Cornerstone Advisors recently held its "What's Going on in Banking 2021" webinar with hosts Cornerstone Advisors President/Partner Steve Williams and Director of Research Ron Shevlin. Guests were Citizens Bank of Edmond President/CEO Jill Castilla and Redwood Credit Union President/CEO Brett Martinez.

In this clip, the group discusses their thoughts on industry consolidation in both the credit union and bank sectors. Check it out and let us know your thoughts.

And if you want to see the entire webinar reply, visit Cornerstone Advisors webinar page. This is 58 minutes well spent, as, among many other topics, Jill reveals what it was like to work with Shark Tank's Mark Cuban on PPP loans and Brett talks about how the many natural disasters (California forest fires) their credit union has experienced over the years actually prepared them for COVID-19 challenges. 

With housing continuing to hit its stride amidst the pandemic, many credit unions are looking to enhance their mortgage processing procedures to up their game in this area. Rock-bottom interest rates, high demand, and a low inventory are making today's housing market very profitable for consumers looking to purchase or sell homes -- and credit unions want to be well-positioned to provide home loans to members keen on taking advantage of these unique times.

One of the vital steps in this process is reducing friction in the mortgage processing area. Credit unions, like anybody, want this process to be as seamless as possible to make the mortgage lending experience a quicker and less stressful one. If so, everybody benefits.

To help accomplish this goal, we invited elphi Co-founder/COO Daniel Gottesmann and Advisor Debbie Matz -- former NCUA Chair -- on the show. elphi is technology provider that offers a mortgage loan origination platform to help forward-thinking lenders like credit unions make the origination process much faster. It uses real-time database architecture to enhance workflows, ensure compliance, create collaboration, and much more.

We talked with Debbie and Daniel about this unique technology, as well as how the company got its start, how Debbie got involved and what her role is, what pain points does elphi's technology remedy, how DCU Fintech Innovation Center helped launch the company, and much, much more.

Check it out when you get a chance let us know your thoughts. And watch the entire interview with Debbie and Daniel below for all the details.

Web design and marketing firm OMNICOMMANDER celebrates its fourth year of business this year. So a big congratulations goes out to them helping credit unions design their websites with all the financial services bells and whistles that allow them to better serve their members.

We invited OMNICOMMANDER Founder/CEO Eric Isham on the program to talk web design but also to see what's changed over the last few years in this area to help credit unions stay on the forefront with their online presence. We also talked about current website strategies that work for today's credit unions, what's on the horizon in web design, and how the pandemic influenced credit union websites' evolution last year -- as nearly everybody had to up their digital game.

A lot of helpful advice in this talk with Eric. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And watch the entire episode below for all the details.

PSCU and Aite Group are partnering to provide a timely and informative webinar on "Faster Payments Landscape for Credit Unions" that takes place February 2, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. (EST).

Faster payments are becoming a preferred payment method for many consumers, including credit union members. Not only does investing in faster payments contribute to the member experience, but it also helps credit unions compete in the overall financial services market.

Aite Group Senior Analyst Talie Baker and PSCU Senior Innovation Strategist Lou Grilli will conduct this live webinar, presenting results and insights from Aite Group’s survey of credit unions and community banks.

During this webinar, attendees will:

• Discover the latest market trends and the implications they have for your credit union
• Learn which faster payments options are in high demand 
• Explore different strategies for preventing faster payments fraud

Lou and I covered a lot in this conversation, so check it out and let us know your thoughts. And watch the entire interview with Lou below for all the details. Don't forget to register for the webinar, as well.

To help foster savings for members in a post-COVID era, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has launched a new prize-linked savings program called "WinStrong." Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union SVP and Chief Member Experience Officer Michael Dubuque joined us on the program to share details of WinStrong and how it will help promote financial wellness amongst its members through various savings incentives -- like $5,000 for the winner.

Mike discussed why they launched this program -- and why they are one of the few financial institutions nationally to have one right now. He also talked about the three things that drive this program, how it works exactly, benefits to members and the credit union, goals, and much, much more.

Once again, another credit union spearheading financial wellness that ultimately benefits the surrounding communities it serves. Wonderful conversation with Mike. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And watch the entire episode with Mike below for all the details.