A Note from Chris
As you begin planning your 2023 budget, goals, and strategic initiatives, please know that Corporate Central and our forward-thinking family of CUSOs offer customized solutions that can help your credit union thrive for years to come. The value of membership comes in different forms. It may be a line of credit for settlement and liquidity needs, or competitive and flexible short- and long-term investment options. Or it may be Corporate Central’s history of consistently paying industry-leading rates on capital accounts or the innovative service offerings from our CUSOs – InterLutions, Think|Stack, and QuantyPhi. The bottom line is credit unions are not joining for attention grabbing “hot rates” or one-time discounted fees, but rather the value we strive to deliver day in and day out. We are your credit union, and we value your support and your partnership.
Sincerely,
Chris Felton
President/CEO
What's Trending?
How your credit union can help alleviate Gen Z’s financial anxiety.
Provide them with the quality, trustworthy financial education that they crave. Credit unions can fulfill this need and, in doing so, alleviate financial stress. Interested in how your credit union can connect with Gen Z to bridge this gap? Some of the best ways to reach Gen Z, and potentially gain their membership and trust are detailed in this article.
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Technology Solutions
CUSOs can assist credit unions fight the IT expertise warfare and construct capability to meet evolving wants.
The world is experiencing bigger volumes of cyberattacks which are frequently advancing in sophistication. As authorities, businesses, and firms of all sizes proactively and reactively handle cybersecurity challenges, the necessity for extra skilled groups of consultants is rising. Sadly, cyber trade did not precisely forecast the workforce it would need for our present challenges, and right this moment, demand is rising at a steeper curve than the variety of the candidates.
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Employee Benefit Resources
Strategies to improve your 2022 and 2023 budget.
Of the credit unions that utilize our CU-Save contract negotiation solution, 90% found they were overpaying their card payment vendors. How? They leveraged our invoice data, payments analytics, and pricing benchmarks to re-negotiate their big-ticket vendor contracts and significantly lower their operational expenses.
For a no-cost evaluation, CU-Save will review your third-party vendor contracts to realign pricing, increase incentives and income, and remove restrictive service requirements leading to a much-improved and mutually beneficial agreement.
Call us today for a free consultation or see what your peers are saying about the program below.
Contact Us Now to Improve Your Budget
Financial Services Consulting
Inflation showing no signs of slowing down.
The Federal Reserve continued their aggressive campaign to combat inflation with another 75-basis point hike to their target funds rate in July. It marks the second consecutive 75-basis point increase by the Fed and a total of 225 basis points since March. Inflation has shown no signs of slowing down at this point. CPI was reported above expectations at +1.3% for the month and a year over year pace of +9.1%. PPI also was reported above forecasts rising 1.1% for an annual pace of 11.3%. Economic numbers have been mixed as consumers continue to spend and the employment data remains strong. Sectors with the most exposure to rates have stumbled, led by the housing market as higher rates have slowed down purchasing and construction.
Fed policy should continue to dominate the market’s attention as analysts and participants attempt to map out future moves. Market consensus currently expects the Fed to slow its aggression but continue to raise rates for the remainder of the year, ending 2022 with a fed funds rate of 3.25%. After a brief pause, expectations are that the Fed will reverse course and start bringing rates down ending 2023 closer to 2.625%.
Of all the possible rate paths in front of us, that is certainly one of them. For the Fed to navigate that path, they will have to see solid progress made towards pulling inflation much closer to their 2.0% target over the next six months. With the Russian war continuing in Ukraine and talk of climate change legislation threatening to push oil higher, they face some headwinds but exude confidence.
As we cheer for success, our recommendation remains constant. Continue to monitor the situation, measure and manage interest rate risk for your balance sheet and investment portfolio across the possible rate paths. You don’t need to have Nostradamus on staff to keep your credit union on target to hit income targets while keeping risk within parameters. Need help?
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Did You Know?
Corporate Central’s Economic Outlook Conference returns in October.
Corporate Central's Economic Outlook Conference will be held on Wednesday, October 12 at The Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee, WI. Attendees will learn valuable information about the current and upcoming economic environment from a diverse speaker lineup that will assist with your 2023 planning efforts. Eligible attendees will have the opportunity to earn CPE credits for this event. More information coming soon.
Credit Unions Connect
Stories that exemplify the movement
Funding scholars and the future of the community.
University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) announced a $5 million scholarship endowment to benefit students at the Austin Community College District (ACC). The endowment will be disbursed over five years in the form of scholarships. The partnership will also give UFCU naming rights to start-of-the-art pavilion that will be used for special events. The credit union’s President, Michael Crowl, said, “This scholarship program will provide all-inclusive support to hardworking students so they can focus on achieving their career aspirations through ACC. We can’t wait to see the positive impact it will have on the communities we serve.”
Raise Your Glass raises funds for the United Way.
Altra Federal Credit Union hosted the fifth annual Raise Your Glass fundraiser and raised nearly $14,000 for Great Rivers United Way (GRUW). GRUW will use the donation to fund 51 non-profit programs for the betterment of individuals, families, and children in the community. The credit union expressed their gratitude to all that supported the event saying, “This event would not have been possible without the generous support of people like you!”
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What’s New and Who’s Who
Stephanie Schmidt graduated from CUNA Management School with honors.
Corporate Central is incredibly proud to share that Stephanie Schmidt, AAP, CCUE, CUDE, CWCUL, Assistant Vice President Member Services, has graduated from CUNA Management School with honors and has earned her Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE) designation.
According to CUNA, “The CCUE designation, instituted in 1975, is the hallmark of professional credit union achievement. Designed for credit union staff looking to gain the knowledge and experience needed to advance their careers, this program teaches advanced credit union management and operations techniques. CUNA has aligned the CCUE designation with CUNA Management School and students now earn the designation upon completing all three years of the program, three exams, two projects, and an oral presentation.”
Way to go, Stephanie!
Wild Adventures with Leo
Leo gets his sports fix.
Leo has been enjoying the summer weather and getting out and about at different credit union events. Although he’s not a golfer, he enjoyed riding along with Mark Volz at the T.W. Doig Chapter Golf Outing. A few days later, he was excited to see all the credit union folks at Credit Union Day at the Ballpark – a fundraising event to benefit The National Credit Union Foundation and The Wisconsin Credit Union Foundation. On a very hot and sunny Sunday, Leo cheered on the Brewers as they beat the Colorado Rockies!
