The Members Group CEO Shazia Manus joins us to discuss her latest white paper entitled "Reimagined Banking in the Age of the Consumer: 'Exploit and Explore' Philosophy will Secure the Futures of Community Financial Institutions." Shazia explains what she means by mastering the "exploit and explore" business philosophy for credit unions to continue their path to increased success.

She also talks about the numerous great ideas out there, but many times they don't link up with an organization's strategic plan. So she provides some advice how to bring the two together for continuous innovation. We also touched on the sobering topic of "evolution or extinction," addressing how credit unions can stay ahead of the innovation curve -- and not becoming complacent with the likes of Blockbuster, Borders, Tower Records, etc.

There's much, much more in this packed conversation with Shazia, so check it out and pass it on.

The word disruption in today's credit union space is becoming as commonplace as Apple Pay headlines, Final Four predictions, and crying teenage girls over Zayn Malik leaving One Direction. Oh, the horror. But, seriously, what exactly does it mean and how are credit unions impacted by the ever-changing financial services landscape.

To get to the bottom of all this, we invited a couple savvy CU pros, CU Engage Co-founders Jennifer Addabbo and James Guild. They walk us through many of today's disruptions such as core changes, payments upheaval, EMV deadline, outside threats (Google, Amazon, PayPal), etc. and show us where credit unions stand amidst this storm. There's a lot going on of which credit unions need to be aware.

Instead of running for the hills when come to these pressing issues and items, Jennifer and James say CUs need to engage this disruption head on to remain relevant and enhance their current success. So if any of these items affect you, enjoy this very candid conversation about the state of today's industry and what can be done to keep moving forward overcoming these obstacles toward new, favorable pathways.

Ok, the name is a bit long, but the technology is pretty cool. Mitek's "Commercial Mobile Deposit Capture" can certainly add a ton of value to a credit union's already loaded arsenal of mobile services. It's the next step in mobile and credit unions can leverage a technology like this to its growing small business membership -- which ultimately enhances its value.

We invited Mitek's VP of Product of Mitek Systems Sarah Clark on the show to get the lowdown on this new mobile service. Sarah explains how this remote technology differs from the uber convenient remote deposit capture service that I can't live without now. We also discussed how this technology can be very attractive and "sticky" service to small businesses looking for a place to manage their money -- as well as how it works, why it's needed, and when it's available.

Some other points regarding this mobile service:
-- eliminates the risk of physical documents getting lost in transit
-- marries the checks with invoices/remittance coupons for streamlined reconciliation
-- lowers processing costs for financial institutions

There's much more that we covered in this talk. So check it out and let us know what you think.

You may recall our previous two interviews with American Community Project's Dan Emery about his nationwide tour to bring awareness to hunger issues in, yes, these here United States of America. You'd think with a McDonald's, Starbucks, and Olive Garden on just about every corner in our country's cities, this issue would be nonexistent. Nothing could be further from the truth, as Dan reveals.

So what does this campaign Dan and his friend Myles Chung embarked on in 2014 -- 48 states in 48 weeks on motor scooters that went no faster than 35 mph -- have to do with credit unions? Well, this tour was completely credit union supported, which is a fantastic representation of the massive good credit unions can accomplish today.

So we had Dan on the program one more time to get a final recap of he and Myle's yearlong journey and the impact the two made on folks throughout our country. Dan has a wonderful story to tell, by the way. Some really moving anecdotes of his experiences with people who truly care. Just throwing this out there, but Dan would be an ideal presenter at any credit union-related event to tell his moving story and how credit unions played a significant role stepping up to help out.

With that, enjoy our chat with Dan's about adventures and experiences that changed his life forever.

Visit:
acproject.org

A couple years ago, Carolina Postal Credit Union was on the verge of laying off employees because its lending numbers were not up to par. In fact, the numbers were continuing on a downward spiral. Looking for answers, Carolina Postal turned to cuStrategies Celeste Cook for her Credit Score Analysis Training Program. Since taking Celeste's 3-day CSA Training seminar two years ago, the credit union's lending numbers are through the roof.

To get more details on the credit union's turnaround, we met up with Carolina Postal's VP of Marketing and Business Development Deb McLean at the 2015 CUNA GAC. Deb took the time to explain the issues they were experiencing, the solution they found in cuStrategies' CSA Training, and the incredible results they have experienced -- which also garnered the credit union a 2014 CU Journal Best Practices Award.

In part 1 of this 3-part series, Deb lays the groundwork on their issues -- along with some of the CSA Training techniques and a nugget or two of their results. Carolina Postal even continues to exceed all expectations today. So stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 in the following weeks.

Visit:
cuStrategies.com
cpcuonline.com