Corporate governance

Scott Wilson, CEO SeaComm FCU, acknowledges that sharpening in-house investment expertise is a big after-effect of the recession.

We've managed costs efficiently and kept net operating expenses low. Those measures, and our conservative approach to managing the credit union proved to be the proper philosophy during the current economic downturn.

Our recession lesson and how have we successfully weathered the recession? By doing what we've always done and not deviating from those guidelines or our core values.

When times become difficult, the importance of effective communication becomes that much clearer.

The most important lesson coming out of the recession, according to Jim Park, president of Credit Union 24, is that some credit unions must not forget that their lending practices got out of hand.

Maps CU here changed its marketing strategy and cut out nearly all of its newspaper advertising midway through 2011.

The Great Recession proved to be more than an economic event for our credit union. The recession was an opportunity to validate our business model.

If anything good has come out of the last few years, it has been the push to expand our technology footprint, giving us the ability to compete and offer the services of the future.

One thing the recession teaches you, insists Niagara County's FCU, is that you can't make it through a downturn without some difficult choices.

As a result of the recession, North Jersey Federal Credit Union has learned to do more with less.

The recession taught CUs some tough lessons, but none likely more difficult than improving efficiencies and right-sizing staff, according Troy Garvin, CEO of Omega FCU.

Michigan First grew assets by more than $140 million during the recession and its CEO attributes the steady climb to not over-reacting to problems right in front of the credit union.

Credit unions have become much better managers of their own business and market footprints during the last four years, according to Shazia Manus, CEO of The Members Group.

SF Fire CU says one lesson the financial crisis has really taught it is the importance of a diversified loan portfolio.

The No. 1 thing State Employees' CU made a point of doing during the recession was asking members to come in and talk. That may not seem like much, but SECU believes it helped keep more than 8,000 SECU members in their homes.

The Recession Lessons learned by Pacific Crest FCU: Credit expense control cannot be an end unto itself.

Although 1st Advantage views business services as a natural extension of our core competencies of personal banking and lending, we developed a thorough due-diligence process to fully understand this specialized area.

As other financial institutions have outsourced service centers-including many big banks going with overseas resources to save money during the recession-the $41-million Jamestown Area Community FCU has not cut back on member support and continues to promote its local service.

Stan Hollen believes credit unions came out of the recession minding the store better and paying closer attention to controlling expenses.

Better loss forecasting and deeper member relationships are two big benefits of the recession, according to Bill Handel.