By Calvin K. Clemons, CAE, CMP

Make no mistake about it, the principle duty of a board of directors, and thereby each director, is to lead and care for the organization. This authority is passed along by law, but obligations accompany it.

What will retail banking look like in the next decade? IBM has published an interesting white paper, "IBM's Paradox of Banking 2015," that suggests, among other things, that customers will continue redefining the rules of the game and that "universal banks and ultra-focused niche players will thrive."

At its Jan. 19 meeting, the NCUA Board proposed a rule to limit underserved area expansions to multiple common bond credit unions. The agency is also recommending a provision that a "physical presence be established in an added underserved area to ensure an active credit union role and better serve local residents."

By John Redding, Dick Kamm and Ralph Catalanello

As strategic planning consultants, we are often struck by how much time and effort credit unions spend looking at what the next guy is doing. This is especially true if the next guy is a high performer with a track record of great performance. The thinking seems to be, “if we’d only do what these guys do, we’d have the same results.”

Credit unions considering adding remittance services will want to check out a new report from Appleseed, self-described as a non-partisan, non-profit network of public interest law centers. According to the report, Mexico is the largest remittance market in the world with immigrants expected to send $20 billion there in 2005. Cost to send the money? An estimated $948 million.

By Michael Neill, CSE

By Mary Martha Fortney

How financial institutions around the world conduct business--and what we can learn from them.

By Franck Schuurmans, Ph.D., CAE

Teachers and coaches often talk about the "teachable moment," an opportune time for bringing home a lesson to a student or athlete. Credit unions reaching out to unbanked consumers may find tax preparation season to be their own "teachable moment," a prime time to interest unbanked families in CU offerings like savings or checking accounts.

By Mark Meyer