Welcome to Credit Union Journal's 2014 Buyers Guide and Directory, the most complete guide of its kind within the credit union community.
Weekly issues of Credit Union Journal may come and go, but it is the annual Buyers Guide and Directory that remains in desk drawers and readily accessible to credit union decision-makers across the country when they are seeking information on the industry and its various resources, and/or are seeking direction on some of the top solutions providers in the country.
In this issue readers will find a complete guide to national and state regulators, national and state associations, the World Council of Credit Unions and credit unions around the globe, corporate credit unions, foundations and much more.
"Content may be increasingly moving to online platforms, but the old-fashioned print directory remains the most popular format for this kind of information," said Frank J. Diekmann, publisher of Credit Union Journal. "There is no need to search all of this information individually; with Credit Union Journal's 2014 Buyers Guide & Directory there is literally an overview of the credit union community all in one place."
The 2014 Buyers Guide & Directory marks the 15th year Credit Union Journal has offered this free resource to its readers. In addition to the information on the associations, regulators and corporates, the Directory also includes graphics and other data showing trendlines across various aspects of CU operations nationally, along with data on the largest credit unions by asset size.
"Equally important in this Directory is the Buyers Guide section," said Diekmann. "Third-party solutions providers have become critical partners with credit unions as operations have grown in size and complexity. The breadth of solutions available to credit union decision-makers can be hard to grasp. This Directory is organized by solutions category, allowing credit union leaders to more easily investigate some of the third-party solutions available to them."
Two-thousand-fourteen should hold great promise for credit unions*, but that * means a qualifier. While the industry trendlines have been positive for the past several quarters, the national numbers mask the fact that beneath the data a large number of small and midsize credit unions are struggling to grow. In some cases, despite a tsunami of new members over the past two years, some CUs have actaully seen a decline in members. That isn't sustainable.
Sustainability Booster
To improve sustainability, Credit Union Journal has built its editorial mission around growth strategies, recognizing that if credit unions aren't growing, the Journal isn't growing. This publication regularly features stories on successful growth strategies by credit unions of all asset sizes. The Journal annually hosts Grow Show, which is just what the name suggests: a confernce where for two days the only topic on the agenda is growth. The Journal's website, CUJournal.com, includes a link to coverage of nothing but stories related to growth strategies. And this Directory is part of that larger mission, too. Our goal is to be an indespensible resource for readers, who in turn are to be indespensible resources for their members.
--Listings researched by Cali Bzoch
