Fred's Travel Tip

By Fred Johnson


If you're a member of Delta's or Northwest's frequent flyer clubs, check your mileage!


The two groups merged Oct. 1, and my account was shorted 45,000 miles in the process. The reason: I had an old Delta Skymiles account and a Northwest World Perks account. When the accounts were merged, the new Delta account I received with their American Express card didn't get pulled in.


The good news: I was able to correct the problem because I looked at the two balances and knew what my total should be.

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Business Lending a No-Go?

By Lisa Hochgraf


I've had two CU CEOs tell me in recent weeks that doing business lending doesn't make sense for credit unions. I have notes about this kind of lending being "too far outside of credit unions' exertise" and "requiring the hiring of lending officers with a philosophy more like banks" and "too risky for the potential payback" and "not applicable to serving the majority of members."

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The Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends

By Lisa Hochgraf


I recently had the pleasure of talking with Bill Vogeney and Janelle Grau about loan loss reserves. Bill's SVP/chief lending officer and Janelle is senior financial analyst for Ent, Colorado Springs. (Check out the resulting Loan Zone column.)

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The Importance of Sticking Together

Have you ever noticed how a parent scolds a child who is fighting with a sibling?

"Don't hit your sister!" or "Don't tease your brother."

Parents use family position instead of given names when barking these commands. Why? I think the stronger message is, "We are a family and that is not how you treat your family."

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A Place to Hang My Cup: Sometimes a Simple Gesture Is All it Takes

Posted by Christopher Stevenson


Last week, I was in Michigan driving from Parchment (down near Kalamazoo) to Detroit. I'd had an early morning meeting and skipped breakfast, so by mid-morning my energy was waning. I exited at Battle Creek to see what I could find for a quick meal. I'd planned on a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's or Burger King, but then I saw Sweetwater's Donut Mill in a small strip mall.


I love donuts.


I stopped.

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As Automotive CUs go, so Goes the Movement?

By Mary Arnold


Fortunately for the economy, the saying "as GM goes, so goes the nation" is not quite as true as it once was. Yet, the automotive industry as a whole still represents a significant portion of the U.S. economy. So would it be right to say that as automotive credit unions go, so goes the movement? You tell me.

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