BankThink

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions... and a poor interpretation of statistics. Case in point, the NCRC's latest report card on credit unions versus banks about "serving the underserved."

Now that we know how the Corporate Stabilization Fund is going to impact the expense side of credit union balance sheets, it is time to implement plans to offset these sky-high, but lower than expected premium expenses with additional revenues. But where might these additional revenues come from? Through increased access to your revenue-generating products and services.

If you think you're alone in borrowing a page from Warren G. Harding's presidential campaign and hoping for a "Return to Normalcy" at your credit union in 2010, consider the plight of conference and meeting planners.

The ability to recover quickly and completely from systems failures and disasters is perhaps more critical for credit unions and other financial institutions than for many other types of organizations.

There can be no doubt we are in challenging economic times. The question is, "How will we navigate these times?" I truly believe we have the opportunity to do much more than just survive, but to thrive.

Another tip for big banks trying to improve their images: Don’t let your top executives skip out on a speech by the President. It’s a simple suggestion that is apparently news to many bankers whose absence from President Obama’s speech to Wall Street on Monday has not gone unnoticed.

It’s not a secret that the Bush administration’s first foreclosure prevention plan, Hope Now, was a failure, but now the flop is immortalized in print—by one of the administration’s own ex-staffers.

Wells Fargo forecloses on the home of a couple who lost their fortune to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and a bank executive is then caught living and partying in the empty Malibu mansion? Come on.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of an earth-shattering week for the financial system, in which Lehman Brothers failed and AIG received an emergency bailout. Washington-related events will be a mix of reflections on the past and examinations of possibilities for the future, with regulatory restructuring hearings in the House.

Editor's Note: CURE (Credit Union Retired Executives), a resource for free, confidential management advice, is offering Credit Union Journal readers a glimpse into its with "Advice from the Brain Trust." CURE selects from among its user questions and publish the advice that was offered in response. CURE responses are put together by the group's think tank of retired credit union leaders.