Why the change? That's what we find out in this interview with chief "crasher" Brent Dixon on why his growing Crash Network is now called: The Cooperative Trust. Segueing from this first and obvious question, we talk about how the network has grown and evolved since that first group crashed the GAC a couple years ago making its initial mark. We also touch on what they are doing different now, the impact they have had on the industry, future goals, and plenty more. As always, Brent delivers with his thought-provoking responses, making you wonder what else does he have in mind to help further entrench the younger generation in this industry for a secure future. This is a discussion you won't want to miss. Enjoy the show!

What you will learn...
1. Why the name change from "Crash" to "Cooperative Trust"?
2. Even though the name has changed, has the philosophy changed?
3. What feedback have you received so far?
4. What is the status with the Cooperative Trust today? It's grown quite a bit.
5. Is the network doing different things at the shows today as opposed to the beginning?
6. What do you think the impact of the this group has been so far on the industry?
7. How do folks get involved?
8. What are your goals for the Cooperative Trust in 2012 and beyond?
9. The 2012 GAC is around the corner, what do you have planned for that show?

Visit:
The Cooperative Trust

Traveling back across the pond to London for the second year at FinovateEurope 2012,Finovate's Eric Mattson discusses what he expects to see from European nations at this year's event on February 7, 2012. We also touch on how Finovate's increasingly popular shows are affecting the financial services industry by providing enhanced exposure for tech companies that may not normally get this type of attention from attendees -- who are primarily credit unions, banks, media, investors, vendors, etc. Lots of opportunities at these shows. Always good to have Eric on the program, as he obviously has a very good sense of what's going on with financial technology services. Enjoy the show!

What you will learn...
1. Give us a quick rundown on how the Finovate shows work?
2. What are your expectations for the second trip to London?
3. What did you learn from your initial gathering there last year?
4. Is there a language barrier?
5. How different is this show than the ones held here in the US?
6. What trends are you seeing with the presenters this time around?
7. How many presenters are there and how many attendees will be there this year?
8. How do you think your shows affect the financial services industry?
9. How do companies interested in presenting get on stage at a Finovate?

Visit:
Finovate.com
FinovateEurope 2012

We all saw how prevalent collections were during the recession a couple years ago. But now that the recession is supposedly over, what's up with collections? Well, CUNA Council'sDarla Dernovsek has written a very interesting white paper on the topic, entitled:"Collections in a Post-Recession Environment". It's a fascinating read that resulted in a fascinating discussion we had on her unique angle to an issue credit unions continue to experience. But Dernovsek doesn't focus on citing issues that credit unions have experienced, she steps up to provide proactive solutions many are practicing today to mitigate their collection operations -- which actually improve member relationships. It was a pleasure having Dernovsek and her insight on the show. Check it out when you get a chance. Good stuff!

What you will learn...
1. We've all heard about collections during the recession -- a lot, so what's the status in the collections environment now that the recession is supposedly over?
2. You mention in your paper that credit unions are dealing with a new type of delinquent members. What do you mean by this?
3. Collections is simply a sticky issue. How do you preserve a member once they've experienced collections?
4. You spoke with a number of credit unions in this white paper. What are a couple of the "refined" ways they have conducted their collections efforts?
5. Loan modifications seem to be a very "credit union/helping" way of mitigating member collections. How prevalent is this practice, instead of going straight to collections?
6. SchoolsFirst implemented a particular technology to help it with collections. What was their experience with it?
7. You mention outsourcing in your paper. What are the benefits to outsourcing collections activities?
8. To wrap up: What do you hope readers will gain from this white paper on post-recession collections?

Visit...
CUNA Councils
"Collections in a Post-Recession Environment" white paper

Each year Executive Compensation Solutions produces its "2011 Employee & Executive Compensation & Benefits Survey for the Credit Union Movement" (a.k.a. "The Survey") free for credit unions to download and peruse as a useful resource for measuring their compensation and benefits packages. To find out what's in this year's Survey, we invited ECS's Adam Zelinsky on the show to give us the latest facts, figures, and stats based on their credit union inquiries. This is ECS's eighth year producing The Survey. Enjoy the show!

What you will learn...
1. Quick overview of ECS and "The Survey" -- and the type of information it presents to the industry.
2. As a compensation and benefits packaging consulting firm, what do you feel credit unions can expect in the coming year as it relates to compensation and benefits?
3. What trends did The Survey reveal this year that will catch the eye of a credit union or credit union board?
4. What else can we learn from The Survey? 
5. What makes ECS’s survey different from the other surveys out there?
6. How can people get their hands on The Survey?  Where can they find it?

Visit:
Executive Compensation Solutions
2011 Survey

We're back from the holiday break with a story that doesn't get told too often -- and that's about the power of radio and how credit unions can effectively leverage this channel. Yeah, we hear credit union ads all the time on the radio, but what's behind them to make them effective -- especially when social media is dominating the marketing news lately? We brought on Yeoshua Bendayan and Brian Walker (and their Cadillac couch) ofCreditUnionRadio.com to give us the inside scoop on how credit unions can capture their audience's attention using the airwaves. Yeoshua and Brian have been at this for more than a decade, so they know a thing or two about this medium. Also, this interview was conducted just before the holidays, so pardon the 'tis the season comments. Enjoy the show!

What you'll learn...
1. Tell me about Credit Union Radio. What is it?
2. How did you get the idea to start a company like this? I heard it was by accident.
3. How does the production process work?
4. How receptive are credit unions to radio/audio production these days?
5. Has there been an uptick with credit unions wanting to take advantage of Bank Transfer Day?
6. How do you see your productions benefiting credit unions right now?
7. What type of feedback you've gotten from credit unions?
8. Based on your marketing expertise, what can credit unions do better to enhance their image?

Visit:
CreditUnionRadio.com