Eltropy, the leading digital communication solutions for credit unions and community banks, will host its second annual user conference e-Merge 2024 on May 14-17 at the Santa Clara, California Marriott. This can’t-miss event will bring together over 400 financial services innovators to delve deep into AI and how it’s transforming the world around us. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome new and returning attendees to e-Merge 2024 for three days of forward-looking content, networking and fun,” said Eltropy CEO and Co-founder Ashish Garg. “On the heels of our successful inaugural user conference last year, we can’t wait for our credit union and community bank friends to come together to chart the path ahead. If you want to stay competitive, you need to be here.” The action-packed e-Merge agenda features keynotes, panel discussions and breakout sessions focused on GenAI, fraud and security, product developments, success stories, and how-to discussions, along with opportunities for networking and much more. Lively entertainment, dining and opportunities for attendees to explore the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area will round out the three-and-a-half day event. “Understanding the vision, and having Eltropy listen to our vision, and understanding, and requests is huge,” said Mary Burruel, VP of Product Management at Hughes Federal Credit Union in Tucson, Ariz. “Beyond that, what’s so valuable about attending is the interactions you have with conference attendees, including making connections with credit unions who utilize the same core systems, or have dealt with similar issues, or simply to get insight on ‘Have you used Video Banking? How was your adoption rollout and how has your experience been?’ That becomes an invaluable part of the conference, which is why we make the time and effort to attend.” Sponsors for e-Merge 2024 include SWIVEL Transactions, LLC (an SWBC company), a leading fintech company specializing in integrated transaction enablement solutions; Effectiv, a real-time fraud and risk management platform with AI solutions for financial institutions and fintech companies; Sharetec, a leading innovator in core processing software for credit unions; and MessagePay, a digital payments platform for community financial institutions (CFIs). Speakers for e-Merge 2024 will be announced as the conference date approaches. Registration is now open for e-Merge 2024. Sign up early to secure your front row seat to the future. Learn more and register at eltropy.com/emehttps://eltropy.com/emerge-2024/rge-2024.
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Financial Plus Credit Union has been named one of America's Best Regional Credit Unions in 2024, as declared by Newsweek magazine. This award recognizes Financial Plus Credit Union's commitment to operational performance, health and stability, and member experiences. In collaboration with market data research firm Plant-A Insights, Newsweek conducted an extensive independent study, meticulously analyzing nearly 10,000 financial institutions and conducting more than 35,000 customer surveys and over 140,000 reviews of regional banks and credit unions. The culmination of this research resulted in the recognition of the top 500 regional institutions in the United States. “Regional banks and credit unions play a pivotal role in meeting the needs of communities across the nation. Newsweek and market-data research firm Plant-A Insights are proud to introduce “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions 2024,” highlighting local lenders that are committed to the needs of their communities,” remarked Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief of Newsweek. “We take great pride in Financial Plus’s inclusion among America’s top credit unions. This acknowledgment is a testament to our entire team's dedication to making a meaningful impact with innovative technology and personalized solutions that bring our members’ financial goals within reach,” said Brad Bergmooser, president and CEO of Financial Plus. “Starting 2024 with industry recognition from Newsweek, a global organization, is an incredible honor.” Review Newsweek’s full “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions 2024” list at ... https://www.newsweek.com/rankings/americas-best-regional-banks-credit-unions-2024. Credit unions serving 1.3 million Idaho members showed up in a united force to meet with legislators at GoWest Credit Union Association’s Idaho Credit Union Day at the Capitol Wednesday—and before the day was over, legislators offered to co-sponsor a GoWest Credit Union Association-backed bill to update the state’s Credit Union Act. “Parts of the state charter have not been updated in 47 years,” said Zach Forster, GoWest’s vice president, legislative affairs for Idaho. “While we have been successful in collaborating with the legislature to make several updates to the Act in recent years, we still need this year’s bill to help credit unions innovate better ways to serve members and provide fairer access for government entities to competitive investment opportunities in credit unions.” Great progress is also reported in Arizona. Just one week after GoWest’s Credit Union Day at the Capitol event in Phoenix, Senator J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler), introduced SB1296, which will make several modernization changes to the Arizona Credit Union Act. The legislation is intended to address critical needs of Arizona credit unions in serving their members including:
The legislation has bipartisan support, noted Austin DeBey, GoWest’s vice president, legislative affairs for Arizona. “We appreciate the support of our member credit unions, in meetings with the co-sponsors late last year, again last week at Day at the Capitol, and continuing as the bill moves forward,” DeBey said. “We’re working collectively towards a brighter future for Arizona credit unions.” Troy Stang, GoWest’s President and CEO also lauded the work of member credit unions in advocating for legislative and regulatory initiatives. “The fact that legislators are signing on to support credit unions’ priorities is evidence that advocacy moves the needle. Advocates’ continued engagements will help to move those priorities forward.” Stang said. In addition to the Day at the Capitol events in Arizona and Idaho, four additional events are scheduled in the other states represented by GoWest as follows:
Newgen Software, a global provider of low code platform, announced that it has partnered with Finastra, a global provider of financial software applications, to enhance its loan origination solutions further and integrate lending solutions with Finastra’s LaserPro. The API-driven integration streamlines the creation of loan documents, covering various consumer collaterals. Moreover, it minimizes manual effort by eliminating the need for data mapping while ensuring data validation before transfer. The solution integrates with core banking and third-party systems, helping crdit unions and banks adhere to compliance requirements, such as Reg B, Reg O, CRA, HMDA, 1071, etc. The setup is intuitive and offers efficiency gains, as integration can be completed within a few days. “Finastra’s customers expect more agility, innovation, integration, and security than ever before. We deliver software that enables our clients to upgrade their existing systems gradually through open interfaces. Our LaserPro platform is an industry-leading, compliant loan documentation system for use across commercial, consumer, and mortgage portfolios. In our endeavor to constantly offer better choices and cutting-edge technologies to our customers, we’re pleased to announce this integration of our LaserPro platform with Newgen’s Loan Origination System,” said Finastra’s Cheryl Anderson, Director, Product Management. "Newgen's Lending Solution, built on a low code platform, transforms the loan origination journey for financial institutions. The solution seamlessly connects all stakeholders, ensuring a smooth user experience with one-time data entry. With robust integration into core banking and document preparation systems, this collaboration with Finastra marks a pivotal partnership. It will empower LaserPro customers with advanced API-based integration, accelerating their financial processes for enhanced efficiency,” said Anand Raman, EVP & COO, Newgen Software Inc. Newgen’s lending solutions, backed with AI-enabled underwriting, rule-driven decisioning, real-time dashboards, and document management capabilities, enable streamlined loan application management, portfolio management, instant disbursements on channels, and better collaboration. Alogent welcomes Homebase Credit Union to the Alogent family. Homebase CU ($263M in assets) is headquartered in Prince George, VA, and will deploy Unify, Alogent’s modern deposits platform for all full- and self-service channels, along with FASTdocs, Alogent’s enterprise content and information management solution. By leveraging multiple Alogent solution suites across various deposits lines of business and internal workflows, Homebase CU will benefit from seamless access to enterprise-wide data, streamlined user experiences, and increased automation. Join Team Alogent in welcoming Homebase Credit Union to the Alogent family! Kinective, a leading provider of connectivity, workflow, and analytics software for the banking sector, today announced that it has been named a Winter 2024 Leader Award winner and category leader by SourceForge, the world’s largest software and services review and comparison website. The OmniConnect solution was selected as best-in-class from over 90,000 products for exceptional user reviews, putting it in the top 5% of the Financial API Software Solutions category. Winners were selected based on rating and number of positive reviews, and awarded to only the top tier companies who maintained their standing of favorably reviewed products. This accomplishment puts Kinective alongside the ranks of Apple Pay, Plaid, Amazon, and Microsoft as SourceForge winners. Stephen Baker, Kinective, CEO said, “It’s an honor to receive such positive feedback from the people using our solutions to improve their day-to-day jobs. We frequently work with financial institutions who are trying to innovate and transform their client experience, but faced with roadblocks due to legacy infrastructures, manual processes, and lack of integrated technology. Kinective solves for that through one connection to multiple solutions, allowing executives to build a best-of-breed fintech strategy directly integrated to their core. Not only that, OmniConnect is turnkey—eliminating the need for precious internal development resources.” “We’re happy to announce this year’s remarkable Winter 2024 Leaders,” said SourceForge President, Logan Abbott. “Kinective showed that they’re beloved by their users, as evidenced by the large quantity of outstanding user reviews.” Kinective currently serves over 2500 banking customers and offers the largest banking integration library with 80+, pre-built fintech integrations across multiple use cases including account origination, loan origination, payments, document imaging, and cash automation. All integrations are available in the banking cores used by 99% of U.S financial institutions, with more than 40+ banking cores supported. Doors of opportunity open for Community Development Financial Institution-certified credit unions in the world of grants – not solely CDFI Fund grants. Last week, three CU Strategic Planning clients were awarded $200,000 in grants each through California’s Investment and Innovation Fund Program. The three credit unions that received the awards were:
“Thank you to the team at CU Strategic Planning for all your hard work,” MERCO CU CEO David W. Ness said. “We couldn’t have done it without you. We look forward to serving our low-income communities and those whom financial services have historically abandoned with even more opportunities to build financial wellness.” The California legislature established the Cal IIP to develop ongoing partnerships with CDFIs to efficiently deploy equitable economic recovery opportunities for low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately affected by the COVID-19-related economic fallout. The California legislature intends to keep the Cal IIP up and running as a potential repository for emergency funding programs. “We’re very excited for our clients who earned the Cal IIP awards,” CU Strategic Chief Experience Officer/Co-Owner Mike Beall said. “While we’re known as leaders in CDFI Fund financial awards for credit unions, we are also looking forward to working on applications for the Greenhouse Gas Initiative when they open, the 2024 Small Dollar Loan Program, and other state-level grants.” AltaOne Federal Credit Union Partners with PSCU/Co-op Solutions for Card Processing Services1/25/2024 PSCU/Co-op Solutions, the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated financial technology solutions provider, today announced its partnership with AltaOne Federal Credit Union (AltaOne) to provide debit and credit card processing services and support. Founded as the NOTS Employees Federal Credit Union in 1947 with less than $300 in deposits stored in a single cash drawer, AltaOne has since grown to serve more than 56,000 members and manage over $810 million in assets. Headquartered in Ridgecrest, California, AltaOne remains committed to its relationship-focused mission, actively contributing to community development and supporting equal access to financial solutions. AltaOne sought a new partner to provide debit and credit processing services. During a thorough evaluation process of potential providers, PSCU/Co-op emerged as the ideal choice. Distinguishing factors behind the decision included the CUSO’s high net promoter score and strong reputation within the credit union industry, as well as its sustained growth and emphasis on continual investments in technology. “In PSCU/Co-op, we have a genuine partner dedicated to delivering innovative card processing solutions that will benefit both our staff and our members,” said AltaOne Federal Credit Union CEO Stephanie Sievers. “We are confident that this collaboration will yield enhanced card products that contribute to member experiences aligned with our vision at AltaOne.” In addition to the cost savings and high quality of support and solutions, AltaOne’s positive past experiences with consulting services from PSCU’s Advisors Plus also influenced the selection. “Our team was impressed by PSCU/Co-op’s comprehensive risk management suite, state-of-the-art card products and ability to roll out enhancements quickly,” said AltaOne Federal Credit Union Lending and Operations EVP Lloyd Gill. “Combined with customized account acquisition and activation support, their robust APIs and real-time integration capabilities with our existing systems and vendors helped solidify our final decision.” PSCU/Co-op will begin providing card solutions to AltaOne members in October 2024. “AltaOne Federal Credit Union's dedication to nurturing meaningful relationships and making a positive impact in the communities they serve embodies the 'people helping people' credit union philosophy, and resonates with our values,” said PSCU/Co-op Solutions EVP, Chief Growth Officer Brian Scott. “We are excited to collaborate with them to deliver card solutions that will further enhance the experiences of their members." Allegacy Federal Credit Union celebrated the grand opening of its Indian Trail Financial Center with a ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday, January 24 (307 Unionville-Indian Trail Rd.). The new location is the fourth financial center to open in Greater Charlotte in two years. “As one of North Carolina’s largest credit unions, Allegacy continues to invest in the growth of the Charlotte area. We wholeheartedly believe in the power of community, our employees, and a strong culture of wellbeing,” said Allegacy’s President and CEO, Cathy J. Pace. “We continually strive to be a valued resource for the communities we serve, like Indian Trail. In fact, our local Allegacy teammates have jumped into this community with both feet including partaking in WinterFest, signing on as the presenting sponsor of Family Fun Day on June 3, partnering with local nonprofit Common Heart and becoming active members of the Union County Chamber.” The credit union also presented a check to Common Heart to support the non-profit’s Getting Ahead Program and mark the beginning of the new partnership. “I’m proud to be part of Allegacy and see our support for a local organization that is near and dear to my heart,” said Indian Trail Financial Center Manager, Melissa Garcia. “Common Heart has made a positive impact on my family and for that, I am incredibly grateful. Our team is excited and ready to serve the people of Indian Trail!” Among the event guests were:
"Fourth quarter GDP exceeded expectations as consumption remained strong, inventories held up better than anticipated, and trade made a surprising positive contribution to growth. When considered alongside the slowing growth in payrolls, this report provides further evidence of a pickup in labor productivity, which is helping to tamp down inflation. Overall, this report is consistent with America’s Credit Unions’ forecast of three rate cuts from the Federal Reserve in 2024." -- America's Credit Unions Vice President of Research and Chief Economist Curt Long |
Author: Mike LawsonMarried to a most gorgeous and wonderful wife, raising 5 kiddos (including twins!), enjoy helping others tell their stories, and love surfing SoCal waves. Keep it simple. Archives
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