Registration For DE Program Open
MADISON, Wis.-Registration has opened for the Spring 2012 Credit Union Development Education (DE) training class taking place April 18-25 in Madison, Wis. at the Lowell Center, part of the University of Wisconsin. Attendees of the six-day total immersion experience will learn about credit unions' social responsibility and domestic and international development through interactive education and professional networking.
For more info: www.ncuf.coop.
Lending Council Surpasses 1,000
MADISON, Wis.-The CUNA Lending Council reported it has now reached 1,000 members, making it one of three CUNA Councils with membership exceeding that threshold. The Lending Council is chaired by Aaron Bresko, VP-lending with BECU in Tukwila, Wash.
Study Details Patronage StrategiesMADISON, Wis.-Unique to cooperatives and especially to credit unions, a new study examining so-called "Patronage Refunds" has been released by the Filene Research Institute. The study, "Credit Union and Cooperative Patronage Refunds," probes how credit unions can use them to manage capital levels, return value to member-shareholders, and tie members more closely to the CU. Included in the 64-page report are case studies involving three CUs.
For info: www.filene.org.
Study Participants Sought
MADISON, Wis.--To help credit unions understand and plan for their leadership challenges, the Filene Research Institute is seeking innovative natural-person CUs to participate in what it called a "groundbreaking research study." "Predicting Organizational Performance: The Role of the CEO, the Senior Management Team, and Work Engagement" by Prof. Murray Barrick of Texas A&M University will seek to identify personality traits and leadership styles of effective credit union CEOs and senior management teams. For info on participating: http://filene.org/blog/post/leadershipsuccess.
Marisic Named To NAFCU Post
ARLINGTON, Va. -NAFCU named Katherine Marisic as its new director of political affairs. Marisic will oversee NAFCU/PAC, organize NAFCU's grassroots efforts and manage NAFCU's political strategy. She joined NAFCU in 2009.
CUs Outperform Banks In Survey
CHICAGO--Credit unions have a 58% Net Promoter score, compared with 18% at banks, according to the Member Loyalty Group's Q2 credit union Net Promoter benchmark score. The metric was created in 2008 to develop a common member loyalty benchmark for CUs and was developed in conjunction with Satmetrix.
"The findings really validate what we in the credit union industry have seen time and time again, that members are significantly more loyal to their credit unions than bank customers are to their banks--and that translates to considerable, tangible business benefits," said Michelle Bloedorn, CEO of Member Loyalty Group, a CUSO based here. Bloedorn cautioned that the news was not all good, as the Net Promoter Score ranged from a low of 19% (to a high of 75%).
For info: memberloyaltygroup.com.
White Paper On Sustainability
MADISON, Wis.-The CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council has published a new white paper, "How can credit unions create sustainability for the future?" The paper is authored by Anne Legg, VP-marketing at Cabrillo Credit Union and 2008-11 chair of the Council, who is also a recent MBA graduate. The paper is based on Legg's MBA thesis. "To achieve sustainability within the industry, Legg's recommendations include developing a shared value business model and suggestions for incorporating programs founded on the cooperative principles," the Council said.
For info: go to the white paper section of www.cunacouncils.org.
NCCUL Cuts Ribbon On New HQ
RALEIGH, N.C.-Approximately 150 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony here for the new headquarters of the North Carolina Credit Union League. NCCUL President John Radebaugh said the league relocated to the state capital from Greensboro, N.C. as the result of feedback from league-member CUs that said advocacy was the primary role of the league.
Personal Bankruptcies Up, But...
WASHINGTON-Personal bankruptcy filings increased 3.9% during the second quarter of 2011, according to the U.S. Court's administrative office has reported. Analysts said the increase was in line with seasonal norms. Personal bankruptcy filings fell by 0.9% during the first quarter of 2011, but rose by 9.1% in the second quarter of 2010. Some 1.47 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in the year ended June 30.
