Be sure to watch the entire episode located below the show notes.

African American Credit Union Coalition’s CEO Reneé Sattiewhite, National Association of Latino Credit Unions & Professional’s Executive Director Diana Hastings, Inclusiv’s Executive Vice President (and Vice Chair of NLCUP) Pablo DeFilippi, and CU Pride’s Co-founder and Mitchell Stankovic & Associates Director Zach Christensen all joined us to share the news about DEI Tuesday, taking place on March 1, 2022, at CUNA's GAC.

Reneé, Diana, Pablo, and Zach discuss the activities surrounding DEI Tuesday at GAC, why it's part of an enlightenment period for credit unions, what other organizations are involved (Humanidei, Coopera, Mitchell Stankovic & Associates, CU DEI Collective), and how this event benefits credit unions and furthers the DEI message.

According to the group, it's going to be an all-day affair that will make waves all year long. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire interview below for all the details.

Be sure to watch the entire episode located below the show notes.

It's been said many times in the last few years that the current mortgage lending process is ripe for disruption. Solarity Credit Union's President/CEO Mina Worthington reiterated that point in our talk on how Solarity has become an early adopter of a fully online home loan closing experience.

Mina and Solarity Vice President of Home Loans and Chief Revenue Officer Ralph Cumbee joined in, as well, to share their insights on their successful digital mortgage lending process and how its slowly streamlining age-old methods that benefit both the credit union and their members.

As part of the Solarity’s eSigning Experience, members receive the closing documents beforehand, which gives them plenty of time to review the details and ask any clarifying questions.

During the eSigning Experience, the escrow company and real estate agent are invited to join the video conference with the online notary and borrower as they sign and notarize the documents. Borrowers are able to move through this process quickly by simply clicking through a file they’ve already reviewed.

To date, Solarity has closed more than 100 loans using the digital channel. 

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

Watch their YouTube video on the eSigning Experience.

Be sure to watch the entire episode located below the show notes.

Investing in credit union-focused fintechs really took off in 2021 -- and the folks at NYMBUS CUSO know this all too well, as they received more than $20 million in funding from VyStar Credit Union and another $5 million via the Curql Fund last year.

Naturally, we had NYMBUS CUSO President John Janclaes and Next Level Ventures Partner Dave Tucker on the show to share an insider's view on the significance these investments are for credit unions' access to new technologies that will keep them increasingly relevant in the coming years.

Both John and Dave used NYMBUS CUSO as an example of what's being done on this front. They also provided a report on the recent Curql Fund/Next Level Ventures meeting (MDC Winter Meeting) in San Diego with the 11 organizations that received funding via Curql last year.

NCUA Board Member Rodney Hood was also in attendance to speak and learn more on how his organization can help expedite this investment process to benefit credit unions in the technology space.

Lastly, John discussed his upcoming book (his third) on the power of partnerships -- especially in the financial services industry. We'll have John back on in the fall (2022) when his book will be published for all to read.

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

Be sure to watch the entire episode located below the show notes.

CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan joined us on the show to share some pre-GAC advocacy talk, discussing the many items that will be addressed at the conference coming up in Washington, D.C. in a couple of weeks.

Some of those items/legislation Ryan listed include:

• Cryptocurrency
• Tax status
• Expanding charters to serve more folks in underserved areas
• Expelling disruptive members
• Changes in regulatory environment
• and much, much more

Ryan also discussed what they hope to achieve during the GAC in many of these areas and how it will keep the momentum going in 2022 and beyond.

Good stuff from Ryan, as usual. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

Be sure to watch the entire interview located below the show notes.

Brad Tichenor, SVP of Branches & Real Estate Originations, Partners Federal Credit Union, and Adam Pickett, Founder & President, Accelergy Consulting, stopped by the show to share how Partners FCU's enhanced member experience -- via Accelergy Consulting -- resulted in nearly 20% loan growth in 2021.

Brad and Adam shared how the two organizations worked together to achieve this amazing result in the midst of the pandemic with 50% of the credit union's branches closed.

They also talked about the implementation process on enhancing the member experience, as well as more results and what's in the works for future projects that will keep this momentum rolling.

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