Astera Credit Union President/CEO Martin Carter stopped by the show to share how his credit union's financial health initiative, called "EmpowerME!," has literally changed lives. Tom says participants have raised their credit scores by over 100 points, many have become homebuyers, and much more.

Martin explained how “EmpowerME!” works to help members and employees, discussion the program's two paths that provide opportunities to improve their financial health and wellbeing. Those two paths include a self-service platform and a coach-guided platform. He points out the target audience for each, as well.

Martin discussed the reasoning behind EmpowerME!, as Astera is a low-income designated credit union that recognized the significant need to help members with their financial wellness.

He also shared anecdotes and success stories as a result of this initiative, acquiring and retaining 208 unique site users who have completed 762 activities, unlocking 349 achievements and earning 743 learning badges in the self-service program. They have had 10 members and eight employees enrolled in the coach-guided program so far.

Some of the success stories they have had include members whose credit scores have improved by more than 100 points, members who had bad credit but turned it all around (thanks to the program) and became homeowner, members who have learned smart budgeting practices to build emergency savings, and much more.

Martin also shared some goals he has for his credit union leveraging this initiative -- being a differentiator is one of them. And, lastly, he provided some sound advice for other credit unions looking at doing something similar.

Very inspiring talk with Martin, whose credit union is definitely making a difference and changing members' lives with EmpowerME!. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

New year, new direction -- or expanded direction -- for the folks at Trellance, as they have been focused on helping credit union better manage their data analytics for many years now. In 2023, they are definitely not swaying from their commitment to analytics, but they are enhancing their direction in talent and cloud, as well.

To get the logic behind these moves, we invited Trellance President/CEO Tom Davis on the show to share his thoughts on where they are headed in 2023 with these new business lines.

Additionally, Tom discussed Trellance's recent acquisitions and how they are shaping the CUSO's direction this year -- the Ongoing Operations acquisition, in particular. He says they will be focusing on creating a cohesive brand this year, so there may be a few name changes, but exciting things to come as they continue to grow and expand their brand.

Getting back to cloud, Tom says that it means faster delivery and lower set up costs, without sacrificing quality. It means no more clunky "on-prem" set up. It means achieving more. Trellance sees that speed and cost savings are really important in today’s market, and they want to make sure they're meeting that need.

In regards to Trellance’s talent acquisitions services. Tom adds that speed is also going to be a big factor this year, and the fact of the matter is outsourcing tech projects is just faster than hiring new talent for them.

Circling back to analytics. he explains that it is going to be an important resource for credit unions in 2023 — especially as the economy slows. Their predictive models will help determine the best course of action based on the current forecast. That may be pursuing auto refinancing or credit line increases, or it may be taking steps to prepare for late or defaulted payments.

Another insightful and energetic talk with Tom. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

ViClarity's Erin O’Hern stopped by the show to share her expertise and insights on how the Great Resignation has -- and still is -- impacting credit unions' compliance capabilities.

Erin shared with us what's happening out there right now on the job front with gaining and retaining top talent in the credit union industry, as well as how is the current shortage of talent is impacting credit unions -- particularly with their compliance capabilities.

She then provided some strategies credit unions can incorporate to give themselves a little relief in this challenging area.

Lastly, Erin gave us her prediction on a timeline where this situation will ease up -- especially when more talent is available.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode with Erin below for all the details.

I'm always fascinating about the behind-the-scenes decisions and processes behind company rebrands. One very successful company in the credit union industry, LenderClose, recently announced its name change to Coviance.

To get the reasoning behind this move, we invited Coviance Founder/CEO Omar Jordan on the show. Omar shared with us what led them to make this name change decision, along with all that goes with a major rebrand. It's no easy task but well worth it as the company moves into its next phase of business.

Omar also discussed future plans for Coviance, the meaning behind the name, goals/outlook, etc.

In addition, he talked about what trends he is seeing in the housing market that credit unions need to be aware of heading into 2023.

Always a great chat with Omar. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

Eltropy Director, Customer Success Strategy & Operations Subhra Bhattacharya and Virginia Credit Union VP, Member Relationship Product Management Lisa Weinstein joined us on the show to share their success story on how Virginia Credit Union's collections and lending departments have saved money year-over-year using Eltropy's text messaging communications.

Here's what we discussed:

• Eltropy’s text messaging technology and how it helps credit unions enhance their communications efforts
• What prompted Virginia Credit Union to look at a technology like this
• How are the two organizations working together to make this technology a success
• Anecdotes and/or results to show how it’s been a success in the credit union's collections and lending departments
• Goals using this technology at Virginia Credit Union
• What’s next for your two organizations working together to make this even better ... AI! (stay tuned for this one, as we will be revisiting Subhra and Lisa later in 2023 regarding this AI project)

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.