The Networked CU Model

MADISON, Wis. - The Networked CU model is a variation on a theme put forward by several CU executives and officials and organizations, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive copyright to it. It has evolved from the cooperative structure itself and passed through several iterations, including the formation of CUSOs, ATM and shared branching networks and remains fertile ground for further development. A recent Filene Study by researcher Steven C. Michael from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, looked into "strategic options other than mergers through which credit unions can fulfill the need" for economies of scale, and an earlier report by Bob Hoel and Bill Kelly in 1999 first examined the characteristics of thriving small credit unions, proposing a "number of strategic recommendations and options for small credit unions, among them a franchising system through which certain operations could be standardized."