Through independent research and innovation, the Filene Research Institute explores issues vital to the future of credit unions and consumer finance.
Filene recently visited with several guests from an Australian credit union who were on a study tour through the United States. This particular credit union has a unique strategy, which tightly links environmental sustainability to their image. When asked how this successful (and peculiar) strategy came to be, our Australian guest stated that it was implemented because it comported with their CEO’s economic rationalist view of the world.
More ...categories » Filene News, Young Adult Recruiting, Young Adults and Families
A version of this op-ed appeared in the June 2 issue of Credit Union Times
In April 2010, NCUA board member Gigi Hyland released a white paper outlining the issues and opportunities inherent in nontraditional sources of capital. Hyland’s paper, based, in part, on seven studies my organization released between 2001 and 2008, concludes, “Affording credit unions the ability to raise supplemental capital that counts toward PCA ‘net worth’ requirements is an appropriate policy consideration.”
Our vast research on the topic makes the same conclusions based on policy analysis, field tests and examples of secondary-capital raising activities from credit unions located outside the U.S. and other types of cooperatives.
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Since November 2009, I’ve enjoyed working with two rising stars in the credit union world: Matt Davis and Brent Dixon. Both are playing in Filene’s sandbox through next April. Their task…to help make credit unions:
categories » Filene News, Innovation, Young Adult Recruiting, Young Adults and Families
Testing Ustream
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I just read a scary article which should be required reading for all credit union staff, board and regulators. It describes a future which is great for consumers, but destroys 30% of credit union fee income during the process.
More ...categories » Filene News, Technology
categories » Economic Issues - Credit Unions, Filene News, Marketing, Consumer Behavior and Market Research
SInce the financial crisis commenced in September 2008, I’ve kept track of the number times credit union’ers have said, “We need to take advantage of this crisis and grow our business.“
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When your boss suggests you take a one week trip through the upper Midwest in February, there are three thoughts that run through your brain
More ...categories » Filene News, Research in Motion
In a famous academic study researchers set up two displays of jams in a grocery store. One display had 24 varieties of jam and the other display had only 6 varieties of jam. During the study, the academics (presumably in white lab coats behind a one way mirror with clipboards) observed how many consumers stopped to sample the jams and how many consumers actually bought the jam at each display. The results…
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