CUs support policies to increase supply of affordable, resilient housing
America’s credit unions play an integral role in helping working families achieve homeownership, CUNA and NAFCU wrote to a House Financial Services subcommittee in advance of its hearing on housing affordability. “Credit unions support legislation and policy decisions that would increase the supply of safe, affordable, and reasonably resilient housing, including efforts to make it easier for homebuilders and homebuyers to use manufactured housing to reduce the housing shortage,” the letter reads.
NAFCU, CUNA detail benefits of CUs in mortgage market ahead of hearing
NAFCU and CUNA wrote to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance ahead of its hearing today on housing affordability to tout credit unions’ work to provide comparatively lower rates on mortgage loans, especially amid “challenging times.” However, the associations also noted that lower rates offered by credit unions only relate to one aspect of affordability, stating that “government policy can impact affordability as well.” “We have urged the Federal Housing...
Free white paper: The evolving state of debit interchange
Debit cards are increasingly vital in the financial landscape, especially for credit unions. As cash usage declines and competition for members’ loyalty intensifies, credit unions must make strategic choices regarding payment networks and card programs. Debit cards play a pivotal role in impacting financial performance and fostering member engagement and loyalty.
Free white paper: How to leverage debit interchange to drive growth
Debit cards are increasingly vital in the financial landscape, especially for credit unions. As cash usage declines and competition for members’ loyalty intensifies, credit unions must make strategic choices regarding payment networks and card programs. Debit cards play a pivotal role in impacting financial performance and fostering member engagement and loyalty.
Overdrafts: Navigating the evolving regulatory landscape
In recent months, regulators have issued multiple documents in the form of supervisory guidance and observations, raising concerns for credit unions. Notably, the October 2023 Supervisory Highlights from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) addressed “unlawful junk fees” discovered in their supervision of financial institutions that are $10B and above.
Modernizing your credit union’s lending tech stack: A strategic imperative for 2024
In today’s financial landscape, credit unions are navigating an array of challenges, from liquidity constraints and staffing limitations to tighter budgets. Among these challenges, one critical aspect often overlooked is the need to modernize their technology infrastructure. It’s during slower production times the prime opportunity arises to strategically add efficiencies that will prove invaluable in the busier times ahead.
3 steps to enhance your executive talent strategy
According to the latest industry survey data as compiled by DDJ Myers, an ALM First company, approximately half of all CEOs in the credit union industry are over the age of 55. For credit unions with $3B or more in assets, the percentage of leaders approaching retirement age is even larger. How can forward-thinking cooperatives enhance their talent strategies to retain and reward current leaders while building a more robust compensation package to recruit new executives when the need arises?
Credit union assets, lending, delinquencies rise in 2nd quarter
Total assets in federally insured credit unions increased $82 billion, or 3.8%, over the year ending in the second quarter of 2023, to $2.22 trillion, according to the latest financial performance data released by NCUA. Total loans outstanding rose $175 billion, or 12.6%, to $1.56 trillion, during the same time period. Insured shares and deposits also grew $31 billion, or 1.8%, to $1.72 trillion, from one year earlier.
More credit unions expected to acquire chartered banks amid consolidation pressure, M&A lawyer says
A deal lawyer who specializes in credit union acquisitions of small, chartered banks said he sees activity picking up again after a pause during the regional-bank crisis earlier this year. Michael M. Bell, chair of the financial-institutions practice group at Detroit-based law firm Honigman LLP, said the sector has seen five credit union purchases for banks with assets of $150 million to $300 million announced in the past week, with his firm handling three of them.
CFPB releases report on big tech in mobile payments
The CFPB Thursday released a report highlighting the impact Apple and Google have on the mobile payment ecosystem.
Why more banks and credit unions are using environmental graphics in branches
What can make a bank branch feel creative and innovative in the digital age? Kevin Brouillette would argue it comes down to environmental graphics, which he considers to be the future of branch design. “The intent of environmental graphic design is to inform, captivate and delight a person within a space,” says Brouillette, the senior environmental graphic designer at NewGround, a marketing agency in Long Beach, Calif. The term was first coined decades ago — as early as the 70s — he says.
Upcoming opportunities for merger conversations
Thank you to everyone who has cast their votes on the proposed merger of CUNA and NAFCU into America’s Credit Unions. We have a number of upcoming opportunities for questions and feedback and want all members to have the information they need before voting. This week we announced a series of three virtual forums for CEOs from member credit unions to hear the latest and bring us your questions. One will be for NAFCU-only members, one for CUNA-only members, and one for dual members.
Predatory payday lending conglomerate’s chicanery stops at the CFPB
The seasons may change, but the grift stays the same for predatory payday lending. Whether it’s that small-time payday loan outfit in the asphalt strip mall down the street or an international holdings conglomerate, the business model remains the same: dupe the financially-underserved into debt traps and then wrangle customers into refinancing multiple times, costing them thousands.
The value in listening
In today’s age, it’s easy to get caught up in the noise. With instant access to information and so many channels to voice opinions, people spend a lot of time talking – both virtually and in-person. There’s value in talking, but . People will tell you what they want if you ask, but you must be willing to listen.By listening, you can gather more information to better inform your decisions. You learn and adapt. The most successful organizations have realized this.
How Zogo changes lives (and how you can, too!)
Since its founding, Zogo has empowered over 1.6 million people with financial literacy and confidence. Its app featuring gamified, bite-sized financial education has dramatically changed countless lives for the better for people of all ages, all across the country.
Robust training plays key role in employee retention
In today’s competitive job market, finding and retaining top talent remains a primary challenge for many organizations. Research shows that companies can significantly boost employee retention rates by providing robust, ongoing training and development opportunities. Employees now expect and demand continuous skills development and career growth from their employers.
Is your institution ready to communicate in a crisis?
CEOs and other senior leaders at credit unions were quick to react after bank failures this spring, but are their teams prepared to communicate proactively as the landscape continues to evolve? Given the timing of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) failure, the weekend provided valuable time for leaders to reflect on the events and communicate with key stakeholders. This may have included updating the board of directors or discussing the situation with other senior team members.
What we’ve learned post-Silicon Valley Bank
As professional portfolio managers, we are rarely surprised by actual portfolio performance when returns are posted. We should always have a good idea of our portfolio’s estimated sensitivity to changes in macro factor risks – level of rates, curve slope, asset spreads, rate volatility, and prepayments. As those risks change, we expect the market value of our portfolio to change accordingly, assuming reasonable modeling assumptions.
Seven things you forgot about higher interest rates
Short and intermediate Treasury yields rose sharply in 2022 to the highest levels in 15 years. One clear impact to depository institutions was higher unrealized losses on their AFS portfolios, but at the same time, reinvestment yields were significantly higher as well. However, higher rates have an impact on other fixed income concepts beyond just the bond’s stated yield to maturity (that too is impacted by higher discount rate assumptions).
Fundamental investing principles for depository institutions
There are many types of investors in the institutional fixed income world: hedge funds, mutual funds, depositories, insurance, corporations, pensions, and endowments, to name several. Many of these investors are differentiated by the assets they manage, but unique to depositories is their liability mix.
Tips to evaluate loan strategies in a changing landscape
Working with several hundred depository institutions nationally allows our firm to identify trends and provide unique perspectives on the market. In the loan participations space, we’re seeing more participations on a flow basis vs. one-time large pool sales. Efficiency is one of the key drivers behind this trend. As fintech platforms continue to evolve, they are taking on larger roles in both the loan origination and participation process.
Best practices for a better ALCO
The Asset and Liability Management Committee (ALCO), which is responsible for the oversight of balance sheet risk management, is one of the most important operating committees of any depository institution. A proper functioning ALCO will result in more profitable decisions. Here are five best practices to help make your ALCO more effective. Understand Structural Options In ALCOs generally operate under two types of structures: Strategic or Operational.
Why rising rates may not be such a bad thing: The fundamentals of depositories
We have all heard comments over the years regarding rising interest rates and depositories’ bond portfolios. However, instead of lamenting – “Rates went up and I should have locked in those gains” or “With the ten-year rising am I going to lose money on my investments?” – now is the time to look at long-term, sound asset liability management. If you had a crystal ball and knew the direction of interest rates BEFORE they moved, you would be the richest person on earth.
What NCUA’s proposed rule on derivative use could mean for your credit union
An opportunity for federally chartered credit unions to gain greater flexibility in managing interest rate risk and making profitable decisions. On October 15, 2020 the NCUA Board of Directors unanimously approved a proposed rule that would ease regulations on derivative use, open the scope of permissible derivatives, and make it easier for Federal Credit Unions to hedge their balance sheet interest rate risk using derivatives.
How the pandemic is shaping the M&A landscape
Are we at a tipping point for credit unions? Proactive credit unions that have been performing well for a long period of time are starting to reconsider potential mergers and acquisitions for relevance, stability, scale and, most importantly, to benefit their members. The COVID-19 crisis and resulting economic uncertainty may usher in new opportunities for organizations to consider collaboration, especially those without strong digital infrastructure or drive-thru capabilities.
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