Pushing Past No: How Verity Credit Union is Challenging the Status Quo
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
Release Date: 12/18/2023
Beyond Crisis Response: How One Credit Union Proactively Cultivates Joy
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
Between natural disasters, economic volatility, and political chaos, there is a lot to respond to these days. It’s important for credit unions to create contingency plans and prepare for crisis. It’s equally important to escape the reactivity trap by proactively creating opportunities for joy and connection. That’s precisely what Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union has done with 325 Day, an event with a name that refers both to its date and the credit union’s local area code. The idea is to celebrate local businesses, gather community members, and most importantly, have fun! This...
info_outline
Why Cooperative Ownership Matters — And How Credit Unions Can Lead the Way
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
The listeners of this podcast are likely to know that credit unions are financial cooperatives — an identity that some credit unions lean into and others don't talk about much. Amongst the general U.S. population, our understanding of cooperatives is limited, at best. Most people are ill-equipped to distinguish between, say, a consumer co-op, like a credit union, and a worker co-op, like ! We'd like to change that, and we think that credit unions can play a crucial role, not only in expanding our general understanding of what co-ops are and why they matter, but also in supporting the...
info_outline
Micro-Interactions: The Key to Credit Union Growth in 2025
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
What is a micro-interaction, and why should credit unions care? Fintech growth and business transformation strategist Samantha Paxson joins us on The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss how credit unions could benefit from focusing less on big loans and focusing more on daily financial activities. We talk about how frequently used financial tools and services, like debit cards and P2P payments, not only help keep your credit union top of mind for members but also help keep member financial wellness front and center for your credit union. We also unpack this month’s BIG question:...
info_outline
How to Grow Your Credit Union From the Inside Out
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
Many of us have been trained to look outward when it comes to growing companies, whether that means looking to new target markets, potential investors, or evolving trends. But according to Ronaldo Hardy, President & CEO of The National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO), we are missing a crucial step. In episode 106 of The Remarkable Credit Union, Ronaldo talks about why we actually need to start by looking inward as he tackles this month's BIG question: How can credit unions shape their brands from the inside out, starting with their people, culture, and impact?
info_outline
How to Create a Game-Changing Financial Product
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
In a heavily regulated industry like financial services, innovation can seem daunting. There are so many regulatory hoops to contend with, not to mention a fierce aversion to risk. But as Jerome Emanuel, Chief Lending Officer at Alternatives Federal Credit Union has discovered, if you focus on solving a proven problem and finding ways to say yes, the doors that end up opening just might surprise you. Jerome joins us for this month's episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss Alternative FCU's game-changing FAIR Mortgage product, including what inspired it, how they got it off...
info_outline
What Black Cooperatives Can Teach All Credit Unions
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
In this age of multibillion-dollar credit unions, it can be easy to forget that most started with a small group of people looking to pool their resources. Well, Jessica Gordon Nembhard is here to remind us. Professor of Community Justice & Social Economic Development in Africana Studies at John Jay College, CUNY and author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, she believes that wonderful things can happen when communities come together for mutual aid. Among other things, we talk about the proliferation of Black...
info_outline
How Your Credit Union Can Reap the Rewards of Green Lending
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
Demand for clean energy products is on the rise, and not just from well-to-do Tesla owners. There is also widespread interest and demonstrated need in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. But how can credit unions meet that need? Enter the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program (CCIA), which is currently offering funding to credit unions and other community lenders to deliver green products, with a focus on the underserved. We’re joined by two leaders in the credit union movement, Cathie Mahon, President and CEO of Inclusiv, and Blake Jones, a founding board member of Clean...
info_outline
Partnerships Before Products: How LES People’s FCU Drives Systemic Change
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
We all know that products are a credit union’s bread and butter, so to speak. But a “product-first” mentality can result in more transactional relationships with your members, not to mention a product mix that may not fully meet their needs. This month, we talked to Alicia Portada, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Lower East Side People’s Credit Union, about how they focus on following the need, keeping boots on the ground, and keeping more vulnerable communities front and center when it comes to their expansion strategy. We also tackled this month’s BIG...
info_outline
At This Tech-Forward Credit Union, People Still Come First
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
As AI has wriggled its way into more nooks and crannies of our everyday lives, we’ve been hearing quite a bit of chatter about technology versus humanity. We’re not here today to speculate about possible dystopian futures, but we are here to talk about why it’s so important for even the most technologically advanced credit unions to keep the focus on their people. Chylon Pappas, VP of Corporate & Government Engagement at First Tech Credit Union, joins us to share how First Tech does just that. She helps us unpack this month’s BIG question: What does a people-first focus...
info_outline
How Element FCU Defies the Odds with Grit, Humor, and Heart
The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast
Welcome to our 100th episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast! We couldn't have asked for a better guest to help us celebrate this milestone—the inimitable Linda Bodie, Chief + Innovator at Element Federal Credit Union. Linda joins us to share some incredible stories from her over 25 years as a leader in the credit union movement, including how Element FCU became the first financial institution in the country to offer mobile deposit on iPhone; what led to the creation of CU*Pride, the credit union association for LGBTQ+ professionals; and how Element FCU succeeds in taking risks and...
info_outlineCredit unions across the country are searching for ways to offer their underserved members pathways to homeownership. But when it comes to affordable housing, it’s clear that bolder action is needed to meaningfully move the needle.
The affordable housing crisis is particularly acute in Seattle, Washington, where home prices increased by over 80% between 2010 and 2020. This month we’re excited to welcome Uche Okezie, Real Estate Development Director at HomeSight, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and Tina Narron, Chief Lending Officer at Verity Credit Union, also based in Seattle, to talk about how they are cross-pollinating, collaborating, and breaking convention to reimagine solutions to this thorny and seemingly intractable social issue.
We also address this month’s BIG question:
How can credit unions “dream more boldly” when it comes to community development and what kinds of innovative partnerships can they forge to drive this work forward?