PayThink

After six years at the helm of the World Council of Credit Unions, Peter Crear is retiring. Today, WOCCU represents 44 regular members and affiliates, approximately double the number when he took over as CEO.

It's the little things that happen while a mortgage loan is being originated that lead to good loans going bad, resulting in wasted time and staff resources.

This letter is to ask for help for one particular group of residents in Tuscaloosa, Ala., who have been hit particularly hard by the recent tornadoes. Corporate America CU has already generously agreed to match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.

I get it that we're all in lock-step against the Durbin Amendment. But, in marshalling our troops to actively "be against" the Durbin Amendment, it would be nice to also have a "be for" position other than the status quo.

While everyone knows that social media should be more than a cool new toy for the marketing department, the challenge we face today is setting measurable goals and expectations for what social media can realistically do for your CU.

We need to find a way to restore accountability and encourage members to act like owners. If not, there will be many more credit unions that fail to serve their members and waste their capital and destroy their franchise.

Some banks are bold in taking away what had been thought to be cherished consumer goodies without a lot of anguish. But they aren't yet taking away checks. Why?

Be advised, bank economists and regional managers: If you are interested in the prospects for the Southeastern and broader economies, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart paints a sober picture in an interview on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website.

For what credit unions have accomplished over that past year, many of you deserve a pat on the back and not a Kick Me sign. For that reason and others, Credit Union Journal is proud to once again recognize the most innovative with our annual Best Practices Awards.

A change in latitude, from CUNA's downtown Washington office across the Potomac River to NCUA, provided an opportunity to see and hear things about the credit union movement that I hadn't been exposed to while in the trade association world.