BankThink

Having relocated recently, I've been looking about for a new credit union to join. High on my list of criteria in making a choice? Branches. Which is odd, since I visit my current CU about as frequently as Dick Cheney downloads Al Franken's radio show to his iPod.

Credit unions have been beefing up security on their side in an attempt to validate that it is, in fact the member who is trying to make an online transaction, not a criminal who has stolen the member's identity. Many have added a "challenge question" to the login process. Here are three reasons why credit unions need to change their focus from, "How do we know it's the member?" to "How does the member know it's us?"

I hesitate to re-enter the CU trade press frenzy surrounding CU-to-bank conversions. I've been criticized by both sides for some of my views. The Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) has not changed its stance one iota on conversions. We think they should be permitted as long as they are done properly. We will continue to weigh in from time to time to make sure the process keeps getting better. That's what trade associations are supposed to do.

In one of the finest pieces of oratory ever delivered by an American, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. famously proclaimed, "I have a dream." But were Dr. King a credit union executive, he likely would have been forced to add, "And I'm prepared to wait. And wait. And wait."

Some ten years ago we were perhaps a bit audacious in this space in comparing the launch of this brand new publication, The Credit Union Journal, by making a reference to 19th century credit union pioneer Fredrick Raiffeisen. Call it a stretch goal, one the Credit Union Journal continues to stretch to meet with every issue.

NAFCU is calling for several changes by NCUA to a proposed rule on nontraditional mortgage products.

What will we remember most when we reflect on 2006?

What did CUNA achieve for credit unions in the year now ending? Plenty. Here, in no particular order of importance, is a look back at some accomplishments for the year:

What is the face of credit unions? Most likely, you're inside the credit union community and you have an "inside" answer-the trade groups or delegations hiking their respective Hills or that glossy photo of the board of directors you've framed in every branch.

"What's our next marketing campaign and how will it be done?" Even credit unions with comprehensive marketing plans can sometimes find themselves scratching their heads with this question at times. After that question is finally answered, the challenge then becomes putting together a marketing campaign on time and within budget.