BankThink

Now that the benefits of online banking are well understood to most computer-savvy banking consumers, what’s the next step in banking convenience?

Despite the omnipresence of webcams, one eternal question remains unanswered: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make noise? We may never know. What we do know, however, is that if a credit union name tied to the forest falls, it can make a great deal of noise. Just ask the former Weyerhaeuser Employees Credit Union in Longview, Wash.

WASHINGTON - CUNA last week called for a moratorium on implementation of certain provisions of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. In a letter to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), CUNA President Dan Mica said the trade group has concerns over the pending implementation plan issued by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Board. While saying it supports the law’s intent on cracking down on illegal online gambling, Mica wrote that credit unions are also concerned over “unforeseen regulatory burdens” on credit unions and other financial institutions.

Unfortunately, it has become a truism in the credit union industry that the many will pay for the mistakes of the few. The National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) stands to lose hundreds of millions from the speculative real estate construction and risky business lending directly resulting from the poor judgment of a mere handful of credit union leaders. Credit unions running responsible operations are now paying the price for the mistakes and recklessness of their less-than-prudent brethren.

There is no doubt that most people have heard the parable, "give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime." Traditional financing models often miss this important psychological element of education, which is essential to the ongoing success of positive economic progress.

The Credit Union Journal's recent Mortgage Mess coverage (CU Journal, Nov. 26) is not only amusing, but a joke as well as an insult to anyone of average intelligence.

As you're all too aware, we are approaching the happiest and most joyous season of the year-by that, I mean, of course, college bowl season. What you may be less aware of is that a credit union is the title sponsor to one of those bowls: the Poinsettia Bowl, which is properly known as the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, even though the credit union name part of that is often dropped from the sports pages and the TV listings.

Many management gurus claim employee satisfaction and accomplishments are keys to organizational success. That's why it's critical to truly understand what employees feel and think. One approach to assessing employee satisfaction is to conduct climate studies that examine various elements of the employee experience (compensation, benefits, opportunities for advancement, personal satisfaction, etc.). Another approach involves employee perception comparison studies (EPCS). With an EPCS, employees are asked what they think members think, and a concurrent member survey ascertains what members actually think. Are employees' beliefs about members-and therefore their actions-aligned with what members really want?

Have a problem or question you need resolved? Ask your question and get both the left and right perspective-left or right BRAIN that is. The left brain way of thinking is represented by Roger Ball, CEO of Call FCU, Richmond, Va., or as Kelley Parks calls him, the "bean-counting, bottom-line driven, fact-finding, never-ending filibuster." The right brain way of thinking is represented by Parks, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Call FCU, or, as Roger calls her, the "creative, head-in-the-clouds, wishy-washy insomniac."

Planning your summer vacation for 2008? Here's how one CEO spent his this year, and he offers some fodder for those longing for something more meaningful than a frozen margarita machine and a week next to the timeshare pool.