CCUL Names Person To Head Up International Relations

The California Credit Union League recently promoted Letty Cordon-Hernandez to manager of international relations.

Cordon-Hernandez, who formerly served as the league's credit union development coordinator, told The Credit Union Journal one of the first items on her agenda will be leading several representatives from California and Nevada CUs on a visit to Caja Popular Mexicana, one of the largest credit unions in Mexico.

"Caja Popular has 327 branches in 22 states in Mexico, and more than 900,000 members," she said. "We will be sharing ideas to see what they are doing to reach the Hispanic population. We want to pass that along to credit unions in California and Nevada so they can better serve their members."

Credit unions in California and Nevada are becoming "more aware" of the large population of Hispanics in their states, she continued. "The credit unions need to be ready to interact with Hispanics, and offer them things like financial literacy courses."

So far in 2004, Caja Popular has performed more than 21,000 transactions on IRnet, the International Remittance Network. The California CU League is working on a campaign to promote the Vigo Remittance Corp., a Florida-based company that provides the software and hardware for IRnet.

"We want to raise awareness in the United States that credit unions can process money transfers through Vigo IRnet," she said. "We are trying to get people who are sending money to Mexico to process their remittances through credit unions. Caja Popular can help, as it has branches even in rural areas of Mexico."

In upcoming weeks, the CCUL will host IRnet Vigo workshops in San Mateo, Los Angeles and here at the league's headquarters.

The Hispanic market is not Cordon-Hernandez's sole focus. She said the league recently hosted visitors from credit unions in the Philippines and took them to Loma Linda hospital, where many of the doctors and nurses are Filipino.

Cordon-Hernandez has worked for the CCUL since 1997. She completed CUNA's development educator training program, a weeklong immersion in the global philosophy and history of credit unions.

"Letty's knowledge and her experience in working with representatives from credit unions in other countries, particularly Mexico and Latin America, make her an excellent choice for this position," David Chatfield, the California League's president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. "Her work will continue to create numerous opportunities for international development for California and Nevada credit unions."

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