Posted by Christopher Stevenson

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

By Mary Arnold

Corporate social responsibility (CSR). The triple bottom line. Community investment. All these popular terms relate to the impact a business has on not just itself but its customers and the world around it. All get to the heart of what credit unions and other cooperatives are--and have always been--about. Yet do consumers know this? Or is the corporate world grabbing all the headlines for its fair trade coffee and efforts to go green?

By Lisa Hochgraf from notes by Josie Collins

By Kristin Gilpatrick with Lisa Hochgraf

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

I'm feeling a bit blue today. Why? When I woke up this morning, the first thing I read on my Google home page was that Commerce Bancorp is being acquired by Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD). It shouldn't really bother me; heck, there isn't even a Commerce Bank in Wisconsin. And I should have expected it, since former CEO Vernon Hill's indiscretions came to light. Nevertheless, it's hanging over my day the way the stench of sweaty kids and old fries looms in a McDonald's PlayPlace. But, why should I care?

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

Mr. Thomas E. Murry, CEO, Local 20 IBEW FCU, Dallas, closed out the Filene i3 meeting last week. Did he close with a motivational speech to get folks charged up before they left for home? Nope. How about an insightful look at the nature of innovation? Nuh uh. Cool credit union product ideas? No. The closing session was on the art of shaving.

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

Scott Moriarty, a team member of the i3 Virtual Finance project, has posted a detailed explanation of how credit unions may benefit from a presence in the virtual world. In it, he lays out the root of his team's idea.

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

I just returned from a great Filene i3 meeting in Dallas. (For the uninitiated, you can learn more about i3 and its projects here.) In addition to the fantastic product and service ideas being knocked around at the meeting (more on those in later posts), there was a good deal of discussion about the role of education in product development.