You’re not just there to give them that financial perspective. You’re also there to build trust with financial institutions that they might not have had in the past.

Roughly 2 million people are incarcerated in U.S. prisons at any given time, and those passing through the justice system often face severe economic hardship, limited access to healthcare, and social disenfranchisement after release.

The social stigma and lack of access to resources leave many in a destructive cycle. More than 60% of formerly incarcerated individuals will be arrested again within three years; more than 70% will be arrested again within five years. However, they are 24% less likely to return to prison if they acquire new skills during incarceration.

Those who maintain employment for one year post-release experience a recidivism rate of just 16%. That’s great news, but this group then faces a different set of challenges. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 60% of incarcerated individuals have little to no formal financial education, leaving them unprepared for stable employment, housing, and legal obligations upon release.

Closing that gap aligns squarely with the credit union ethos of people helping people. Just ask Jennifer McHugh, vice president of community engagement at Royal Credit Union ($5.7B, Eau Claire, WI).

“We’re all about financial wellbeing,” she says. “But it can’t just be for some. It’s financial wellbeing for all.”

Eleven Years, Eleven Correctional Facilities

Royal began working with inmates at the Eau Claire County Jail in 2015, presenting classes covering all aspects of money management, from understanding spending habits to paying off debt. More than a decade later, its incarceration program now spans 11 correctional facilities, including six county jails, four state prisons, and one juvenile detention center. It now offers classes virtually or in-person, with average attendance ranging from 10 to 15, although some sessions might have just one participant.

Two community financial education coordinators handle the lion’s share of the work, each operating one half of the region from Northwest Wisconsin to the Twin Cities Metro area. However, as the program has grown, other credit union team members have stepped in to volunteer to teach as well.

“You’re only as good as your people, and our team members are truly passionate,” McHugh says. “It fills their cup when they’re able to go into a facility and make a difference. That’s one of the things I love about this program.”

In 2019, the credit union won a grant through the National Credit Union Foundation that enabled Royal to conduct academic research with a university partner into the impact the program is making.

The results were exciting.

“We found most of our students came to class with a pretty solid basic understanding of financial concepts,” McHugh says. “What they needed was more confidence to address, maybe work through, some past issues they’ve had.”

Program participants show statistically significant gains in attitudes and confidence levels as well as knowledge surrounding credit and how someone’s money personality can affect their spending.

Instructors say students who have gone through the program frequently thank them, not only for sharing the information but also for treating them with dignity during classes.

A Pathway To A Fresh Start

When American 1 Credit Union ($649.7M, Jackson, MI) sought to establish its own program for inmates last year, it reached out to Royal Credit Union for guidance.

“They helped me understand what to look for and how to build a relationship with the Michigan Department of Corrections,” says Carolyn Duncan, American 1’s chief member experience officer.

American 1 is headquartered in Jackson County, home to the largest prison facility in Michigan and one of the largest prison locations in the world. Over time, this has had a lasting effect on the community the credit union serves.

“For years, family members have moved to the area because a family member is incarcerated here,” Duncan says. “So, we’re looking at not only who’s incarcerated but the family that surrounds them during this journey.”

After carefully researching MDOC’s strategic plan and its specific needs, Duncan reached out to Jackson College, which was already offering college classes at multiple MDOC campuses. That opened the door for American 1 to partner with the MDOC directly.

Today, the cooperative’s work revolves around the MDOC’s Vocational Village, a trade school for prisoners set to be released within the next two years.

Collin Martin is one of the financial wellness managers who teaches these classes. He says it’s essential to understand the distinct financial challenges for those behind bars and meet them where they are.

“You’re not just there to give them that financial perspective. You’re also there to build trust with financial institutions that they might not have had in the past,” he says.

One of the biggest surprises for American 1 has been the enthusiasm among participants and the volume of questions.

“Some of these individuals are highly educated,” Martin says. “Once, I asked the crowd how you manage your credit card, and one individual spoke on it perfectly. Highlighting their knowledge and letting them speak, too, also builds trust because it’s not just coming from me.”

Importantly, credit union support doesn’t stop upon re-entry. When an inmate is released, American 1 makes sure their file includes direct contact information for the credit union.

“That way they know we’re there for them,” Martin says. “They know that there’s a resource for them on the outside and that people care about how they do when they walk out of those doors.”

Looking ahead, American 1 is examining the barriers to setting up accounts for participants before release. In the meantime, the credit union has designed products to help them rebuild or establish credit, including a secured card for the newly released and others in the community facing financial instability.

The post How 2 Credit Unions Reduce Recidivism 1 Class At A Time appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Not all personal loan partnerships are created equal. Credit unions like Vantage West Credit Union ($3.4B, Tucson, AZ), Texans Credit Union ($2.4B, Richardson, TX), and Abound Federal Credit Union ($2.6B, Radcliff, KY) are proving that with the right technology partner, personal loans can be a strong-yielding asset on the balance sheet with predictable credit performance and an engine for prime membership growth.

With the Upstart Referral Network, credit unions nationwide are acquiring a steady stream of creditworthy borrowers, supported by AI-powered credit decisioning and over a decade of seasoned performance data. For those seeking to add the highest-quality borrowers, the T-Prime program has delivered super-prime borrowers with an average FICO of 757 and an average annual income of $152,000: a profile primed for relationship deepening through additional products like deposit accounts.

Strong Returns Backed By A Decade Of Proven Performance

Upstart had an established, seasoned portfolio, plenty of historical data, and a model that helped us feel confident we could originate additional loans and maintain the margins we were looking for.

With yields of more than 8.5% after losses and fees and annualized returns 15%-57% higher than the industry average for comparable loans, Upstart has spent more than a decade proving that personal loans can be one of the most profitable products on a credit union’s balance sheet without sacrificing credit performance. These aren’t short-term results; it’s a performance record built on billions in loan history, proven, accurate credit decisioning, and deep alignment with credit union partners’ goals.

For Abound, that history was the deciding factor in re-entering the personal loan market.

“Upstart had an established, seasoned portfolio, plenty of historical data, and a model that helped us feel confident we could originate additional loans and maintain the margins we were looking for,” says Chuck Eads, chief lending officer.

Since launch, Abound’s Upstart personal lending program has achieved strong returns with loss rates below original model projections.

Texans approached the partnership as a way to diversify away from collateralized loans and strengthen net interest margin.

“Upstart has been a highly profitable product for us,” says Mike McWethy, executive vice president. “The margins have beat many of our other products, and losses have been much less than projected.”

At Vantage West, strong performance isn’t just a metric: it’s what allows the credit union to scale confidently.

“So far in our partnership with Upstart over the past three years, the loans have performed according to plan,” Scott Odom, chief financial officer, puts plainly. “In the more recent vintages, we’ve actually seen better performance than we’ve planned.”

High-Quality Borrowers Prime For Relationship Growth

We’re super excited that we’re going to be adding new products into the loan journey. When someone is taking out a loan through Upstart, we’re going to offer them a checking account with Vantage West and hopefully ask that they make that loan payment with that checking account.

While strong returns keep the balance sheet healthy, the T-Prime program takes it a step further by delivering super-prime borrowers: members with the creditworthiness and financial profile to grow deeper relationships over time. With an average FICO score of 757, $152,000 annual income, 81% homeownership, and 58% with post-secondary education, these members are not only low-risk but also primed for cross-sell opportunities.

“Upstart has helped us to serve more affluent borrowers through the T-Prime program,” says Sandra Sagehorn-Elliott, president and CEO of Vantage West. “That’s effective for us because it balances our risk. The T-Prime program has helped us continue to serve the lower-end borrowers because we have that balance.”

At Abound, Chuck Eads saw T-Prime as a way to capture high-quality borrowers the credit union was previously missing.

“We were maintaining great margins, really at or above our target,” he says. “But we were missing out on some super prime opportunities based on borrower expectations around rate. Upstart created the T-Prime Program, and simply put, we had an opportunity to originate more loans at similar margins.”

For Kaua’i Federal Credit Union ($195.8M, Lihue, HI), adding T-Prime in 2024 was about maintaining the right mix of risk tiers.

“Introducing T-Prime was a natural move for our balance sheet strategy,” says Sajid Siddiqi, chief financial officer. “It allowed us to maintain the right mix of risk tiers as we scaled, something we couldn’t have done with just premium lending.”

Bringing in the right members is only the first step. The real opportunity lies in converting those relationships into long-term engagement, a challenge the industry has struggled to solve. A 2025 Pinwheel study found that 70% of new accounts go inactive within 90 days without an anchor action, 44% go inactive within a year, and 68% of consumers avoid switching deposits due to complexity. With an average acquisition cost of $350 per new banking customer, failing to deepen relationships can be costly.

That’s why credit unions like Vantage West are embedding cross-sell directly into the lending journey with Upstart.

“We’re super excited that we’re going to be adding new products into the loan journey,” says Michelle Goeppner, senior vice president of consumer lending and deposits. “When someone is taking out a loan through Upstart, we’re going to offer them a checking account with Vantage West and hopefully ask that they make that loan payment with that checking account.”

Upstart’s Member Cross-Sell solution builds on this approach with borrower-level data, personalized offers, and turnkey marketing assets to make cross-sell scalable.

Stephani Foss, executive vice president, chief operations and consumer lending officer at Alliant Credit Union, sums up the potential: “The data-driven approach combined with marketing best practices … will help us achieve measurable growth while boosting overall member satisfaction.”

With double-digit net returns, low loss rates below projections, and the ability to attract high-value members, credit unions partnering with Upstart are transforming personal lending into one of their most profitable and strategic products. By combining proven performance with access to super-prime borrowers and the tools to deepen relationships, Upstart is helping credit unions unlock sustainable, long-term growth.

See what this looks like in the real world. Watch Vantage West’s leaders walk through their approach: Why they chose the strategy and the results they’re seeing, straight from the execs. See the Vantage West story.

The post How Super-Prime Borrowers Strengthen Both Margin And Membership appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

APL Federal Credit Union ($680.8M, Laurel, MD) tackles that problem with an associate volunteer program. Now, it’s expanding those efforts to include an even younger demographic.

APL has had an associate volunteer program since 2012. It typically hosts three volunteers who attend board meetings, participate on committees, and more. Those roles have a one-year term, but most participants earn reappointment, provided the experience is mutually beneficial. And when it’s time for a board member to retire, the credit union has a pool of vetted replacement candidates.

“When openings come up on the board, there’s a group of people the nominating committee knows who are already engaged,” says CEO David Woodruff. “On Day 1 when they hit the board, they’re fully engaged.”

Still, APL had to face the reality that out of its nine-member board, generally two-thirds are retired. That beget the question of how to recruit younger voices to assure better representation. The answer? APL has broadened its horizons with a junior associate volunteer program of four college students.

“The board struggled with getting a commitment from younger people to take on board assignments,” Woodruff says. “Younger people typically have family responsibilities and kids and sports and all kinds of things obligating their time. It can be a challenge in those younger age ranges to get somebody who wants to commit to a three-year term.”

To involve younger volunteers and prepare them for service, APL taps its roots. The credit union has a community charter but was originally formed to serve employees of the Applied Physics Lab (hence APL) at Johns Hopkins University. APL leans on that experience to recruit college students to serve as junior associates.

“They do it for a year, and get the experience,” Woodruff explains. “It’s good for them, and it gets younger voices into our discussions.”

The ultimate aim is to build a pipeline for the associate volunteer role, but junior associates aren’t a shoo-in — they’ll still need to apply to move up to the next level.

In The Room Where It Happens

The current crop of junior volunteers includes four college students representing four different universities.

The credit union posted the position online, and Woodruff admits he thought it would be a challenge to attract candidates. Within two weeks, five applicants had applied. One wasn’t the right fit, but the credit union accepted the other four. Credit union membership is not required to apply, although applicants must be eligible for membership and must join the credit union before they can serve.

Volunteers in the associate program learn about the credit union and serve on a committee — either asset liability, information security, or planning and governance — but junior volunteers may attend various committee meetings to better understand the inner workings of the board and participate where appropriate.

The junior group also has four-on-one Zoom sessions with Woodruff and other executives to learn about how the credit union operates and the challenges it faces in various disciplines, including finance, marketing, lending, IT, and more.

In early January, APL brought associate and junior volunteers together with the board for its annual strategic planning session, with the event timed around when students were on their mid-semester break. The event was held in-person, and all participants were on-site at a hotel for the event, with associate and junior volunteers participating in breakout sessions and larger discussions. They then presented to the larger groups on key takeaways from breakout sessions.

“That was the highlight of this year so far,” Woodruff says. “Their perspective was fantastic. “We’re talking about how to reach people in today’s world, and they all have very different perspectives on it, very different from the 60-year-olds and the rest of us.”

The younger cohort’s involvement also helped enliven the board, Woodruff adds. Including less-seasoned participants in the conversations has helped open directors’ eyes by bringing in the views of those who deal with financial services matters daily.

“It wasn’t like we just invited younger people into the meeting,” the CEO says. “They’ve been with us for months and have been very dedicated. They care about the issues of the credit union. They’re getting exposed to how an organization thinks about things and makes decisions and chooses directions at a high level. It’s exciting on both ends.”

Peer Participation

The junior volunteers do not receive college credit for their service, but the leadership experience makes a good addition to a resume, says Woodruff, particularly for those interested in careers related to banking, finance, and similar fields.

One of the key benefits for APL has been a strong, consistent pipeline of new blood that can step into board service.

“We all deal with the challenge of an aging board,” Woodruff says. “I don’t believe board members hang on just because they want to hang on. Oftentimes, I think they feel like if they leave there will be a void and there won’t be the same level of support for the staff and the credit union. When we bring the associates into the meetings, they don’t sit in the corner — they sit at the table and participate.”

Board Approval

Junior and associate participation has helped APL’s older volunteers feel confident that when they’re ready to step back, someone is prepared to step in, ensuring there won’t be a hole or gap in service.

Although junior and associate volunteers serve just one-year terms, the goal is that over time both programs will lead to a more diverse board. So far, things seem to be on track. Woodruff noted that one junior volunteer has already expressed interest in continuing on at the associate level if the opportunity arises.

Of course, board buy-in has helped the program gain momentum, says Woodruff. In fact, APL’s board drove the process, with one director in particular championing it. That led to greater buy-in than if Woodruff or another executive had pushed for younger participants, the CEO adds, since that might have seemed like existing directors were on the verge of being replaced. Woodruff says any early hesitation quickly faded once the new volunteers joined the boardroom.

“I think we were concerned that these college students would be intimidated by all these old people,” Woodruff says. “Certainly in the first couple of meetings they just listened, but as they attended other meetings and committees and our strategic planning retreat, they started sharing and participating as peers with the rest of the group.”

Do You Have A Strategy To Solve A Common Challenge? Credit unions are recruiting new volunteers by meeting them where they are. How are you responding to the evolving needs of volunteers? Callahan Roundtables put leaders in the same room to share solutions, solicit feedback, pose questions, and more. Inspiration is a Callahan Roundtable away. Learn more today.

The post How APL FCU Builds A Board Succession Pipeline appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

After a long run of merger-related growth — with a pandemic thrown in for good measure — Verve, a Credit Union ($1.6B, Oshkosh, WI), is once again poised for organic growth. All thanks to turnover on the senior leadership team and a new sales culture rooted in service.

Prior to the pandemic’s onset in March of 2020, Verve was on a run of mergers, including one of the industry’s few three-way mergers that served as the credit union’s genesis. Verve also acquired a bank and underwent a core conversion after the pandemic. Yet despite these steps, membership was on a slight downward trajectory.

“We weren’t hitting the way we should’ve been hitting,” says Kevin Ralofsky, CEO of Verve. “Our back office wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been with the efficiencies we should be gaining with a new core system. We also needed to be more savvy on our balance sheet management.”

New Team. New Eyes. New Products.

In early 2022, Ralofsky brought on Rema Momberg as the credit union’s new senior vice president of human resources as part of the leadership rebuild. a new CFO, Glen Stiteley, followed, along with temporarily outsourcing marketing to an agency. Former banker Mitchell Kime came aboard as chief growth officer in 2024 after logging time with big names like Key Bank, Capital One, and PNC, and Cyrene Wilke was added as the new chief operations officer in 2025.

“After we rebuilt the senior leadership team and had everyone rowing in the same direction, we started identifying new areas with new eyes where we can make a go at this,” Ralofsky says.

The cooperative’s average member age declined shortly after the CEO’s arrival in 2012, but it was slowly ticking back up to the high 40s and low 50s, depending on the product or service. The credit union had not focused on product development as a core differentiator, which left it trying to be everything to everybody.

“We offered a wide range of products and services, but we didn’t have a clear product strategy that truly set us apart in the market,” Ralofsky says. “As CEO, it’s my responsibility to help shape that clarity. After 13 years in this role, I know that when we align around a differentiated vision, we move forward with greater focus, confidence, and extraordinary potential.”

Armed with fresh eyes, the new leadership team conducted research to learn more about the credit union’s markets, the needs of potential members present in those areas, and the type of members Verve needed for long-term success.

That work led Verve to rollout four lifecycle-based bundles that pair checking, savings, and credit card products. The bundles anchor Verve’s new strategy of competitive pricing with a consultative approach.

“We want to help our members thrive,” Ralofsky says. “We use that word a lot now. If our members are thriving financially and personally, we’re thriving as well.”

The basic bundle aside, each package includes minimum balances requirements or fees. However, members can bundle accounts with a Verve credit card to eliminate monthly service fees. But the offers do more than benefit the balance sheet. Verve designed the bundles to appeal to specific member needs and change how members engage the credit union’s services.

“We’re focusing on helping our members thrive, both personally and financially, not just selling them a product,” Ralofsky says.

A Curve Of Acceptance

When Verve restructured its product suite, it also shifted to a sales culture that requires sharper listening to build deeper relationships with members. With that kind of change, organizations have to manage what Ralofsky calls the “curve of acceptance” to secure crucial staff buy-in.

An internal communications team led by HR and learning and development helped staff make the transition to a sales culture, walking through the changes with team members, discussing how it might feel, and assuring employees they’d have the right tools to make the switch.

“You’re going to skin your knees,” Ralofsky told his team. “But we’ll help you get back up and do it again and again.”

The credit union trained team leaders and departments — internally known as “spans of care” — on the nuts and bolts of the products as well as what it means to have a successful sales culture. Importantly, Verve gave employees permission to make mistakes and department leaders permission to embrace those mistakes, Ralofsky says.

Verve created its own online training module and every team member, including Ralofsky, completed the process multiple times. The credit union also held internal seminars to help employees communicate with members about the purpose and value of the new bundles and explain how the packaging enhances the overall member experience. For resistant members who wanted to stay in the product they already had, the credit union built messaging around what they were missing.

Ralofsky admits the move to a more intentional sales culture was a leap for some, but navigating the quick succession of mergers has made the Verve team remarkably agile.

“They know change, so they embrace it,” the CEO says.

Still, some associates did leave; others made intra-organization moves. Overall, though, Ralofsky says results have improved even as expectations have risen.

Along with consultations, those on the sales team also make calls and complete financial wellness checkups for members. That includes thanking them for their business and opening a dialogue to review current products, services, and financial needs to identify any opportunities to better position the member for financial success. Sometimes it’s a simple as a member explaining that they’re unsure how to pay for a child’s college or wedding. Other times it’s about digging deeper to understand why a member is making late payments.

“The key is to balance selling a product and meeting the needs of a member without shoving a product down their throat,” he says. “It’s a sales culture, but we’re leading with consultancy. We’re leading with solving problems.”

The Importance Of Leadership

Verve’s investments in products and people is beginning to pay off. After years of declining or zig-zagging performance, many key metrics at Verve are now leveling out or on the rise as of the third quarter of 2025, including member growth, ROA, and more.

The new senior leadership team has played no small part in that performance. Ralofsky admits to spending an extensive amount of time with SLT candidates during the interview process to ensure each one was the right fit. In most cases, he looped in other executive team members to determine a candidate’s cultural fit; some executives even met with candidates without Ralofsky. That’s just the CEO’s style.

“I’m interested in hearing what the candidate asks my executive team and vice versa,” he says. “It’s not an interview, it’s a conversation. It lasts an hour or two, then I leave the room and they talk more. Candidates understand much more about Verve, our culture, and my leadership style by the time they start, so it cuts out that first three months of tiptoeing around the office trying to figure out how the internal politics work.”

That’s been one of the biggest lessons he’s learned from the entire process: start cultural immersion and team building during the hiring process.

“The trust is already built, the excitement is there,” Ralofsky says. “They hit the ground running so much easier because they know who their allies are in the organization.”

What Can You Learn From Like-Minded Leaders? Credit unions are aligning leadership around common goals and responding to the evolving needs of members with a variety of products and services. Callahan Roundtables put leaders in the same room to share solutions, solicit feedback, pose questions, and more. Inspiration is a Callahan Roundtable away. Learn more today.

The post A New Leadership Team Focuses On Organic Growth At Verve appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

When rapid membership growth gave way to outright losses, Georgia United Credit Union ($2.4B, Duluth, GA) chose reset over retreat.

A decade ago, the credit union was posting annual membership growth close to 10%. By 2022, it was actively losing members, with the pandemic and a strategic pullback from indirect lending exacerbating growth challenges well into 2023.

Rather than chase volume, however, the credit union reset its growth strategy around something more durable: engaged, organically acquired members.

“If we’re not growing in members, we won’t have a credit union before long,” says Adam Marlowe, chief experience officer at the Duluth-based cooperative.

A two-pronged approach that focused on reengaging existing members while also pushing organic growth put member growth back in the black by early 2024, and by the third quarter of 2025, Georgia United reported growth of 3.39%.

Reaching New Eyeballs

Georgia United’s new growth strategy includes making it easier to join the credit union. For starters, it no longer pulls credit reports as part of the membership application. It also put in place a new online account-opening system and partnered with Plaid for funding to make those processes faster, as well. Members can now open accounts within three minutes using a mobile app.

The credit union identified rural markets as a subset it could serve well via digital banking and shared branching and targeted potential new members there with mailers and online messaging. Validation soon followed.

“We surprised ourselves, quite honestly, and exceeded our goal around June or July,” Marlowe says.

Georgia United’s roots is in serving educators, but today it holds a community charter that reaches into parts of Tennessee and Florida. Its market research suggested billboards could be particularly successful in rural areas, leading the credit union to center its marketing on the snappy phrase, “Y’all bank here yet?”

“You’ve got milliseconds to grab someone’s attention when they’re driving,” Marlowe says.

Rather than touting discount rates or deposit specials, the billboard drove traffic to the Georgia United website. The credit union deployed a similar approach for radio, including in Spanish-speaking markets. In place of the southern-fried “Y’all bank here yet?” slogan, it used a variation of, “Your abuela [grandmother] banks here, why don’t you?”

“We’re just trying to do things that are a bit more customized and relatable and funny,” says Marlowe, adding that an English-language radio spot bleeped out every instance of the word “bank.”

Reengaging Old Ones

Marlowe notes that some of Georgia United’s previous decline in membership growth is likely due to the credit union exiting indirect lending, although it’s difficult to quantify exactly how much. But the choice to leave indirect, however, did prompt the credit union to reconnect with members who had been dormant for at least 13 months with light-hearted messages like “We’re lonely, we miss you!”

The campaign encouraged members to reengage with the credit union, even by simply making a transaction using Georgia United’s plastic. The credit union also launched an outbound calling group to inform inactive members about various incentives — some of which they could capitalized on retroactively.

New technology has helped reinvigorate members, too. New account-opening technology allows Georgia United to present loan options at the time of account opening, “basically like a shopping cart,” Marlowe says. It can also make discounts on certain lending products — including GAP insurance or appraisals — and other discounts available to members with a checking account.

“We’re trying to reward members for having more with us and not necessarily have it only be rate-driven,” Marlowe says.  “A lot of people are more focused on the payment than the other stuff. If we can also help with an additional product, the likelihood is we’ll get more opportunities to do business with them.”

Georgia United also rolled out new benefits to many of its checking products, bundling in services like telehealth and prescription discounts.

“That’s what our members told us they were struggling with,” Marlowe says. “Insurance is expensive, people were saying they needed help with that.”

A Resounding Rebound

Georgia United’s efforts to revive its flagging membership growth have paid off. Year-over-year growth was 3.39% at the end of the third quarter of 25 — its second consecutive quarter besting asset-based peers — and Marlowe says the credit union finished 2025 higher than 5%.

“Take that, industry norms!” he quips.

MEMBER GROWTH
FOR GEORGIA UNITED CREDIT UNION
SOURCE: Callahan & Associates

The push for more organic membership growth has helped the credit union rediscover its roots while unearthing new opportunities.

“Even if you combine all the credit unions in Georgia — and there are some big ones — [the industry] still has a small market share,” Marlowe says. “There’s plenty of opportunity for us to grow. It’s just about whether you’re focused on it and willing to really try.”

Importantly, Marlowe says the credit union is attracting members who really need a financial partner, those who aren’t A-paper borrowers. In turn, they’re also building a deposit base, thanks to market-specific CD offerings that are helping fund loans throughout the credit union’s market.

Georgia United celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2028. Despite the longevity, the board worried the credit union wasn’t reaching as many people as it could. It needed a shift in mindset to ensure it could serve members for decades to come.

“We were created to help people,” Marlowe says. “We’re not in the banking business, we’re in the people business, we just offer financial services.”

Do You Have A Problem? Your Peers Have The Answer. Reaching out to rural members and reengaging dormant ones has helped Georgia United turn around lagging member growth; other credit unions are responding to the evolving needs of members in a variety of different ways. Callahan Roundtables put leaders in the same room to share solutions, solicit feedback, pose questions, and more. Inspiration is a Callahan Roundtable away. Learn more today.

The post Georgia United Turns The Tide On Membership Growth appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• Dated onboarding and lack of support contributed to high turnover at Community First Credit Union of Florida.
• A new program with shared ownership of onboarding pushed retention above 80%.

When teller turnover began climbing at Community First Credit Union of Florida ($2.9B, Jacksonville, FL), leaders initially chalked it up to pandemic disruption and a tight labor market. But the longer the trend continued, the clearer it became that issues ran deeper.

As the Great Resignation unfolded, annual retention for front-line employees across its 25-branch footprint dropped as low as 69%, prompting difficult but necessary conversations about responsibility, readiness, and culture, says Lori Smith, the cooperative’s chief human resources officer.

“Life had changed with the pandemic; however, we as an organization had not evolved with the shift,” Smith says. “You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”

Straight To The Source

Instead of guessing why employees were leaving, Community First conducted focus groups that brought together those closest to the work. That included brand-new tellers, senior tellers, and tellers who had progressed into MSR roles, as well as branch and assistant branch managers.

Many teller participants had between six months and one year of tenure, offering perspective on both the onboarding experience and what happened once the training wheels came off. The credit union reviewed exit interview data alongside those conversations to add context.

Smith, who arrived at Community First as the pandemic raged in July 2021, says the goal was simple: go to the source rather than rely on assumptions or anecdotes.

“People closest to the work usually have the best answers,” she says. “We wanted to hear directly from them about their experience.”

The feedback was strikingly consistent, especially around how quickly expectations escalated.

According to Smith: “Our newer team members would say, ‘At Starbucks, they ask me to make coffee. That’s all I do. Here, I’m doing transactions, referrals, pushing lines of credit, and more — and without enough training.’”

The comparison underscored just how complex the teller role had become and how unprepared employees felt in their critical first weeks. The focus groups made it clear that relying on legacy approaches was no longer working and in some cases was contributing directly to turnover.

Those insights inspired Community First to redesign an onboarding experience anchored in a training incubator that blends real transactions with extended support from branch team members and the training and development staff. Rather than moving from classroom simulations straight into high-volume branches, new tellers now build skills in a live-but-supported branch environment with experienced mentors looking on.

Smith says the incubator helps to reduce the anxiety new tellers experience when serving members for the first time while others are waiting and watching across the counter.

“We didn’t want them to feel baptized by fire,” Smith says. “Now we’re investing in them and giving them real experience with a lifeline.”

New hires still complete orientation and other traditional onboarding processes, then start with smaller transactions, learn in real time, and gain comfort before performing independently during peak traffic.

Support Beyond Day One

Notably, support continues after onboarding ends. Leaders conduct formal check-ins at 60 and 90 days, reinforcing engagement and a shared accountability for retention. These conversations are designed to ensure new hires feel connected, noticed, and supported during the period when turnover risk is highest, Smith says.

Within three months of implementing the new onboarding model, teller turnover began to decline. Six months in, Community First revisited the focus groups to assess what was working and where adjustments were still needed. It learned training changes alone were not enough, so it also formalized peer groups among the new team members and leadership check-ins to reinforce connection after onboarding ends.

Branch managers and other leaders now play a defined role in welcoming team members, including the check-ins and sharing accountability for retention beyond HR. Smith says those peer connections matter because early relationships shape whether team members feel noticed and supported.

“Retention stopped being just an HR responsibility,” Smith says. “All leaders play a critical role in creating the environment our team members work in every day.”

Perspective And Opportunity

Community First also expanded onboarding to give new team members a clearer view of the entire credit union, addressing another gap uncovered through feedback. Short presentations from departments across the organization now help new team members understand how all teams support members.

“We wanted to move away from siloed thinking,” Smith says. “We wanted our team members to understand it’s an entire system supporting them and members and see how they fit into that bigger picture.”

That broader context helps front-line employees see long-term opportunity at the credit union rather than a single role.

Results That Changed The Conversation

By the end of 2025, overall retention reached 82% at Community First. Just as important, leaders now view retention as a collective responsibility reinforced through data, relationships, and early engagement.

For Smith, the lesson is clear.

“We should have acted sooner to stop the bleeding earlier rather than waiting until things reached a crisis,” she says. “The evidence was clear. Examining the numbers made it obvious.”

Now, training prioritizes preparation over pressure and sets up employees to succeed.

The post How A Florida Credit Union Rebuilt Retention After The Great Resignation appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Wisner-Frank joined Community Choice in 2001 as an accounting manager after working in the automotive industry, where she focused on traditional accounting and financial reporting.

“Transitioning to the credit union space required a shift in mindset, learning which key performance indicators truly matter, understanding the importance of member service, and appreciating how financial decisions impact tens of thousands of members,” she says. “That early exposure to both the financial and service sides of the organization shaped my leadership approach and ultimately led to my current role.”

Although she’s been an essential part of the Michigan cooperative’s executive team for many years as chief financial officer, last year her role rebranded slightly to chief efficiency officer.

What’s the story behind your title?

Kelli Wisner-Frank: Our strategic plan is built around several key strategic initiatives, including efficiency, growth, convenience and access, and engagement. Last year, we intentionally restructured our leadership model to more clearly support each pillar of the plan.

As part of that shift, my role evolved from chief financial officer to chief efficiency officer. The title reflects a broader mandate — not just overseeing financial performance but actively driving organizational efficiency as a core strategic priority.

How would you describe your primary responsibilities and focus under the new role?

KWF: I remain accountable for the financial accuracy, stability, and overall fiscal health of the credit union. However, the role now goes beyond traditional bottom-line results. My focus is on ensuring that we deploy the dollars we spend wisely and maximize returns through not only margin but also smarter ways of working. That includes leveraging process automation and AI tools to streamline workflows, reduce friction, and limit the need for incremental staffing as we grow.

Financial leadership can no longer focus solely on reporting and margin management. To continue delivering strong bottom-line results, credit unions must aggressively manage costs, and the most sustainable way to do that is through efficiency.

What is the No. 1 skill you need to do your job well?

KWF: Strong financial acumen remains essential, but a close second is a continuous-improvement mindset. The ability to constantly question how work is done and how it could be done better is critical to driving sustainable efficiency across the organization.

What part of your role energizes you? Conversely, what part challenges you the most?

KWF: What energizes me most is seeing tangible progress toward greater efficiency. This year, efficiency is our most important organizational goal, with a strong emphasis on saving time by rethinking how we work. We implemented a tracking system that allows team members to capture time saved by improving, redesigning, or even eliminating processes that no longer add value. Seeing those incremental wins add up is incredibly motivating.

The biggest challenge is ensuring that efficiency gains in one area don’t unintentionally create inefficiencies elsewhere. It requires strong cross-functional collaboration and a systems-thinking approach to make sure improvements benefit the organization as a whole.

How does your role and your team contribute to the success of the credit union in ways people might not think of?

KWF: The teams I lead serve as internal problem-solvers and efficiency-enablers. We have subject matter experts who partner with other departments to resolve operational challenges, address complex member issues, and develop creative solutions to long-standing problems. Although much of this work happens behind the scenes, it has a direct impact on both member experience and employee effectiveness.

How do you define success in your role?

KWF: I define success through productivity and efficiency key performance indicators. Many of those KPIs are derived from the budget and performance targets I help establish. When we achieve those goals while maintaining service quality and financial strength, I consider that a job well done.

Why do credit unions need this role?

KWF: In today’s environment of AI, robotic process automation, shrinking margins, and increasing regulatory pressure on fee income, the traditional CFO role must evolve. Financial leadership can no longer focus solely on reporting and margin management.

To continue delivering strong bottom-line results, credit unions must aggressively manage costs, and the most sustainable way to do that is through efficiency. A role dedicated to driving efficiency ensures that innovation, automation, and smarter processes intentionally align with financial strategy.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Job titles say as much about the organization as they do the person. “What’s In A Name” on CreditUnions.com dives into notable, important, interesting, or just plain fun roles to find out what’s happening at the ground level and across the industry. Read the series today.

The post What’s In A Name: Chief Efficiency Officer appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

In today’s fast-paced financial landscape, delivering seamless, human-centered service is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. For banks and credit unions with more than 15,000 members, the challenge isn’t just about keeping up with technology; it’s about maintaining meaningful connections with members while navigating rising expectations, staffing constraints, and operational complexity.

So, what are the most pressing challenges financial institutions face in this space?

1. Balancing Automation With Empathy

Digital tools like chatbots and self-service portals offer convenience, but they can’t replace the warmth of a human voice when a member is confused, frustrated, or facing a financial hardship. The challenge is finding the right balance — automating routine tasks while ensuring that real people are available when it matters most.

2. Staffing And Scalability

Hiring and retaining skilled contact center staff is increasingly difficult, especially when demand fluctuates. Institutions often struggle to scale their service teams without sacrificing quality or increasing costs. This is where outsourcing to a trusted partner like SWBC can make a difference.

3. Consistency Through Knowledgeable Voice Support

Members value the reassurance of speaking with knowledgeable professionals, especially when handling complex or sensitive financial needs. SWBC’s voice-based contact center solutions provide trained agents with access to the same data and tools as internal teams. With experience working closely with banks and credit unions every day, our staff understands member expectations and delivers a consistent, high-quality experience on every call.

4. Security And Compliance

Financial institutions must protect sensitive member data while complying with evolving regulations. SWBC’s contact center operations are built with robust security protocols and compliance standards, giving institutions peace of mind while serving their members.

Why SWBC Contact Center Solutions?

SWBC understands the unique needs of financial institutions. Our contact center solutions are:

• Scalable to meet seasonal or campaign-driven demand.
• Staffed by trained professionals who understand financial services.
• Flexible to integrate with your existing systems and workflows.
• Focused on member experience, not just metrics.

Whether you’re looking to improve first-call resolution, reduce wait times, or simply offer a more empathetic member experience, SWBC is here to help.

If you’re ready to explore how SWBC can support your institution’s service goals, we’d love to connect.

Janet Loriot is the executive vice president of operations and technology at SWBC.

The post How SWBC’s Contact Center Solutions Help Financial Institutions Stay Connected appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Leaders don’t build credibility by being perfect. They build it by being willing to acknowledge when something didn’t work, mourn it, and move on.

It’s been a busy 12 months for Adventure Credit Union ($627.6M, Grand Rapids, MI).

January 1, 2025, marked legal day one for a merger with Astera Credit Union, the first step in a long path toward operational day one. What followed was, among other things, a core conversion, a digital banking change, a new loan origination system, and the establishment of a new brand identity. The whole thing took the Michigan cooperative exactly 11months.

At the helm sits CEO Amanda Garabedian, an industry veteran of 20 years and no stranger to big organizational changes. Garabedian joined Adventure as COO in 2019. At the time, the credit union had a new executive management team and an interim CEO. The appointed permanent CEO became sick soon after starting, and the next CEO decided to pursue a different opportunity. After serving as interim CEO, Garabedian officially took over in February 2023, essentially becoming the fifth CEO in four years at the credit union.

As a new chapter unfolds for her organization, Garabedian reflects on lessons from 2025 and hopes for what’s in store in 2026.

What experience from early in your career has shaped your leadership style today?

Amanda Garabedian: There is no one defining moment. It’s a collection of small ones, how people made me feel and not just the actions they took — the meetings where someone took the time to listen, the moments when a leader had my back, or even when I was overlooked or not heard. All of those things quietly shaped the leader I became or am still becoming.

When you’re making a tough call, where do you seek perspective? How do you prefer to approach those decisions?

AG: I like to see the data. I like to see the trends. I want to understand the numbers and understand what the risks are. But I also know we’re in the business of people, so it’s about finding that balance. I think trusting your gut is also important.

It takes a village. I have an executive coach and a mentor that is a big part of my growth and journey as a CEO, so I will bounce things off of them. Similarly, our executive team here at the credit union is so talented, and they have such a vast amount of knowledge. We talk together about balancing the financial stability and the future of the credit union versus the human impact.

It has been a busy period of transformation at Adventure. What advice do you have for a credit union leader embarking on a similar journey?

AG: Be honest about how hard transformation really is. One thing we’ve learned along the way is to establish clarity early. People don’t resist change; they resist confusion. I think they also resist things when they don’t understand the why.

We had what we thought was a great communication plan, but employee feedback showed us it wasn’t working. We needed to establish a mutual understanding of what communication means to different people. So, we started having town halls. More information was going out. We started talking about details and expectations differently. Was it perfect? No, because people learn things differently, but that was a huge part of last year. Together we were able to work together and close the feedback loop. 

Also — you’re going to make mistakes. We certainly have. Some of them are big, but what matters is how quickly you listen and learn and adjust. Leaders don’t build credibility by being perfect. They build it by being willing to acknowledge when something didn’t work, mourn it, and move on.

What are Adventure’s biggest goals or strategic priorities in 2026?

AG: A lot happened in 2025, and 2026 will have a different type of fast pace. We’ve talked about the transition between milestones and truly gaining momentum. How do you transition from being reactive to proactive? We’ve got to create an environment where there’s consistent growth, where there’s stronger member relationships, and where we’re building that value for the members.

We also need to have a scalable model. Now that we’ve merged credit unions, it’s not as simple as 1 + 1 = 2 because, in the end, we want 1 + 1 to equal four or five. We recently changed our mission, vision, and core behaviors. That is going to help differentiate us and build culture internally. The consistency in core behaviors that we’re living every day is what we can use to push forward.

Are you watching anything in the industry closely heading into this year?

AG: In this industry, I don’t think we can ever slow down or think things are OK. Things are constantly evolving. Technology is moving forward at a pace where it’s really important not to chase everything. We’ve got to identify what our priorities are and understand how they fit within our ecosystem.

Banking services as a whole aren’t special. You can drive down the road or go online and have a new checking account in 42 seconds. We’re creating an environment that people want to be a part of. I think that is exciting from my perspective for Adventure Credit Union.

What excites you the most about reporting to work in the morning?

AG: I’m biased. I think our team is amazing. The group of people we have here has the ability to do extraordinary things, and I’m excited about where they can to take us.

I also love how this industry continues to be collaborative in a lot of ways. I can lean on my network of peers and experts and get advice. I can call someone and say, “Hey, this sounds crazy, what do you think?” or “We haven’t done this, how do we get there?” It’s a special trademark of this industry.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

“On Leadership” spotlights notable leaders across the credit union landscape by discovering how they joined the movement, learning what makes them tick, uncovering career lessons and successes, and more. Read the series today.

The post Amanda Garabedian On Leadership appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

The 2025 shutdown was the longest on record but another could be coming quickly if Congress can’t reach a deal to fund the government before Jan. 31, 2026. If that happens, thousands of federal workers across the country will once again be furloughed or forced to work without pay until lawmakers reach a deal.

Whatever happens, FedChoice has a game plan. The Maryland-based cooperative has been here plenty of times before — after all, about 73% of it current membership has the potential to be impacted in these scenarios.

“Every time a shutdown looks like it’s coming up, we grab a cross-functional team and start having conversations because it’s not a singular impact for the credit union, it’s an across-the-board impact,” says Christine Wright, vice president of marketing.

That team typically comprises 17 employees from across the organization, including lending, business intelligence, the call center, fraud and compliance, and more.

The team meets at least once each week during the shutdown, although departmental teams may meet more frequently. The shutdown team goes round-robin style discussing what each team is seeing, pain points, where help is needed, and more.

“We triage,” says Al Gregory, vice president of lending. “If consumer lending is backed up, we assign people while all the stakeholders are together. It’s a lot easier than doing that by email or committee.”

A running Teams chat also helps keep different departments abreast of new developments and emerging issues.

Low-Hanging Fruit

One of the key focuses of the shutdown team is finding “low-hanging fruit,” or easy fixes to help members and staff.

“The lowest-hanging fruit we had [during the fall shutdown] was taking care of our coworkers — their mental health, their workloads,” Gregory says. “We have to make sure they’re just as well taken care of as our members.”

FedChoice took in 40% of its annual application volume (either membership or lending) during the 43-day shutdown. Approved loans totaled more than $2.6 million in that time, which meant employees were scrambling to process loans. One easy fix for members and employees alike was a new underwriting matrix intended to speed up the loan-origination process.

Member feedback shows even government employees who are members of other credit unions turn to FedChoice because it helps when others can’t or won’t, or it is simply faster, Gregory says.

The shutdown team also works across departments to understand the most common pain points the credit union needs to monitor to serve members most effectively. That was especially important in the last shutdown.

“We did the best we could,” Gregory says. “None of us knew this was going to last this long, but we worked together to get the right reporting out because the board wants to see this stuff, the executive committee wants to see this stuff, and all the employees do, too.”

Another Round Around The Corner?

The team’s work changed as the 2025 shutdown dragged on.

At the outset, the focus was almost business as usual from a product and process perspective, Wright says. But as the shutdown dragged on, the credit union became more data-driven to find inefficiencies and close gaps to improve service. • That covered everything from tweaking lending guidelines to rethinking staff notifications and more. Although the team could do some of that in-house, it also turned to FedChoice’s LOS from MeridianLink for reports from the Insights platform.

Gregory points out that staff also spotted issues in loan queues, and such feedback from staff helped improve processes.

“We were transparent that if something isn’t going right, bring it to the group,” he says. “We want less of that sidebar chatter, and the only way we can do that is to identify what needs to be fixed and fix it quickly.”

The shutdown team recently held a post-mortem with an eye toward making tweaks in advance of another possible shutdown at the end of this month.

“We have the opportunity for this to be back-to-back, without a lot of downtime in between,” Wright says. “If this one happens we need to take a hard look at the impacts of the last one on the membership. Part of what we did in the post-mortem is look at how members responded. We don’t have a lot of breathing room as we face the potential of another shutdown, so what are the impacts if we put everything back into place, both for FedChoice and for our members?”

Lessons Learned

FedChoice operated with a TIP charter for many years, a move that spread its employee base well beyond the DC Metro, and transitioned to a multiple common bond charter in mid-2025. One of the ways it showed up for its SEG partners was by hosting an on-site food truck to provide lunch for federal employees. All the credit union required was an employee badge.

“We didn’t have as many people as we wanted, but it was a great recharge for staff and an opportunity to connect with members one-on-one,” Wright says. “We talked about loans and mental health, and lunch was on us.”

Beyond finding those opportunities for connection and relaxation, Gregory adds that the biggest lesson in these situations is to simply remember to breathe.

“Remember that the folks working with you are your teammates and not your enemies,” he says. “When you need to take a lap, take a lap; when you need to breathe, take a walk outside and come back to it. Those 300 applications in your queue will still be there.”

He adds, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel — and it’s not a train.”

The post FedChoice Is Ready For The Next Government Shutdown – Whenever It Comes appeared first on CreditUnions.com.