Growth strategies

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Realizing margin management is not enough anymore to drive the bottom line, First New England FCU has made changes so that 58% of its revenue is derived from non-interest income.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It is not Floyd Manley's first choice, but courtesy pay is generating $40,000 per month for Kansas City Credit Union.

WILMINGTON, N.C. — One analyst believes CUs should create a new checking account to grab a segment of consumers who are shifting to prepaid cards.

MIAMI — Financial FCU CEO Judith Brown said that her credit union is a non-interest income leader thanks to members' acceptance of limited use of the "F" word: fees.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Credit unions should not stress over adding or increasing fees when they compare their pricing to that of banks.

ST. LOUIS — No one had to tell Patrick Adams that the $193.5-million St. Louis Community Credit Union is among the top 10 CUs nationally when it comes to non-interest income as a percentage of total income.

MEMPHIS — Methodist Healthcare FCU President Kristi Vick has a special name for her CU's non-interest income strategy: "We just call it doing everyday business."

LOMBARD, Ill. — Credit unions must look at ways to limit reliance on fee income and expand investment and insurance offerings.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — At New Haven County CU, success in the realm of non-interest income comes at a price: $25.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Members CU has signed with the Indianapolis Indians to sponsor the 2011 season for the Triple A minor league affiliates for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

COLUMBUS, Ohio-The fact that not enough small CUs are collaborating to survive was evident during the Ohio CU League's annual meeting.

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. – State regulators last Friday approved a request by Bellco CU to expand to serve all 610,000 residents of Denver County.

DALLAS-Mortgage lending may be one of the best ways to generate revenue in 2011, but before a CU begins aggressively booking real estate loans, it needs to understand where the risk is, cautions ALM First.

Julia Goebel, vice president of marketing for Ambir Technology, says time savings from new technologies allow tellers to engage the customer and identify opportunities to cross-sell services

VISTA, Calif.-Improving a credit union's document-management capabilities increases operating efficiency, reduces expenses, and bolsters the bottom line, shared Andrew Tilbury.

MADISON, Wis.-One of the most effective strategies for credit unions to enhance the bottom line will also be the hardest, and that's reigniting lending.

ATLANTA-There are several ways to enhance the bottom line, notes one person, but just one where the focus should initially be.

CLEARWATER, Fla.-For the credit card portfolio to make a strong contribution to the bottom line, the CU's card must convey value and prestige.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Credit unions will thank banks for bottom line growth in 2011, predicted Jim Park, who believes CUs will take checking and credit card share from the big boys.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.-There are numerous tactics CUs can leverage to boost their bottom lines, but Eric Porter said one of the best places to start is to explode the myth that credit unions on not convenient.