The Iowa Credit Union Foundation (ICUF), the philanthropic arm of the Iowa Credit Union League (ICUL), doubled its Warren A. Morrow Memorial scholarship pledge to recipients this year due to a record-breaking number of applicants. With the support of Iowa credit unions, ICUF awarded eight more high school scholarships and four more post-high school scholarships than in previous years, totaling a first-ever award amount of $46,000 to 24 students.
 
“With the help of our Iowa credit union partners, Affiliates Management Company (AMC) and its family of companies, ICUF could proudly double its scholarship pledge to recipients this year,” said Marian Holmes, Board Chair of ICUF. “It is our passion to continue serving our community of credit union partners and helping champion financial well-being for all.”
 
Warren A. Morrow dedicated his life and career to helping the undeserved and empowering the Hispanic community. To honor Warren's legacy, the Iowa Credit Union Foundation provides scholarships to Iowa credit union members through the Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship program. Last year, $23,000 was awarded to 12 high school and post-high school students pursuing further education.
 
“The Iowa Credit Union Foundation is grateful for the additional support from our amazing Iowa credit union partners,” said Ena Babic Barnes, Executive Director, ICUF. “By doubling our commitment to Iowa credit union members, we can continue strengthening the financial lives of Iowans and celebrate those who passionately lead by the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people’.”
 
The 16 high school senior recipients are: 

• $3,000 to Lakin Bruns, a member of Cedar Falls Community Credit Union and a graduating senior at Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls, IA
• $3,000 to Natalia Guerra-Ceron, a member of Greater Iowa Credit Union and a graduating senior at North High School, Des Moines, IA    
• $3,000 to John Myers a member of Power Co-op Employees Credit Union and a graduating senior at Humboldt High School, Hardy, IA
• $3,000 to Nathan Deeds, a member of Serve Credit Union and a graduating senior at Williamsburg High School, Williamsburg, IA
• $2,000 to Connor Davison, a member of Dupaco Community Credit Union and a graduating senior at Dubuque Senior High School, Dubuque, IA
• $2,000 to Kimbree Callahan, a member of DuTrac Community Credit Union and a graduating senior at Bettendorf High School, Bettendorf, IA
• $2,000 to Aidan Perez, a member of GreenState Union and a graduating senior at Abraham Lincoln High School, Council Bluffs, IA
• $2,000 to Zachary McMillian, a member of IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union and a graduating senior at North Scott Community School, Long Grove, IA
• $1,500 to Emma Holmes, a member of 1st Gateway Credit Union and a graduating senior at Central DeWitt High School, Grand Mound, IA
• $1,500 to Gwyneth Utterback, a member of Community 1st Credit Union and a graduating senior at Oskaloosa Senior High School, Eddyville, IA
• $1,500 to Annabelle Neal a member of First Federal Credit Union and a graduating senior at Xavier High School, Marion, IA
• $1,500 to Kendall Cortelyou, a member of Veridian Credit Union and a graduating senior at Denver High School, Denver, IA
• $1,000 to Malia Whisler, a member of Affinity Credit Union and a graduating senior at Saydel High School, Ankeny, IA
• $1,000 to Aryanna Backer, a member of Financial Plus Credit Union and a graduating senior at Norwalk High School, Norwalk, IA
• $1,000 to Kate Richards, a member of GreenState Credit Union and a graduating senior at Solon High School, Solon, IA
• $1,000 to Landon Migawa, a member of RIA Federal Credit Union and a graduating senior at Davenport West High School, Blue Grass, IA

 
The 8 post-high school recipients are: 

• $2,000 to Kaitlyn Evers, member of 1st Gateway Credit Union who currently attends University of Iowa
• $2,000 to Tyler Danitz, a member of Affinity Credit Union who currently attends Des Moines Area Community College
• $2,000 to Rachel Halbach, a member of Citizens Community Credit Union who currently attends Iowa Central Community College
• $2,000 to Hannah Quinones, a member of Dupaco Community Credit Union who currently attends Loras College
• $2,000 to Quentin Hill, a member of Serve Credit Union who currently attends University of Iowa
• $2,000 to Emily Clemen, a member of Linn Area Credit Union who currently attends Iowa State University
• $2,000 to Ashlyn Keve, a member of Unite Credit Union who currently attends Hawkeye Community College
• $2,000 to Dayana Marinero Cea, a member of Veridian Credit Union who currently attends Des Moines Area Community College

Applicants completed an online entry form and answered an essay question. This year’s question was:
 
As cooperative community organizations, one of the principles at the heart of the credit union movement is concern for community. What does community mean to you? How have you served your community, and how do you see your credit union working in your community? Consider sharing personal examples and experiences.
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Founded in 1995 as the philanthropic arm of the Iowa Credit Union League (ICUL), ICUF’s mission is guided by the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people’. Guided by this philosophy ICUF works to champion financial well-being for all. For more information, visit www.IowaCreditUnionFoundation.org.

Titan CEO and headline sponsor Wipfli LLP are pleased to announce Darius Wise, President/ CEO, Red Rocks Credit Union as a 2024 Colorado Titan 100. The Titan 100 program recognizes Colorado’s Top 100 CEOs & C-level executives. They are the area’s most accomplished business leaders in their industry using criteria that include demonstrating exceptional leadership, vision, and passion. Collectively the 2024 Colorado Titan 100 and their companies employ over 74,000 individuals and generate over $43 billion in annual revenues. This year’s honorees will be published in a limited-edition Titan 100 book and profiled exclusively online. They will be honored at an awards ceremony on May 30th, 2024, and will be given the opportunity to interact and connect multiple times throughout the year with their fellow Titans.

“The Titan 100 are changing the way that business is done in Colorado. These preeminent leaders have built a distinguished reputation that is unrivaled and preeminent in their field. We proudly recognize the Titan 100 for their efforts to shape the future of the Colorado business community. Their achievements create a profound impact that makes an extraordinary difference for their employees and clients across the nation.” says Jaime Zawmon, President of Titan CEO.

Darius Wise began his career with Red Rocks Credit Union in 2019 as their Chief Impact Officer. Before Wise began his work in the financial industry, he spent more than 17 years in non-profit executive leadership roles. As a visionary leader, Wise has supported Red Rocks CU as the organization has shifted its culture, performance standards, mindset, leadership team, and overall results. His proven track record of leading organizations, developing teams, and driving results is what makes him a Titan.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Titan 100 recognition. This award is a testament to the incredible team I have had the privilege of leading. As I reflect on this achievement, I am reminded that the higher you climb in any organization, the less it is about you,” said President and CEO of Red Rocks Credit Union. “Your role transforms into one of service and support to the people you have the honor of leading. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and inspire others, and I look forward to continuing to empower my team to reach new heights together.”

“On behalf of all the partners and associates at Wipfli we congratulate all the Titan100 winners. It’s an honor to recognize this diverse group of leaders in the Colorado business community. We appreciate the lasting impact each leader has made, and continues to make, in building organizations of significance both here in Colorado and abroad. Your ingenuity and creativity have set you apart, and the honor of being seen as an industry Titan is richly deserved,” says Pete Aden, Partner at Wipfli.

​Cotribute, an award-winning embeddable fintech platform helping credit unions grow deposits, loans and memberships, today announced Tulare County Federal Credit Union (Tulare Federal, Tulare, California) has selected its modular Digital Platform to enhance the credit unions’ deposit onboarding experience, accelerate growth, enhance the overall member experience and reduce operational costs through automation.
 
Leveraging Cotribute’s modular platform, Tulare Federal can select the capabilities it currently needs with the flexibility to add additional modules in the future. The credit union is deploying the Consumer Account Opening module to simplify the entire account opening process, provide easy, instant funding options, automate Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements including sophisticated fraud detection, anti-money laundering (AML), identify verification, OFAC checks and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) requirements. Consumer Account Opening provides a frictionless, streamlined experience that automates complex, manual processes, while providing members with a more engaging experience. Members will now be able to open new deposit accounts in less than five minutes.
 
“Our mission is to build valuable relationships with members to create lifelong financial success,” said Gina Ramos, vice president of lending at Tulare Federal. “With Cotribute, we can extend our current technology infrastructure, meet our members evolving needs, and boost efficiencies across the organization. The sophisticated design of the platform provides an almost immediate return, giving us a competitive edge in an increasingly competitive market. This is a game-changer for our organization.”
 
Cotribute’s modules reduce operational costs through automation and seamless out-of-the-box integrations with the credit union’s existing business applications including its core processor, digital banking application and loan systems. Tulare Federal can now access to Cotribute’s comprehensive library of 50+ best-in-class account opening templates. The customizable templates reduce implementation time by more than 80%, enabling the credit union to quickly go-to market with new financial products.  
 
Philip Paul, CEO of Cotribute, said, “Credit unions must balance providing a seamless user experience, while ensuring compliance and preventing fraud.  We are proud to partner with Tulare Federal to provide its members with instant, digital account opening and a seamless deposit origination process. Streamlining processes and automating many of the tedious, back-office workflows enables the credit union to spend more time doing what it does best, providing an exceptional member experience.”

Credit unions nationwide are providing up to $50,000 in $100 grants at Title 1 schools to put the lessons in the 2 nd edition of How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000 into practice. In addition, PSCU/Co-op Solutions stepped up to provide the grant for the books given to students at the schools in these underprivileged areas.

Just in time for National Financial Literacy Month, How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000 is a revised, comprehensive first guide to earning, saving and investing money from the creators of the nationally syndicated, Emmy Award and Parents’ Choice Award-winning TV series on PBS, Biz Kid$. Rather than a staid book signing, Biz Kid$ is celebrating the book launch by returning to its roots with credit unions.

The credit unions that originally sponsored the show have leaned into financial education again, sponsoring these book-launch celebrations, along with the PSCU/Co-op Solutions grant for the books to be provided to the students at five Title 1 schools. The credit unions that generously provided the $10,000 grants include Michigan First CU, SkyPoint Federal Credit Union, CSE Federal Credit Union, Tapco Credit Union and Pelican State Credit Union. Each will hold events at local Title 1 schools with public officials and media fanfare.

"This initiative transcends traditional financial education, offering a hands-on approach that empowers students to shape their financial future," Jeannine Glista, Author and Executive Producer of Biz Kid$, said. “We truly appreciate the long-term partnership we’ve enjoyed with credit unions through our aligned missions.”

Jamie Strayer, Founder of CU Strategic Planning and Co-owner of Biz Kid$, stated, “Biz Kid$ was produced with grants from 292 credit unions and system partners. And now, the investment by PSCU/Co-op Solutions and the credit unions supporting this book launch shows that Biz Kid$ is more relevant to credit unions than ever before.”

The books will be distributed, and then the 5 th graders will be surprised with the $100 hand-ups, which they will have the opportunity to turn into $1,000,000 by applying the lessons from the book. Title 1 is a federal educational program supporting low-income schools and students across the country.

Financial responsibility is a crucial skill that many struggle with throughout adulthood. How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000, available nationally on April 23, introduces children to the concept of finances and lays out the importance of financial freedom. Money is not about greed but stability and creating options for yourself.

Written in an engaging yet informative style, How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000 is the perfect book for 5th grade students in historically underprivileged areas. It fosters hands- on learning and money management skills for economic stability. Filled with colorful  illustrations, eye-catching infographics and interactive worksheets, this book makes financial literacy easily digestible for kids. Bonus content for parents was also created to match each chapter with video clips, digital tools, and full episodes, to bring the concepts to life for their young reader. More information at BizKids.com.

​To celebrate World Book Day on April 23, SELCO Community Credit Union announced that it collected 1,100 new and lightly used children’s books — and SELCO employees volunteered en masse to sort and clean many of them — during its recent book drive benefiting SMART Reading, a statewide children’s literacy nonprofit. The book drive and cleaning event, part of the SELCO Steps Up community giving program, was held March 11-29 at 12 SELCO locations in Burns, Central Oregon, and Lane County. 
 
Now in its second year, the book drive asked SELCO employees and credit union members to drop off new or slightly used books, all of which will be distributed by SMART Reading to help local children build their home libraries. SELCO employees also sorted and cleaned each used book so they are donated in the very best possible condition. In all, 33 SELCO employees volunteered to refurbish the books.
 
According to SMART Reading, which SELCO has partnered with since 1996, early literacy is a crucial part of children’s formative education, and book drives such as SELCO’s aim to promote that educational link. Research shows that having 25 books in a household produces an average of two additional years of total educational achievement.
 
“Ensuring children have access to books in early childhood is vital to the development of their reading skills,” said Jessica Bowersox, Executive Director of SMART Reading. “Through partnerships like this one with SELCO, we’ve given away tens of thousands of books across the state in the 2023-24 academic year alone.”

SELCO’s combined book drive and cleaning event started in Lane County in 2023, and it was enormously popular amongst the credit union’s team members. As part of the new SELCO Steps Up initiative, the program was expanded this year to include branches in Bend, Redmond, and Burns, proving equally popular in those areas.
The results in each market include:

• 687 donated books at SELCO’s Eugene and Springfield locations. Those books will be donated to a series of free book fairs with the 4J School District's BEST After School Program and Burrito Brigade's Waste-to-Taste food pantry.
• The Burns branch collected 283 books (including 52 from Chandra Worman, a former Mrs. Oregon), the most of any single branch that participated in the book drive. 
• Branches in Bend and Redmond collected 130 books.

 
“This was an all-hands effort, and we couldn’t be more proud to support the work of SMART Reading to get books in the hands of young readers,” said Olivia Sorensen, Senior Community Development Specialist for SELCO. “SELCO was founded by educators almost a century ago, so our partnership with SMART Reading is a perfect fit. We’ve seen firsthand the incredible value a child gets from owning their own books. Is there anything better than getting lost in a story from a book that is all yours? Not a chance!”
 
Click here to watch a video about the SELCO-SMART Reading book drive. 

Nuvision Credit Union (Nuvision) and Paradise Valley Federal Credit Union (PVFCU) announced today that their merger has been approved by a majority vote of PVFCU members. With all approvals received, the legal date of the merger for the two organizations is planned for May 1, 2024.
 
The combined credit union will operate under the Nuvision name and charter, with leadership and employees from both credit unions. Nuvision CEO Roger Ballard will be CEO of the continuing credit union; PVFCU CEO Bud Schaffner will remain with the combined credit union, overseeing San Diego operations through system integration. Thereafter, Schaffner will focus on business development and community outreach in the San Diego area.
 
“We look forward to welcoming the PVFCU employee team and members into the Nuvision family, offering many more products and services, leading technologies, and new branches,” Ballard said. “With our shared mission and values, together we’ll continue to serve all the financial needs of our hard-working members, providing an enhanced banking experience, while maintaining PVFCU’s long heritage of service to its members and the San Diego community.”
 
Designed as a cooperative partnership to bring its members more from their credit union, PVFCU’s branches in National City and Santee will continue to serve members under the Nuvision brand, with the addition of 14 shared branches in San Diego, 11 Nuvision branches across Southern California, and 5,000+ shared branches nationwide. Members also will benefit from a significantly expanded product, loan and service offering, including comprehensive Business Banking. The partnership marks Nuvision’s entry into the greater San Diego market with two full-service branches and an established member base.
 
Schaffner commented, “We are confident this merger partnership will continue our long legacy of serving our communities with a singular mission to help members achieve financial success. Through our partnership, PVFCU’s branches will remain dedicated to serving the needs of members, preserving our cooperative heritage and commitment to member service. We’re excited to offer our members all of Nuvision’s product, service and technology advantages to bring them much more value from their credit union.”

​PSCU/Co-op Solutions, the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated financial technology solutions provider, today announced the addition of Amazon One to its suite of digital wallet integrations for client card issuers. Employing a contactless, biometric-based identity system (palm signature), Amazon One is available immediately on a pilot basis for credit unions, with general availability planned for late Q2 2024. Amazon One joins Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Garmin Pay among PSCU/Co-op Solutions’ digital wallet solution set.
 
Amazon One is accepted at an expanding list of outlets, including select Whole Foods, Panera Bread and Starbucks locations, as well as T-Mobile Park, Coors Field, Crunch Fitness and airport stores like Hudson, CREWS and OHM.
 
“From cash to crypto and mobile phones to wearables, consumers now have an expansive choice of payment methods,” said PSCU/Co-op Solutions SVP, Product Experience Jeremiah Lotz. “Yet, they still love the reliability, security and perks of their go-to debit and credit cards. Issuers that make it easy for cardholders to connect their preferred cards to their digital wallets earn trust, demonstrating a willingness to invest in financial innovation without sacrificing the personal service consumers expect from their financial institution.”
 
Venues are now relying on Amazon One for more than payments, including entry to events and identification for rewards/loyalty program access.
 
“Amazon One is a great example of disruption that leverages the proven authentication strategies of established payments rails for an expanded set of digital experiences,” said Lotz. “The recent combination of PSCU/Co-op Solutions further enables us to bring best-of-breed technology and resources to help our clients compete in the financial services market. The addition of Amazon One is part of our commitment to seamlessly connect innovative providers along the payments value chain, all with a strong focus on user experience.”
 
Along with an enhanced payments experience, credit union members will also benefit from the additional security offered by Amazon One. Unlike an account number or password, a palm signature is nearly impossible to replicate.
 
“At Idaho Central Credit Union, we are excited to bring Amazon One to our membership,” said the credit union’s SVP, Operations Brandi Dye. “At participating retailers, our members are now able to sign up for Amazon’s convenient, secure, contactless payment method using the palm of their hand. Personally, I was impressed with how easy and seamless the experience is, taking just a few seconds to scan your palm and complete your purchase. We understand the payments landscape is always evolving and love bringing the latest and greatest technology to our members.”
 
Participation in Amazon One is also easy for financial institutions. PSCU/Co-op Solutions supports the token enrollment and all other set-up, and implementation is expected to take less than eight weeks.
 
For more information on digital wallets from PSCU/Co-op Solutions, visit the solutions page here.

Credit Union of Colorado is proud to announce the promotion of Phil Smith to chief executive officer upon the retirement of Terry Leis, Credit Union of Colorado’s CEO for more than 20 years, on April 1, 2024. Smith joined Credit Union of Colorado as chief operating officer in 2010 and has held the role of president since January 2023. In Smith’s role as president, his responsibilities included lending, marketing, digital and member experience, payments, consumer lending, mortgage lending, business lending, branch operations and strategic operations.

“Phil has served as an invaluable member of the Credit Union of Colorado team for nearly 15 years. It is my honor to congratulate him as he moves into the position of CEO,” says Dr. Will Fleckenstein, Credit Union of Colorado’s board chairperson. “Phil has been extremely impactful during his tenure and has developed relationships across all branches and departments and with our Board Committees and Board of Directors. He has a strong focus on doing what is right for our members, employees and the community. His commitment to the credit union’s “here to help” mission is proven and unwavering. We look forward to his continued leadership in the years to come.”

Prior to joining Credit Union of Colorado, Smith was the vice president of the Public Service Credit Union. He also served as the vice president of Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union for nearly five years. Smith volunteers for the Community College of Aurora Foundation Board and is currently serving as the Foundation’s Board President.
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“I’m proud to have the opportunity to lead the credit union and continue to foster Credit Union of Colorado’s culture and commitment to actively supporting our members, employees, and the communities we serve,” says Smith. “I had the privilege of working alongside long-time CEO Terry Leis for more than a decade. Terry served the credit union with honor, humility and distinction. We are grateful for his many years of service.”