Employee benefits

The pandemic has forced the institutions on this year's Best Credit Unions to Work For list to be more flexible with their policies for how and when employees take time off.

The annual ranking, a collaboration between Credit Union Journal and the Best Companies Group, involves surveying employees and reviewing each institution's workplace policies.

The coronavirus has created unprecedented challenges for employers but these credit unions rose to the occasion.

The Baltimore institution said it would close on Nov. 3 with the intention that employees use the paid time off to participate in the democratic process.

CEOs during CUNA Mutual Group's Discovery conference discussed giving workers more time off and taking other steps to keep up employee morale.

The financial services industry urged Gov. Tom Wolf to reconsider guidelines that excluded their employees from receiving this benefit.

Financial firms should offer debt consolidation and faster payment services to help employees who may be struggling through the coronavirus pandemic.

Credit Union of Texas, based near Dallas, is believed to be one of the first in the industry to debut this perk.

The coronavirus has highlighted the issue of millions of Americans lacking access to high-speed internet at their homes. Financial services firms weren't spared from this challenge.

Axcess Financial is using stronger authentication, studying up on bad actors and planning to use a federal service that automates verification of Social Security numbers.