BankThink

"American Idol" fever is sweeping the country again. It's amazing that thousands of people line up for days for a chance to meet Simon, Randy and Paula and sing for the judges. What makes it even more amazing is that most of the contestants on "American Idol" cannot sing. Not a note. They can't carry a tune in a Samsonite suitcase - they are that bad.

I would like to throw my two cents into the pot. "It's Time To Stop Questioning Motives Of Officials At DFCU Financial CU" (CUJ, Jan. 22) starts out good, but, then goes downhill for me. I know nothing of what is going on at DFCU other than what I read. I am amazed when someone says "I hesitate to re-enter." They really don't or they wouldn't. When you say "I'm troubled by the incessant desire to doubt the motives of DFCU officials," I find that I raise my eyebrows and wonder about YOUR motives. They come later... Then you tell me "your motives are pure." I might not [have] had any doubt before, but, now I do. Why would you tell me your motives are pure? That is like me telling you I have NEVER lied before. What I wonder about from the officials at DFCU is the way they seem to stall information from being sent out. If they have "pure" motives, I would think they would show what they did, why they did it, and give facts to support their reasons. I haven't read any of this. Wrong is still wrong unless you come to the good part... They (DFCU Management) have decided to show the world what it takes to be a GOOD guy-give a $17.5-million dividend to the members. And to really make us look good-we will give $10 million to the League's Career Transition Program and the League will tell the world how great we are. I find it hard to believe a motive is pure after receiving that kind of money. PR ($10 million here, $17.5 million there) goes a long way in making anybody look good. I now know the amount it cost to get "pure motives" from a person. If people at DFCU did wrong then they should be dealt with, if they didn't then let the whole thing die. Their "good works" don't cover much in my estimation, let alone "walk the talk."

In my last article, I described how to create a strong data foundation for your organization. As a brief review, I discussed the importance of clean data and setting up processes to ensure that the information that you capture about your members is standardized and consistent. In this article, I will describe how you can utilize clean and standardized data to improve your direct marketing efforts.

A report on the Feb. 8 "CU Journal Daily Briefing" cries out for a strong dose of clarification to illustrate how credit union net worth levels really affect credit unions-and not leave your readers with a misguided view of what is happening.

Whether it's a matter of heading critics off at the pass or reacting to critics who have already arrived there, NAFCU President Fred Becker has sent an e-mail to the trade group's member credit unions addressing what has, at least on the surface, the appearance of a potentially thorny dilemma.

WEST MIFFLIN, Penn. - The first runner-up in the Frankies goes to Century Heritage FCU, which, by coincidence, does a terrific job of communicating the century of heritage that credit unions have.

* The $48-million Isabella Community Credit Union in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., which operates a student-run credit union at Mt. Pleasant High School in conjunction with the Mt. Pleasant Area Technical School and the MPHS Accounting Class to operate the SRCU. Faculty and staff can also use the full-service credit union. CEO Jay Anders said the credit union hired "student tellers in the summer, and trained them about credit union service, philosophy and uniqueness to be ready for the fall opening." It also gave away 800 "squishy footballs" to throw out at local high school homecoming games, according to Heather H. Harris.

How do you tell your story? Seems simple enough. Here's what we are. Here's why we do what we do. Here's how we're different.

The hallmark of former NCUA Chairman Dennis Dollar's term was making life better for members by reducing the regulatory load on their credit unions. Ironically, the hallmark of current NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson's could very well be to have made life better for those same members by adding a regulation or two.

I am writing to clarify a misleading article about Velocity Credit Union's lawsuit against The Standard Insurance Company (Credit Union Journal Online, January 16, 2007).