​As it prepares for a big year ahead in 2023, Curql Collective, a CUSO spurring innovation for the credit union industry, announced that Darlene Johnson will be joining the Board of Managers, and Ron Amstutz has been re-elected.  Five nominees vied for the two open positions during the election, each with a three-year term.
 
This win for Ron Amstutz marks his second term on the Curql Board of Managers. Currently serving as Executive Vice President at Desert Financial Credit Union in Arizona, Amstutz has worked in the credit union industry for 40 years, developing a broad foundation of experience in driving business performance, managing risk, and developing strategy. He is a "Champion" for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and a national Credit Union for Kids Advisory Board member.
 
Darlene Johnson’s win brings her to the Curql Board of Managers for her first term. With 34 years of credit union experience, Johnson currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at Suncoast Credit Union in Florida, where she is known as a transformational leader who prioritizes team development, organization behavior, planning, and growth. She has extensive community and industry service experience, including creating the CUNA COO Roundtable and co-founding the Hernando County Women's Correctional Institution Financial Lit.
 
"We are pleased with the election results and thrilled to have Ron continue his service on our board and to have Darlene join us," said Curql Collective CEO & President Nick Evens. "These two candidates have blown us away with their drive, experience, and passion for serving the credit union industry. They have a firm grasp on how Curql Collective is trying to propel credit unions forward and have already impressed us as leaders who are bound to make a difference for not only our Collective but for the industry as a whole.”

PSCU, the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO), has announced its annual patronage dividend for the 2022 fiscal year of $16.1 million, with 30% being distributed in cash. As part of its commitment to helping Owner credit unions succeed and prosper, PSCU’s total cash distribution to Owners this year is $14.9 million, including $7.5 million in capital credits and $2.6 million in revolving funds. Since its founding, PSCU has distributed more than $637.6 million in patronage dividends, with nearly 55% paid in cash. 

“Following the completion of a successful Fiscal Year 2022, PSCU is proud to once again deliver a strong dividend to our Owner credit unions,” said Chuck Fagan, president and CEO of PSCU. “PSCU remains a very healthy cooperative and we are firmly committed to providing an optimal balance of ongoing investments in innovation and a strong dividend program for our Owner credit unions. We are confident that PSCU is well-positioned to help credit unions provide an optimal member experience through our end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services, while the additional liquidity provided through our dividend program continues to help our credit unions achieve their strategic and operational goals.”
 
Highlights from PSCU’s Fiscal Year 2022 year include:
 

• Acquisition of Juniper Payments. In May, PSCU acquired Juniper Payments, the largest cloud-based, non-bank third-party provider of interbank transaction and reporting systems in the U.S. This acquisition will enable financial institutions to participate in faster and real-time payments innovation by providing managed connectivity to the Federal Reserve, The Clearing House and the forthcoming FedNow service. This expansion of payment types, which includes ACH, wire and instant payments, further establishes PSCU as the leading payments fintech in the credit union space.
• World-class fraud and risk management solutions. PSCU continued to refine and optimize its world-class fraud and risk management suite of solutions, while effectively shifting to a data lake approach to proactively prevent fraud across the channels and platforms consumers use daily. In 2022, PSCU helped save its credit unions more than $530 million in potential fraud while also maintaining an optimal member experience.   
• Partnerships and resources focused on the future. PSCU is providing its credit unions with the right partnerships and resources to explore new opportunities and deliver key digital solutions, including its new partnership with Amount for credit card account origination, the introduction of a Digital Consulting Practice within Advisors Plus and the launch of a crypto microsite at www.pscu.com/crypto.
• Continued growth and success of Lumin Digital. PSCU continues to invest in and empower the capabilities of its best-in-class, cloud-native digital banking company, Lumin Digital. In 2022, Lumin Digital experienced 100% on-time launches, modernizing 13 financial institutions’ digital experiences without disrupting their members during conversion – while achieving an unprecedented 100% uptime for all clients.
• Ongoing investment in data strategy. PSCU’s investments in data have provided the CUSO with enhanced technological capabilities, enabling the company to leverage its digital perspective and analyze actual consumer behavior to more effectively create personalized, connected experiences for credit union members.
• Publication of industry-leading thought leadership. PSCU continues to provide its Owner credit unions and the market with actionable thought leadership, including the fifth annual Eye on Payments study and the monthly PSCU Payments Index, which provide insights into consumer payment preferences and spending trends to help credit unions make strategic, data-informed decisions.    

 
Owners benefit from PSCU’s investments by sharing in the financial returns that are distributed through the company’s annual dividend. The origin of PSCU’s model is collaboration and scale, and the company has leveraged its influence on behalf of credit unions and their members for more than 45 years

The Annual Meeting of PSCU’s Owner credit unions will be held virtually on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Additional details for PSCU Owners are forthcoming.

Trellance, a leading technology partner providing innovative analytics, cloud and talent solutions to credit unions, has partnered with the Filene Research Institute in Madison, Wisconsin to share office space at the Filene Research Institute.​
The move will allow higher visibility for Trellance and enable them to meet with credit unions who share an interest in exploring how technology can aid the credit union movement. Their primary office will remain in Tampa, Florida, but the Madison office will be an important area for credit union meetings and planning sessions.
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“We’re excited for this opportunity to share space with such an innovative organization in the industry,” said Patrick McElhenie, chief sales officer at Trellance. “Filene participates in data analytics, technology and innovation research, which aligns with Trellance’s values and offerings. By partnering with them, we’ll be able to introduce ourselves to credit unions who share an interest in the power of tech.”
 
Filene hosts hundreds of credit union visitors from across the country each year in its Madison headquarters to share emerging insights and innovations. “Staying connected to the newest outputs from Filene’s six research centers of excellence enables credit unions to get ahead of shifting challenges and take advantage of new opportunities for growth,” said Mark Meyer, president and CEO at Filene. “By partnering with Trellance where these ideas are shared, we are able to connect credit unions with best-in-class expertise on leveraging technology to enhance and amplify impact.”
 
Led by Filene Fellow Dr. Cheri Speier-Pero of Michigan State University, the Center for Data Analytics and the Future of Financial Services advances credit unions’ understanding of and capabilities in data governance, management, ​and analytics to prepare ​credit unions for the future financial services landscape.​ The research from this Center is sponsored by Alliant, America First Credit Union, GECU, Kinecta FCU, Michigan State University FCU, Teachers Credit Union, Together Credit Union, Visa and Vizo Financial. “Filene and Trellance can amplify how they deliver impact with real-life innovation solutions for data analytics through this partnership,” Meyer added.
 
In June 2022, World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) moved to Filene’s Madison office to share space while further expanding credit union networking opportunities and connections.

Credit Union National Association (CUNA) announced today that Sekou Andrews, creator of Poetic Voice speaking, will provide the opening keynote at its 2023 Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC). Seamlessly blending inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry, Andrews will offer a creative perspective on embracing failure, encouraging unconventional thinking and being the kind of leader who inspires innovation from within.

“Sekou Andrews truly walks the innovation talk,” said Todd Spiczenski, CUNA Chief Products and Services Officer. “We are excited to kickstart our week in Washington with such a moving, memorable storyteller. I have no doubt that Sekou’s message will resonate with attendees long after the CUNA GAC.”

Andrews is the Founder/CEO of SekouWorld, Inc., and innovator of Poetic Voice, a cutting-edge speaking category that seamlessly fuses inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry. His accomplishments include two National Poetry Slam championships, two national poetry tours, two Independent Music Awards, three Helen Hayes Awards, the most “Just Plain Folks” music awards in history, the 2020 ABA Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the first Best Spoken Word Album Grammy nomination for a poet in 30 years. 

The Ed (Filene) Talk featuring Andrews will take place Sunday, February 26, 2023, on the CUNA GAC mainstage. Session is sponsored by CUNA Councils. 
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To register for CUNA GAC, visit cuna.org/gac.  ​

Patelco Credit Union, a Bay Area-based credit union dedicated to the financial wellness of its members and communities, is on a mission to educate local senior centers on internet safety and fraud prevention. Financial scams and fraud perpetrators targeting older people are happening more and more. Patelco is getting actively involved in the community and hosting in-person and virtual seminars to educate people on fraud protection and prevention. 

​The first seminar was held virtually in the fall at the Dublin Senior Center. Led by Patelco’s financial wellness team, including its senior principal information security analyst, Sean Casey, and the manager of fraud prevention, Erin Morasch, seniors learned ways to recognize and avoid all types of scams - whether online, by phone, by mail or in-person. Most recently, Patelco held an in-person seminar at the Alcosta Senior & Community Center in San Ramon. 
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Fifteen seniors gathered and shared their stories of being scammed, including one sharing an email received while in the seminar. From the information shared in the presentation, the attendee was able to determine that the email was, in fact, a scam. 
 
“Each year millions of consumers lose their money, privacy and in some cases, their safety to scammers,” said Patelco senior financial health educator, Veronica Dangerfield. “Our financial wellness mission is to set up our members and the communities we serve for success with the knowledge and tools they need to make smart financial decisions. Seminars like these are one of the many great ways we’re working to empower people to prevent and protect themselves and their families against fraud and scams.”

The 17 credit unions and three system organizations that currently make up The Lab at Filene begin testing four concepts in 2023 to grow the bottom line of credit unions and create a deeper impact on credit union members. Three spots remain for credit unions to become a Lab sponsor and join their innovative peers finding solutions to the largest challenges to growth and impact.
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Leveraging the strength Filene has around creating new opportunities for credit unions to engage, test and learn, these organizations have raised their hands and are leading the way for credit unions to identify and implement proven solutions faster:

• Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union
• Chartway Federal Credit Union
• Community Financial Credit Union
• Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC)
• Elements Financial Federal Credit Union
• ELGA Credit Union
• Farmers Insurance Group Federal Credit Union
• Financial Plus Credit Union
• Logix Federal Credit Union
• Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
• Municipal Credit Union
• Origence
• Royal Credit Union
• Truliant Federal Credit Union
• Unitus Community Credit Union
• University Credit Union
• Verity Credit Union
• Visa
• Visions Federal Credit Union
• Westerra Credit Union

​“Credit unions face a wave of challenges and opportunities, and are constantly wrestling with which ones they should be putting their resources toward to grow and increase their impact,” said Filene Senior Director of Incubation, Josh Sledge. “In the spirit of cooperation, The Lab at Filene brings sponsors together to better understand what works and what doesn’t, and then builds frameworks for others to apply learnings across the entire credit union industry.”

In August, the first ever Lab Symposium was held in Visa’s San Francisco innovation center and set Filene’s 2023 testing agenda. The Lab is now transitioning to the next phase and will begin running tests in January on four solution ideas that garnered the most interest from The Lab’s participants:

• To address the challenge of differentiation and amplifying the credit union value proposition:
  • subscription-based packaging models
  • re-thinking physical spaces
• To address the challenge of engagement for new and expanded relationships:
  • digital engagement for indirect lending, with fintech partner Ignite Sales
  • financial wellness as an engagement strategy, with fintech partner Pocketnest

"As a CUSO, we're deeply connected to credit unions and their pain points, and are committed to helping them grow their business and value—all while bringing their community financial wellness," said Jessica Willis, founder and CEO, Pocketnest. "We're grateful to Filene for helping us reach a broader audience as we scale our team and grow our product to help credit unions boost their digital strategy, reach and engage with millennials, and identify more cross-selling and deposit opportunities."

Throughout the testing, Filene is providing technical assistance and capacity to help the testing credit unions operationalize and run these pilots. Filene will also work alongside Jeffrey Robinson, Filene Fellow for the Center for Innovation & Incubation, to collect insights and share them back out with the industry.

“Through our work with credit unions around the country, we know that when given the opportunity, they provide unparalleled levels of service to their members,” said Whitney Loe, VP strategic sales and partnerships at Ignite Sales. “We are very excited to partner with the Lab at Filene to support credit unions as they leverage digital engagement technology to mine their indirect loan portfolios and build deep direct member relationships.”
Three sponsor opportunities remain available to join The Lab at Filene.

​Tracie Kenyon, President/CEO of Montana’s Credit Unions (MCU), was recognized with the 2022 Eagle Award by the American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) during the 2022 AACUL Winter and Annual Meeting last week in Charleston, S.C.
 
The Eagle Award is AACUL’s highest honor and was established in 1981 to recognize a League President who has an outstanding record of achievement at the League level. Eagle Award winners are willing to speak out and take a stand on critical issues, demonstrate leadership beyond the League level, are innovative in creating or implementing new ideas, maintain an unremitting dedication to credit union and personal principles, and sustain an unflagging focus on important issues.
 
Kenyon has served as the president/CEO of Montana’s Credit Unions for over 21 years and has dedicated her entire professional career to advancing and championing credit unions and credit union leagues, placing special focus on the heart of the movement: the people and relationships that make the credit union difference. Prior to her 21+ years excelling as Montana’s Credit Union’s president/CEO, Tracie was with the Utah league for six years. Before that, she started her career in credit unions more than thirty years ago as a teller.
 
Of the award, Kenyon said, “I am humbled and grateful to be honored by my peers with the Eagle Award. As I wind down my time as a league president, I want to put an exclamation point on the importance of leagues in the credit union system. Our role as fierce advocates and conveners helps to assure that there will be a vibrant credit union movement for future generations.”
 
Under Kenyon’s leadership, MCU garnered - and continually maintains - 100% credit union affiliation.  Additionally, over her tenure she initiated two unique opportunities for Montana credit unions: Montana Credit Unions for Community Development, a charitable organization that creatively combines advocacy efforts with outreach and development; and Montana Credit Union League Group Benefit Trust, a self-funded benefit plan for employees of Montana’s credit unions that incorporates wholistic approaches to wellness including financial wellbeing.
 
“Tracie lives the credit union philosophy and never misses an opportunity to share her knowledge and dedication through countless interviews, speaking engagements, CU strategic plans, and written articles educating and promoting the credit union industry,” praised Jeff Olson, AACUL Chair and President and CEO of the Dakota Credit Union Association.  “Tracie is generous with her time in a variety of ways – from mentoring individuals to supporting organizations through board service. There are countless people in our industry who have benefited from Tracie’s insight and support over the years.”
 
“Tracie is an inclusive, engaged and determined leader.  When she was AACUL Chair, Tracie led Leagues through difficult situations – tirelessly and gracefully – by championing collaboration,” shared AACUL President Brad Miller.  “Tracie’s passion for people as well as credit unions is both palpable and admirable.”
 
Kenyon’s service to credit unions extends beyond Montana, including leadership roles on the Boards of Directors for the Credit Union National Association; the American Association of Credit Union Leagues; CULAC; the Filene Research Institute; the National Credit Union Foundation; and Western CUNA Management School.  She is a recipient of numerous national recognitions and awards, including the 2017 Eugene H. Farley League Leadership Award and the 2009 Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Montana Credit Unions for Community Development.

​ASA is an embedded fintech solution that connects financial institutions with customer-facing fintechs in a secure, compliant and easy to implement marketplace. The company today announced that $1.2 billion asset University Credit Union has partnered with ASA to enable quicker innovation and empower members with greater control over their data and finances.

Los Angeles-based University Credit Union supports employees, students and alumni of universities across California, providing the services needed to enhance their financial wellness. By partnering with ASA for collaborative banking, the credit union will be able to connect members to a community of fintechs, delivering new capabilities in a secure way. ASA eliminates liability and risk by tokenizing, normalizing and anonymizing all member information before it’s shared with any fintechs, allowing members to safely and easily try out new technology.

“Our credit union strives to lead with innovation, and partnering with ASA enables us to bring a wide range of fintech options and offerings to our members at once with optimal security,” said Estela Nagahashi, EVP and chief operating officer of University Credit Union. “With ASA, members will have greater choice for which technology they want to try and deeper control over when and with who to share their information with. Plus, ASA’s collaborative banking model enables us to remain the hub for our members’ experiences, deepening engagement and relationships.”

ASA acts as a single integration point between financial institutions and fintechs, either through the institution’s core, online provider or data aggregator. By solving the one-to-one integration pain point, ASA is enabling personalization at scale by allowing members to choose and download the niche apps they crave without diluting the relationship with the credit union.
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“University Credit Union serves a tech savvy member base, and they recognized the need to keep up with the rapidly accelerating pace of innovation without exposing members to risk,” said Landon Glenn, CEO and founder of ASA. “With ASA, the credit union is providing the modern technology and comprehensive features members expect, all within a seamless, credit union-centric ecosystem. We are proud to partner with leaders like University Credit Union as they continue to prioritize and enhance the member experience.”