Practice and client management

FAIRBORN, Ohio – Wright-Patt CU is expanding its field of membership to serve all 800,000 residents of Cincinnati and surrounding Hamilton County.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Bethpage FCU continues to average more than 550 new checking accounts per week, volume it credits to momentum built in the weeks and months leading up to 2011’s Bank Transfer Day.

HARTFORD, Conn. – Credit unions across Connecticut on Monday unveiled a new multi-media campaign featuring ads in the state’s biggest print and on-air media.

Courtesy pay, or overdraft protections, continues to be a good source for non-interest income for credit unions, according to Jim Craig, director of Geezeo Interactive.

Harland Financial Solutions believes credit unions have room to add fees and not upset their members in the process.

Credit unions may be focused on getting the MBL cap raised, but are they paying enough attention to the fee income opportunities readily available-and that members are willing to pay-for small business services?

More retailers-such as Target, Walmart and even Starbucks-are using incentives to encourage consumers to use their store cards.

With pressure on overdraft and interchange revenue streams only likely to increase, credit unions will have to think creatively to maintain non-interest income.

With the economy seemingly on the upswing and consumer attitudes improving, deepening relationships with members is key to building non-interest income in 2012.

Credit unions may have an advantage in the financial services marketplace in that they have a noble purpose, but Jason Jennings said is insufficient differentiation to succeed.

Credit unions looking for their next growth strategy should look to the example set by the Vermont Cheese Council.

So long, toll-free phone numbers. One person has a plan to put account information even closer to cardholders' fingertips.

Many credit unions have struggled to successfully monetize Facebook and other social media outlets, but a new project, SafeNet, aims to change that.

A new project aims to take real-time, person-to-person financial transfers beyond the realm of online banking and move them to the ATM.

In the search for non-interest income, credit unions should be paying closer attention to payment protection products, according to Karim Habib, director of lending for CUNA Mutual Group.

"ATMs on steroids" are one strategy for driving non-interest income, especially for those involved in shared branching, according to CO-OP Financial Services.

Credit unions must start devising strategies to increase debit interchange transactions.

Credit unions should consider rethinking their deposit processing model, according to Curtis Hallowell, VP-product management for Cummins Allison Corp.

There are four opportunities for credit unions to improve non-interest income, according to Jerry Nissen: adding value to free services, offering small business services, increasing fees for existing services and growing membership.

Many credit union members need financing for medium-ticket expenditures, and Kyle Kehoe believes CUs can help these consumers, book a loan and generate fee income, all at the same time.