Top-Level Takeaways

• Marine Credit Union thoughtfully embedded its foundation into its own strategic plan, aligning both around a shared community focus.
• Integrating programs, resources, and employees has made the foundation an extension of the credit union.
• Governance, shared leadership, and deliberate communication also ensures alignment across day-to-day operations.

Marine Credit Union ($1.1B, La Crosse, WI) doesn’t lack commitment to community impact. It stood up its Marine Credit Union Foundation in 2013 to address issues like financial education, food security, and affordable housing — systemic challenges that have no quick solutions. Despite its good work, there were opportunities to further align its work with the credit union’s overall strategy.

“We had been doing a lot of great work in the community, but it wasn’t always connected back to the broader strategic priorities of the credit union,” says Joumana Mcdad, chief service delivery and experience officer at Marine Credit Union. “It felt like separate efforts that were sometimes competing with each other, whether for staffing resources or marketing support.”

So, the Wisconsin cooperative and its charitable arm embarked on a year-long journey to redefine how each interacts with the another. With alignment and integration, the foundation shifted from being a stand-alone effort to a built-in contributor to credit union strategy.

“At Marine, we operate under a three-stakeholder model: When we prioritize the wellbeing of our employees, we create a culture where people feel valued and supported,” Mcdad says. “That care naturally extends to how our employees serve our members with compassion, empathy, and excellence, and when our members are well-served, the communities that we serve grow stronger and more resilient.”

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The Power Of An Outside Perspective

When making this strategic shift, the duo did not act alone.

Mcdad, her team, the board, and executive team tapped an outside consultant to conduct a full foundation assessment. This included everything from bylaws, policies, and procedures to the organization’s management agreement, especially when it came to how the credit union supported the foundation through in-kind resources. The evaluation also included advice related to programs, budget, and grant opportunities.

“Once we had that assessment, we took those recommendations and distributed them across our executive and leadership teams,” Mcdad says. “That helped everyone feel ownership. They weren’t just observing the change. They were actively helping build it.”

Looking back, Mcdad notes this was especially important because it allowed leaders to make decisions with greater objectivity. The team reworked the board structure and made sure the foundation was clearly aligned with the broader credit union.

“We embedded the foundation into the credit union strategic plan and defined where it fits within the overall strategy,” Mcdad says.

Structure, Governance, And Shared Ownership

The foundation’s early model was anchored by a dedicated board of community volunteers, with limited direct involvement from credit union leadership beyond a liaison role served by Mcdad. Credit union staff supported volunteer and community efforts, while board governance remained primarily community-led. As board terms expired, leadership used the transition as an opportunity to realign governance more closely with the credit union.

Mcdad now serves as board chair, leveraging her role overseeing community engagement, members, and branches for the credit union. Marine Credit Union’s CEO, Tom Knothe, serves as vice chair. But these aren’t the only two credit union representatives.

“Where we really started to get smart was in bringing on a Marine Credit Union board member to also serve on the foundation board,” Mcdad says. “She acts as a liaison at the board level, and that’s where we started to see stronger alignment take shape.”

The credit union’s vice president of community leads day-to-day operations for the foundation and functions as its executive director. Two credit union middle managers round out the foundation board as treasurer and secretary.

These key personnel changes didn’t just align the foundation with the credit union on paper, they ensured the foundation had an org chart to support the credit union’s strategy.

In addition to the newly established alignment, leaders also had to ensure they built buy-in at all levels of both organizations.

“The biggest lesson was the importance of over-communicating and making sure everyone feels part of the process, which means involving the right stakeholders early,” Mcdad says. “Alignment in isolation doesn’t work. You need input across the organization, and you need people to feel ownership in bringing the strategy to life.”

In practice, this means a lot of meetings. The executive and middle management connects frequently, and organization-wide updates are shared during monthly town halls.

“We want employees to feel embedded in the foundation and connected to its mission,” Mcdad says. “The best way to do that is to make them part of the vision and part of the decision-making.”

Open communication is one way the credit union brings in employees. Another way is through employee giving. It introduces employees to the Marine Credit Union Foundation during onboarding and allows employees to contribute any amount through payroll deductions, which the credit union matches at a 2:1 rate. It then pools the funds and redistributes them across the organization for departments to use as charitable budgets.

“Our branches and teams are closest to their communities,” Mcdad says. “They know the needs and the organizations. Why not let them be part of that impact?”

From Alignment To Action

After aligning strategy, organizational structure, and employee support, leaders then ensured the foundation’s programs connected directly to credit union products and services.

For example, Marine Credit Union identified fragmentation within its financial education efforts. To address this, the organization hired a financial education director who oversees efforts like the foundation’s Finding HOME program, a free, 12- to 18-month program designed for individuals facing barriers to homeownership.

“By the end of the program, we typically see significant improvements in credit scores and savings and ultimately, we’re able to make a mortgage through Marine Credit Union,” Mcdad explains. “That’s where the alignment comes to life.”

So far, 39 program graduates have achieved homeownership. On average, participants reduce debt by approximately $12,000 annually and increase their credit scores by roughly 90 points.

By focusing on alignment, Marine can now look ahead to helping more people than before.

“In the past, because of resource constraints and the disconnect between the foundation and credit union, we couldn’t expand the program across all our markets,” Mcdad says. “Now that resources are aligned, we’re able to scale it much more effectively.”

From Siloed To A Strategic Lever

Today, the Marine Credit Union Foundation plays an essential role in the credit union’s community support efforts.

“If you put the community at the center of everything you’re doing, the foundation becomes a key lever,” Mcdad says. “Our credit union’s community team is out in the market building relationships and partnerships. Then, the foundation comes in as part of that conversation, supporting those partners through homeownership programs, financial education, and charitable contributions.”

Mcdad describes the next phase as deepening the foundation’s presence in the community and broadening its financial education efforts. Marine Credit Union is also focusing on how to continue to position the foundation as an extension of the credit union’s identity rather than an aside.

“It can be a real differentiator for credit unions,” Mcdad says. “If you build strong programs within your foundation, especially ones that are unique or highly impactful, you can use that as part of your broader brand. Not everyone has something like this. If you get good at one or two things, that becomes part of how your credit union stands out.”

The post How Marine Credit Union Shifted Its Foundation From Siloed To Symbiotic appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

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.

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.

HR executives tasked with guiding both culture and execution now find themselves helping employees understand how to use these tools confidently and responsibly while assuaging fears that these same tools will render them irrelevant in the workplace.

But a sweet spot is emerging, one that relies on messaging as much as machines. When employees participate in pilots, observe the real pain points addressed, and hear clearly that people — not technology — remain the focus, apprehension tends to give way to comfort and even experimentation.

HR leaders are navigating this revolution in real time. They explain where AI is already embedded in their organizations and how they’re preparing their teams to survive and thrive as these tools grow more capable and more common.

Foster Curiosity To Alleviate Fear

Laurie Butz joined Capital Credit Union ($2.7B, Green Bay, WI) as president and CEO in November 2021. She has been a SHRM Certified Senior Professional in HR since 1995.

Butz says her credit union uses generative AI as an efficiency play, automating routine tasks, improving search accuracy, and supporting faster decision-making. Its tools learn from employee behavior to deliver better procedures, create stronger first drafts for training materials, and automate workflow without impacting IT resources.

Capital also uses AI to analyze feedback from exit surveys to highlight trends and help leaders act on real concerns. In marketing, tools like Jasper support brand consistency, speed up content creation, and provide ready-to-use templates for campaigns and website updates.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

Laurie Butz: Employees develop proficiency through hands-on tool usages. Our team members have trained on AI technologies, specifically Microsoft Copilot, under the guidance of a Microsoft-certified AI engineer.

At Capital, we foster a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement, therefore we haven’t encountered a lot of fear and resistance around AI in the workforce. For us, automation and support aren’t a threat to job security, so it hasn’t been perceived as something to be feared.

How important are education and open discussion in addressing barriers? How do you incorporate those strategies?

LB: We had Microsoft come on site and lead AI training for all our leaders. Now, we actively encourage leveraging AI to advance our objectives. We expect our senior leadership team to continuously seek opportunities to integrate AI into our processes and team strategies.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

LB: Capital ran workshops to teach team members how to use Copilot for business tasks. The sessions familiarized participants with the tool, including creating AI-generated images. The aim was to show how AI can support their daily work and idea generation.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

LB:  We’ve enabled BryteAI, an AI module for our HR system designed to help leaders draft job descriptions. We process HR transactions via a conversational bot, and we write performance reviews with AI support.

There Is No AI Skills Gap

Ken Gardner has been with Greater Texas Federal Credit Union ($957.3M, Austin, TX) for 13 years, the past four in his current role as assistant vice president for HR.

Gardner has been helping the HR team adopt AI for daily operations such as drafting communications, improving processes, and strengthening the employee experience across the enterprise and its subsidiary, Aggieland Credit Union, in College Station.

His team is testing 11 custom GPT Assistants from OpenAI for launch in 2026. The assistants will guide employees and managers through policies, benefits, reviews, and core HR processes.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

Ken Gardner: We envision AI as augmenting human work much like computers did in the 1980s and 1990s. Just as that technological shift transformed how people worked, AI will do the same. It’s clear that AI will replace some jobs, particularly within large organizations.

For credit unions of our size, we see AI as an opportunity, not a threat. It will help us manage headcount growth as we scale, allowing our teams to focus on higher-value work that requires creativity, empathy, and judgment. That’s why we’re placing greater emphasis on hiring employees who are adaptable and bring strong human skills to the table, skills that technology cannot replicate.

How important are education and open discussion in addressing barriers? How do you incorporate those strategies?

KG: For adoption, it comes down to showing people how AI can make their work better. Demos help, but what truly builds buy-in is giving people tools that solve real, repetitive, and often frustrating problems. Once they experience those benefits firsthand, the hesitation about AI tends to fade and curiosity takes over.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

KG: For most employees, there really isn’t an AI skills gap. What they need is exposure to practical use cases. Whether it’s ChatGPT or Copilot, these platforms use plain language prompts that anyone can learn. That accessibility alone eliminates most of the perceived gap. The real challenge isn’t a lack of skill, it’s fear or resistance to change.

When it comes to developing AI internally, design thinking matters far more than coding skills. The real differentiator is thoughtful design: defining a clear use case, creating effective starter prompts, and making smart decisions on the back end to prevent errors and guide users.

For example, in the handbook assistant we recently built, we added clickable starter prompts to help employees begin a conversation. They include, “I’m new to the company, what should I know?” “What should I know about our benefits?” “What are our PTO policies?” and “I want to know more about FMLA.” This kind of design lowers the learning curve and helps employees feel more confident using AI.

As AI takes over more manual and repetitive work, it will naturally create more opportunities for employees to grow their soft skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, and communication. Those are the skills that will matter most in the future, and we are being intentional about hiring and developing people with these skills.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

KG: We’ve decided to limit AI in recruiting. Hiring is one of the most human parts of HR, and we want to preserve that personal connection. We are leveraging AI assistants to help create job descriptions, recruiting ads, and interview questions. These tools save time and ensure our materials are clear, consistent, and aligned with our standards.

In performance management, we’re developing an AI assistant that helps employees and managers complete performance reviews. It guides the employee through a series of methodical questions to build their self-review, then uses that input to prompt the manager with targeted questions that weave in relevant themes and feedback.

I’m particularly excited about this because it will significantly reduce the time spent writing reviews and shift the focus toward the actual performance conversation, one that is developmental and engaging rather than just checking the box.

Ultimately, fairness and compliance come from thoughtful design and human oversight. We use AI to streamline processes, not to make final decisions. Our goal is to enhance objectivity and efficiency while keeping people and our core values at the center of every HR process.

Employee Input For Better Output

Ami Iceman-Haueter has been with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union ($8.2B, East Lansing, MI) for seven years and for the past two and half has been chief research and digital experience officer.

Iceman-Haueter says MSUFCU is already using AI in several ways, most notably via virtual assistants Fran and Gene, who respectively support members and employees, enhancing the service experience for both groups.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

Ami Iceman-Haueter: MSUFCU has been working with AI partners for several years, and we’ve included our employees in the process every step of the way. Our teams have been involved in everything from designing how our AI systems work to testing them before they’re launched to our members or broader employee base.

We place a strong focus on communication before introducing any new AI-related products or services, helping employees understand how these tools enhance efficiency while emphasizing the importance of keeping humans at the center of our approach.

Involving employees throughout this journey has allowed us to scale several projects, including virtual agents. Sharing the results and impact of these initiatives has been one of our greatest successes.

How important are education and open discussion in addressing barriers? How do you incorporate those strategies?

AIH: Education has been an effective tool, but it alone cannot create change within the organization. That change comes from our leadership team, our employees, and our shared commitment to understanding that AI is part of our toolbox, not a replacement for human talent.

We’ve spent significant time helping employees and managers see AI as a partner in their work while reinforcing that it’s not perfect and we remain responsible for the information it produces. Transparency has been key. Being open about our intent, strategy, and goals for AI has helped our employees feel more comfortable. They understand why we’re embracing AI, how we plan to use it, and exactly where they fit into that strategy.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

AIH: We have made AI education a standard part of our training package. We’re also rolling out department-specific use cases and piloting ways to understand what information is most valuable for our managers, leaders, employees, and even interns.

This helps us bridge gaps thoughtfully and tailor AI tools to each access point. Different departments will use AI in different ways, some for automated decision-making and others in service capacities.

The most important part is identifying use cases that support our team’s everyday work. At the same time, we continue to invest in all other areas of training to keep skills and competencies strong across the organization. Our goal is to maintain a healthy balance between problem-solving with AI and problem-solving independently while helping every employee build the skills they need to grow in their careers.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

AIH: We’re not currently using AI in recruiting beyond helping to draft job postings. AI supported the development of our performance management program, and some managers might use it as a tool to help complete parts of the process. AI also played a role in creating our succession planning program, and we use it in several of our payroll processes as well.

Fight Fear With Fun

Rachel Schaming is a longtime executive coach and organizational consultant who has served We Florida Financial Credit Union ($719.5M, Pembroke Pines, FL) as its chief human resources officer for the past five years.

Schaming says the Florida shop uses gen AI to streamline loan applications, call center work, and deposit processes. For example, AI cuts loan decisioning time by 50%, speeding up member service and reducing manual review.

In HR, AI tools help create and update job descriptions, craft postings, screen resumes, draft policies, and write newsletter content, saving an estimated 30% of the time spent on these essential HR tasks. The credit union’s Innovation Team has also built two AI apps that give the workforce quick access to procedures, policies, and updates so they can find the information they need without delay.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

RS: We use Kahoot quizzes and word searches to make AI technology fun. Our intention is to help employees see that learning new skills can be fun and create new ways to serve our members more efficiently.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

RS: Employees are aware that our board requires us to provide a document indicating progress in upskilling with a particular focus on technology and AI competencies. We have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) process that is tied to our performance management software.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

RS: Over the past couple of years, we have held team and individual meetings to show employees how AI can enhance their job competencies with increased efficiency. We require all employees to include an AI course in their IDP. Because we require all employees at every level to include technology and AI coursework in their IDPs, we’ve had minimal resistance to learning the new technologies. 

Interviews have been edited and condensed.

Let’s Join Forces To Navigate AI In HR. Faster changes in technology make peer insight more valuable than ever. Callahan creates spaces for credit union HR leaders to connect, compare approaches, and improve performance through programs like roundtables, live webinars, ready-to-use documents, and more. Learn more about Callahan’s programs today.

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Leaders across every level of the organization rely on CreditUnions.com for trusted guidance and actionable insights underpinned by Callahan’s collaborative work with credit unions. Conversations with everyone from CEOs and board members to branch managers and specialists offer firsthand perspectives on the strategies, challenges, and innovations shaping the industry today.

CreditUnions.com highlights six critical roles cooperatives might be overlooking. Filling these gaps is essential for success in 2026 and beyond.

Chief Product Officer

At Bay Federal Credit Union ($1.8B, Capitola, CA), Brooke Morley focuses on streamlining implementation, bridging departments, and aligning product delivery with strategic goals.

That means monitoring things like new-product adoption rates, usage metrics, Net Promoter Scores, and more, along with asking critical questions about relevance, performance, and overall alignment with member needs.

“This role isn’t just about launching new products,” she says. “It’s about connecting dots across departments.”

Why It’s Important: This role is critical because it ensures that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation and that every product launch aligns with the credit union’s mission and delivers measurable value to members.

Read more.

Senior Vice President Of Loan Analytics And Automation

No matter the size, charter, or field of membership, every credit union wants to blend efficiency and member satisfaction while reducing risk.

That’s what Andy Henline has been tasked with as senior vice president of loan analytics and automation at State Employees’ Credit Union ($56.2B, Raleigh, NC). The role entails ensuring loan-related reporting for the board and management team are timely, while also equipping back-office loan-administration staff with tools information, and process automation to complete their daily tasks.

“We want automation to enhance the member experience but never replace the personal touch our people can provide,” he says.

Why It’s Important: Automation done right helps credit unions strike the balance between operational efficiency and personalized service. By streamlining back-office processes without sacrificing human connection, SECU can reduce risk, improve turnaround times, and deliver the member experience that sets credit unions apart.

Read more.

AVP Of Fintech And Mission Integration

Josh Rodriguez spent more than a decade at the helm of Missouri Valley FCU before its merger into West Community Credit Union ($494.8M, O’Fallon, MO). His new role at the combined institution blends fintech research and relationship management with ensuring the credit union is living and sharing its mission.

The role reflects his experience with IT and technology, his comfort managing people, balance sheets, and vendor relationships, and a passion for storytelling via podcasting.

“We want to bring our mission, vision, and values back to the forefront to inspire our staff and our community about how our credit union can make a difference for them,” he says. “Storytelling in podcast form and in training is how we’ll meet this challenge.”

Why It’s Important: In an era where technology and human connection must coexist, Rodriguez’s approach bridges innovation with culture. By pairing fintech research with authentic storytelling, he’s ensuring the credit union’s mission resonates with staff and members alike.

Read more.

Director Of Multicultural Engagement

Credit unions that aren’t tapping into the multicultural mix that exists in their markets could be missing major opportunities. Understanding the diversity present in a market is key to unlocking those opportunities, but it’s also a key part of building a superior member experience and making authentic connections.

At Mountain America Federal Credit Union ($21.5B, Sandy, UT), that responsibility falls to Jennifer Tarazon, the cooperative’s director of multicultural engagement.

“The population is changing, and we can either lead the way or fall behind,” she says. “The goal for the credit union is always to provide an exceptional member experience, but an exceptional member experience for you could be very different from what I consider an exceptional member experience. It’s important to go somewhere that is going to be culturally competent while serving you.”

Why It’s Important: Multicultural engagement is as much about relevance and growth as it is inclusion. By understanding and honoring cultural differences, credit unions can build trust, deepen relationships, and deliver experiences that truly resonate with every member. In a competitive market, cultural competence is a differentiator that drives loyalty and long-term success.

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Director Of Organizational Change Management

Change is inevitable, and organizations that plan for it rather than react to it position themselves for success.

At Desert Financial Credit Union ($9.1B, Phoenix, AZ), Allison Worthington is tasked with helping the entire organization adapt to any number of changes. The role requires not only deep interpersonal relationships but also understanding of a variety of business functions.

“My role addresses the challenge of change saturation,” she says. “It also addresses the challenge of surprising people with change and making change happen to people versus for people. We’re now able to plan intentionally for changes that are impacting our employees. Plan early, plan often, plan for resistance, and ultimately ensure we are bringing information that’s necessary to help somebody adopt change.”

Why It’s Important: Unmanaged change can erode trust, stall progress, and overwhelm employees. By approaching change intentionally and proactively, Desert Financial ensures clarity and support, turning potential disruption into an opportunity for growth and engagement.

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Director Of Financial Inclusion And Community Engagement

Balance sheets and operations are only one part of running a credit union. The softer side of the business arguably has a greater impact, and that’s where a role like this comes into play.

Steph Harrill Kyle has been director of financial inclusion and community engagement at University of Wisconsin Credit Union ($6.1B, Madison, WI) for more than three years, bringing to the role a background centered on financial literacy and an MSW in social work from Columbia University with an emphasis on social enterprise administration and school-based services.

That and other elements of her background are key to the credit union’s goals of advancing financial inclusion for the communities it serves.

“One of my favorite conversations is when people find out I’m a social worker,” she says. “They often ask, ‘Why would a social worker work for a bank?’ This opens the door to talk about the difference between a credit union and a bank. I explain financial inclusion is at the heart of social justice, so I believe there’s no better place for me to make social change than in my role with UW Credit Union.”

Why It’s Important: Financial inclusion isn’t a product offering — it’s a mission that shapes communities. By combining expertise in social work with financial literacy, Harrill Kyle ensures the credit union’s efforts go beyond transactions to create meaningful change. Her role demonstrates how credit unions can lead on equity and access and turn financial services into a platform for social justice.

Read more.

Is It Time For A New Role At Your Credit Union? Browse hundreds of ready-to-use job descriptions in the Callahan Policy Exchange, then tweak your favorites to make hiring as efficient as possible. Learn more today.

The post 6 Roles To Help Credit Unions Reach The Next Level Of Success In 2026 appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• The biggest cyber threat at Shoreline comes from scams targeting its members, not its systems.
• Strong cross-departmental communication helps the credit union catch fraud before it hits.
• Monthly phishing tests, layered security tools, and third-party audits keep defenses sharp.

At Shoreline Hometown Credit Union ($141.3M, Manitowoc, WI), size isn’t a barrier to cybersecurity. In a landscape dominated by billion-dollar institutions with sprawling IT budgets, Shoreline shows how small credit unions can fight fraud effectively by focusing on what matters most: behavior, vigilance, and smart use of tools.

“Fraud follows people,” says Nathan Grossenbach, president and CEO. “So, we start by understanding our members — that’s where the threat lives.”

Scammers don’t need high-tech tactics to do damage; they just need the trust of their mark. That’s why Shoreline, which serves nearly 8,000 members across nine Wisconsin counties, leans heavily on internal awareness, low-cost security tools, and tight coordination across teams to stop fraud before it hits.

Scammers regularly pose as celebrities, long-lost friends, or relatives in trouble to exploit the emotions — and finances — of members. Grossenbach, who’s been CEO since 2017, says his credit union has prevented what could have amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent transactions that stemmed from these types of manipulations.

Internal Controls

At the institutional level, phishing attacks continue to dominate the threat landscape. Although many are poorly crafted, staff can’t rely solely on those markers and must remain ever-vigilant of attempts to gain access to the credit union’s systems. With each employee juggling more than 25 logins, the risk increases when credentials are stored insecurely. To counter the internal threats, Shoreline rolled out KeePass, an encrypted password manager that’s tied to each user’s Windows login and protected with multi-factor authentication.

Grossenbach says this increases security while making credential management more efficient, especially during offboarding. Plus, the open-source password manager comes at a nice price point: It’s free.

Shoreline also upgraded its email security by adopting Microsoft Purview for encryption and outbound filtering.

“It’s far better than our prior solution,” Grossenbach says.

The credit union is now exploring optical character recognition (OCR) within Purview to scan images for sensitive content — think Social Security number and birthdates — that might otherwise slip past filters.

Shoreline also has moved to Microsoft E5 licensing, investing an extra $10 per employee each month to access stronger risk controls, analytics, and advanced protection tools, along with business intelligence and compliance features.

Collaboration Detects What Automation Might Miss

Outsourcing perimeter protection doesn’t mean setting it and forgetting it.

“Our IT manager and I still get involved and spot check the tools,” Grossenbach says.

The credit union learns things that way. For example, during a recent IT-managed services provider (MSP) transition, the team discovered security tools that weren’t functioning properly. So, Shoreline created its own test data to ensure the environment triggered the appropriate alerts.

For example, it designed a custom data loss prevention (DLP) lexicon to catch phrases like “account 12345” and tested whether such messages would raise red flags. In one case, it didn’t, and that helped the team identify a configuration issue that needed fixing.

Grossenbach encourages credit unions of all sizes to build internal testing into their routine and not rely solely on vendors. This hands-on strategy helps detect gaps that automated monitoring might overlook. Shoreline also conducts monthly social engineering tests, mostly via email, to keep employees alert.

“It took maybe a handful of hours to set up the program,” Grossenbach says.

Today, ongoing management is largely automated with affordable campaigns that come with educational modules for staff who fall for the bait.

Not Taking The Bait

Cross-functional coordination is also key. Grossenbach points to an incident in which the credit union caught a fraud attempt thanks to communication across departments. A member asked about Apple Pay on social media, then requested an online banking password reset and contacted accounting soon after.

The pattern seemed harmless in isolation, but when pieced together, it raised red flags. The member’s personal information — including account numbers and transaction history — had been stolen. It wasn’t the member after all. Because the staff shared details quickly, Shoreline stopped $7,000 in fraud before it occurred.

To reinforce these efforts, Shoreline has deployed a few targeted steps.

• A security code process for members, sending codes to their phone when no passcode is set.
• Investing in stronger CRM tools to track member interactions across all channels, not just at the front line.
• Working with local authorities, anti-fraud groups, and FinCEN 314(b), while using Verafin to flag suspicious activity.

Audits Over Assessments, Action Over Paperwork

Shoreline isn’t waiting for regulatory prompts to evaluate its security posture. It had been using the now-sunsetted FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT), but the credit union won’t miss that.

“As a small credit union, we did the CAT, but I don’t know that it had a ton of value for our organization,” Grossenbach says. “It was simple enough to complete, but it did not provide guidance or tools to improve.”

Shoreline instead is using third-party IT audits every 12 to 18 months. That’s not cheap, but Grossenbach says the audits have provided more actionable insight than any self-assessment could.

The audits are comprehensive and go far beyond checklists or surface-level reviews:

• General Controls Review — Evaluates current policies and controls for data protection and physical access.
• Internal Vulnerability Scan — Assesses patch status, operating systems, and other basic internal security standards.
• External Vulnerability Scan — Probes the network perimeter for entry points; one scan found a misconfigured ISP certificate. (Security misconfigurations all too often lead to cybersecurity incidents, including data breaches.)
• Internal Penetration Test — Tests how far an attacker could get using admin credentials post-phishing. Grossenbach says these results were eye-opening.

A particularly impactful discovery came when an external scan revealed that certificate issue on Shoreline’s ISP velo-cloud, something that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. That kind of hidden vulnerability underscores the value of deep, outside-in scrutiny, the Shoreline chief executive says.

More External Behavioral Data, Smarter Internal Behavior

Looking ahead, Shoreline is integrating more behavioral data into its fraud detection systems and continues to build partnerships that go beyond tech.

Being small doesn’t mean being soft. Shoreline is proving that proactive, hands-on defense — not expensive software alone — is what closes the gap. Its approach blends practical audits, open-source tools, and cross-staff accountability and teamwork.

“You don’t need a huge budget to get this right,” Grossenbach says. “You need to stay engaged, test your assumptions, and keep your people sharp.”

As cyber threats grow more complex, Shoreline’s aim is to outsmart, not outspend, the problem. That’s a playbook any credit union, no matter the size, can follow.

The post Cybersecurity Is A Team Sport At Shoreline Hometown appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

The same AI tools boosting our productivity are also helping bad actors. This has escalated the cat-and-mouse game between us and them. To stay ahead, we’ve created a dedicated AI role to ensure member protection remains central as AI evolves.

Cybersecurity threats are growing sharper, faster, and more sophisticated. From AI-powered phishing to deepfake scams, credit unions are facing an arms race where every vulnerability matters.

To stay ahead, cooperatives are combining smarter tools, layered defenses, and cross-functional collaboration. Across the industry, smaller and larger institutions alike are rethinking traditional strategies, embracing AI as both a risk and a solution, and transforming cybersecurity from a technical requirement into a core part of organizational resilience.

Leaders from 11 credit unions talk about tackling today’s top cybersecurity and fraud threats, what cross-functional strategies help them scale security, and how they’re adapting to changing regulations like the end of the FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT).

Defense In Depth

Carmen Waugh is the information security officer at Royal Credit Union ($5.6B, Eau Claire, WI). She joined the cooperative just more than three years ago and has been leading information security programs for more than 25 years.

What’s the most pressing cybersecurity or fraud threat your credit union is facing? How are you addressing it?

Carmen Waugh: The most pressing cybersecurity threat is persistent social engineering that might lead to business email compromise, account takeovers, and third-party compromises. Bad actors’ efforts have now amplified with the use of generative AI to craft highly convincing attacks including the use of deepfakes that make phishing harder to detect.

To address these threats, our information security program requires a defense-in-depth approach including hardening email fraud defenses, enforcing strong authentication methods, continuous monitoring utilizing risk-scoring and analytics to identify abnormal activity, and education and awareness for both team members and members through our cybersecurity champions group.

AI is part of both a problem and the solution. We apply AI-assisted detection to these threats to accelerate identification, investigation, and containment.

What role do collaboration and cross-functional teams play in your approach to cybersecurity? How can smaller credit unions navigate these challenges with limited resources?

CW: Cybersecurity is a business risk that requires our teams — information security, fraud, information technology, risk, compliance — to collaborate and align with our organization’s risk appetite while supporting our business goals. Embedding these functions in business processes enables better risk management and more efficient execution.

This collaboration is key to our cybersecurity readiness and resilience to ensure that we can adapt quickly, maintain operational integrity, and safeguard member trust even in the face of evolving threats.

For smaller credit unions, my advice is to focus on mastering the basics. Concentrate on controls that mitigate the biggest risk for your organization. Use the NCUA’s Automated Cybersecurity Evaluation Toolbox (ACET) to baseline maturity, identify gaps, and plan improvements. Lean on trusted partners to extend your team and overall coverage. Join information-sharing communities, and designate champions across your organization to help promote a strong cybersecurity culture.

How are you adapting your fraud prevention strategy in response to regulatory changes?

CW: We’re aligning our program to NIST CSF 2.0 and continuing to use the NCUA’s ACET, which keeps our assessments actionable, refreshing our maturity targets and updating our internal KRIs and KPIs.

In parallel we remain aligned to the NCUA’s Information Security Examination (ISE) procedures and 2025 Supervisory Priorities, with special attention to the 72-hour cyber-incident reporting rule.

Everyone Has A Seat At The Security Table

Dave Means joined Seattle Credit Union ($1.1B, Seattle, WA) in April 2022 as the credit union’s chief information officer and has more than a decade of experience in senior information and security roles with financial institutions.

What’s the most pressing cybersecurity or fraud threat your credit union is facing? How are you addressing it?

DM: Phishing is the most pressing cybersecurity threat our credit union is facing. We rigorously train our employees from their first day of employment on how to spot phishing attempts, and we have monthly phishing campaigns to test and train our employees. We have invested in a platform that allows our own network security engineers to create different phishing testing campaigns.

We take a layered security approach, and our first line of defense is our staff and how they handle messages. We have an AI-powered security operations center that is 24x7x365 monitoring our entire environment. We have tools for detecting ransomware attempts and tools to prevent malware from impacting our systems.

We also have data immutability (nobody can tamper with your backups) in place to help prevent bad actors from accessing our backups in case we need to restore our data after a cyber-attack.

What role do collaboration and cross-functional teams play in your approach to cybersecurity? How can smaller credit unions navigate these challenges with limited resources?

DM: Security is everyone’s responsibility. We collaborate with all business lines at the credit union to ensure that business needs are met while security is maintained and prioritized. Smaller credit unions should take a similar approach in their communication and make sure everyone has a seat at the security table. It is every employee’s responsibility to operate the credit union in a safe and sound manner.

How are you adapting your fraud prevention strategy in response to regulatory changes?

DM: ACET is a new tool built on FFIEC and NIST principles for self-assessment and examination. ACET is actively supported and updated by the NCUA to align with modern standards like NIST CSF 2.0. As the CAT tool is being sunsetted, we are adopting ACET at our credit union moving forward to ensure that we continue to safely and soundly manage the credit union.

Credential Management Risk Is Real

Nathan Grossenbach has been president and CEO at Shoreline Hometown Credit Union ($141.3M, Manitowoc, WI) since 2017. He joined the Wisconsin shop as accounting manager in 2013.

What’s the most pressing cybersecurity or fraud threat your credit union is facing? How are you addressing it?

Nathan Grossenbach: Our top concern remains member behavior. We’ve intercepted hundreds of thousands in fraud tied to scams involving “celebrities,” “imprisoned relatives,” or “friends needing help.”

Phishing targeting staff also remains prevalent. Many attempts are still easy to spot, but with employees juggling 25-plus logins, credential management is a real risk — especially with widespread browser-based password storage.

We’ve implemented KeePass (free, open-source software) for secure, MFA-protected credential storage. On the email side, we upgraded to Microsoft Purview for stronger encryption and content filtering and are exploring OCR-based DLP to flag sensitive info in scanned images.

We also moved to Microsoft E5 licensing, adding advanced analytics, protection, and risk control capabilities for about $10 more per user monthly.

Social engineering testing happens monthly via automated tools that also provide reporting and training. We’ve expanded testing to include chat, inbound calls, and social media scenarios.

We’re also more selective with vendors, ensuring they’re based in trusted countries. Since many users reuse passwords, we assume any breach could create cross-platform exposure.

What role do collaboration and cross-functional teams play in your approach to cybersecurity? How can smaller credit unions navigate these challenges with limited resources?

NG: We outsource perimeter protection, but we still manually test tools to ensure they work. During an MSP [managed services provider] transition, we found some DLP policies weren’t triggering correctly. For example, emails with account numbers should’ve flagged our lexicon but didn’t, and that underscored the need for internal validation.

We promote app-based MFA over SMS/email for better security.

Cross-team coordination is essential. One recent fraud attempt involved a member reaching out via social media, front line, and accounting. Each interaction seemed benign on its own but collectively revealed a breach attempt. It wasn’t actually our member. We stopped the fraud in time, but it led us to:

• Implement code-based phone authentication.
• Invest in a stronger CRM for better communications tracking.
• Deepen engagement with local authorities, fraud networks, and Verafin.

How are you adapting your fraud prevention strategy in response to regulatory changes?

NG: As a small credit union, we did the FFIEC CAT but I don’t know that it had a ton of value to our organization. The tool was simple enough to complete, but it did not really provide guidance or tools to improve.

We have instead engaged with third-party auditors that perform a wide range of IT assessments for us every 12 to 18 months. It is costly, but they have driven far more value to the organization than a self-assessment would.

A Game Of Cat And Mouse

Zachary Hill is senior vice president of technology at Sunward Federal Credit Union ($4.3B, Albuquerque, NM). He joined the Land of Enchantment cooperative in 2023.

What’s the most pressing cybersecurity or fraud threat your credit union is facing? How are you addressing it?

Zachary Hill: A large portion of our membership is not well equipped to navigate the pressures of social engineering and modern cybersecurity attacks. This means we must constantly adapt our cybersecurity practices to maintain the delicate balance of member experience, training, fraud analysis, and cybersecurity.

What’s become increasingly apparent is that AI has increased the rate at which our members are targeted by bad actors. The very same AI tools we use today to increase our own productivity are also used by bad actors to gain a similar edge.

The same AI tools boosting our productivity are also helping bad actors. This has escalated the cat-and-mouse game between us and them. To stay ahead, we’ve created a dedicated AI role to ensure member protection remains central as AI evolves.

What role do collaboration and cross-functional teams play in your approach to cybersecurity? How can smaller credit unions navigate these challenges with limited resources?

ZH: Cross-functional teams and collaboration make up the foundation of our cybersecurity strategy. Cybersecurity can no longer be a checkbox, a tool you plug in to your technology, or a siloed team.

We’ve adopted something known as “DevSecOps,” a new cybersecurity framework for our credit union. It places cybersecurity at the center of everything we do. Whether it’s onboarding a new product or building out a new process, we make sure that cybersecurity has a seat at the table, first and foremost.

From there, DevSecOps involves leveraging processes and tools to implement our cybersecurity policy within the technology itself, effectively creating a safety net. Our teams can then be sure that no matter what gets created, our platforms are managing the risks automatically by blocking poor cybersecurity practices.

My advice to smaller credit unions is to find good partners — those who offer insights and ideas — while also implementing and managing tools. Then, it’s about getting good at the simple things like patching, vulnerability management, asset management, and vendor due diligence. Don’t be afraid to embrace small but mighty teams that will adopt modern toolsets.

How are you adapting your fraud prevention strategy in response to regulatory changes?

ZH: Over the past two years, we’ve adopted the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and its coinciding Maturity Assessment to better understand how we compare to fraud and cybersecurity industry standards.

We’ve also adopted a new enterprise risk management framework to empower and educate employees against the variety of risks that exist internally and externally — transactional, people, processing, and cybersecurity. Lastly, we use more modern approaches with things like threat modeling, purple teams, and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines within cybersecurity.

The results speak for themselves: We’ve hit high marks in our examination, audits, and cybersecurity KPIs, and we’ve transformed into a proactive team that can identify and squash risks quickly.

Tech To Catch What Humans Miss

Suresh Renganathan has been chief technology officer at Teachers Federal Credit Union ($9.9B, Hauppauge, NY) since February 2020. His role encompasses enterprise IT, cybersecurity, digital, and enterprise program management.

What’s the most pressing cybersecurity or fraud threat your credit union is facing? How are you addressing it?

Suresh Renganathan: We face threats on two fronts — cybersecurity and fraud — which are increasingly interconnected.

Our layered defense addresses both areas:

• Cybersecurity: We follow a Zero Trust model with continuous re-authentication, AI-driven behavioral analytics to flag unusual logins, and automated systems that disable suspicious accounts and isolate devices. A 24/7 security operations center monitors threats in real time.
• Fraud Prevention: We use real-time transaction monitoring, biometric MFA, cross-reference fraud consortium data, require dual approvals for large wires, and out-of-band verification for vendor changes.
• Human Element: Ongoing phishing simulations and training help staff and members recognize AI-enhanced scams and avoid relying solely on voice or video for verification.

The key is combining AI-driven detection with a trained workforce and shared intelligence — tech catches what humans miss, and vice versa.

What role do collaboration and cross-functional teams play in your approach to cybersecurity? How can smaller credit unions navigate these challenges with limited resources?

SR: At Teachers Federal Credit Union, cybersecurity is a team effort. Our Information Security Steering Committee brings together leaders from IT, risk, operations, compliance, and other departments, ensuring security is baked into every decision and every member interaction.

For smaller credit unions, I recommend:

• Build A Security-First Culture — Regular training reduces human error, often the weakest link.
• Leverage Partnerships — Credit union leagues, CUSOs, and managed security firms can deliver enterprise-grade tools for less cost than you can on your own.
• Focus On Fundamentals — Start with MFA, patch automation, and phishing detection. Use risk assessments to prioritize. Don’t try to fix everything at once.

How are you adapting your fraud prevention strategy in response to regulatory changes?

SR: The evolving regulatory landscape is an opportunity to strengthen our program. We’re aligning with the NCUA’s 2025 Supervisory Priorities and NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

Key areas include:

• Meeting the 72-hour incident reporting requirement.
• Enhancing third-party risk management, especially with vendor breaches on the rise.

We’ve implemented automated systems for real-time compliance monitoring, providing live data instead of static reports. This gives examiners up-to-date insights and shows continuous alignment with regulatory expectations. We also run regular tabletop exercises to test and refine our incident response.

The goal is clear: stay ahead of regulatory expectations as well as evolving threats while building true resilience – not just checking compliance boxes.

Advanced Technology + Heightened Awareness

Kevin Bivens joined UVA Community Credit Union ($1.6B, Charlottesville, VA)  in August 2021 and is the cooperative’s vice president for information security. He was assisted in these answers by Chris Nelson, who joined UVACCU as its vice president for fraud prevention earlier this year.

What’s the most pressing cybersecurity or fraud threat your credit union is facing? How are you addressing it?

Kevin Bivens: Social engineering, particularly phishing and vishing scams, which threaten both our members and the organization with significant potential losses. Addressing this challenge requires balancing proactive defenses with strong awareness, both internally and externally. Our cybersecurity strategy uses a layered approach, combining email, network, and endpoint protections to create multiple barriers against attacks.

On the fraud front, we are investing in AI- and machine-learning tools that analyze transaction patterns in real time, identifying anomalies far more quickly than traditional rules-based systems. Yet we recognize that technology alone is not enough. That’s why we pair these innovations with continuous education campaigns for members and employees.

Ultimately, our strategy is about balance: advanced technology plus heightened awareness. By integrating the two, we’re not just reacting to fraudsters, we’re staying ahead of them.

What role do collaboration and cross-functional teams play in your approach to cybersecurity? How can smaller credit unions navigate these challenges with limited resources?

KB: Collaboration and cross-functional teamwork is critical to our cybersecurity and fraud prevention strategies. By bringing together IT, fraud prevention, compliance, front-line staff, and operations, we identify risks early and address them in a coordinated way. With limited resources, collaboration becomes our greatest advantage. Speed and alignment often matter more than scale. For smaller credit unions, I’d recommend focusing on the following:

1. Leverage partnerships with CUSOs and industry groups to extend expertise and awareness of malicious trends and tactics of bad actors to better protect the organization and its membership.
2. Educate your membership on cybersecurity risks, fraud tactics, and prevention.
3. Make cybersecurity part of your culture so every employee feels responsible for protecting members. This includes recognizing associates for identifying, preventing, and reporting potential threats.

How are you adapting your fraud prevention strategy in response to regulatory changes?

KB: With the sunset of the FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool, we’ve shifted to a more risk-based, dynamic approach. We’re aligning with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Critical Security Controls framework, enhancing continuous monitoring with analytics, and strengthening governance so our fraud controls map directly to regulatory expectations. Our periodic exams and risk assessments are treated as learning experiences to help us stay proactive and resilient rather than just compliant.

Interviews have been edited and condensed.

Don’t Stop Here. Read “Cybersecurity Is Under Fire And Credit Unions Are Fighting Back (Part 1)” to hear from Bay Federal, BCU, Credit Union 1, MariSol FCU, and MSUFCU.

The post Cybersecurity Is Under Fire And Credit Unions Are Fighting Back (Part 2) appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Read on for insights and strategies from Lake Trust Credit Union, Rogue Credit Union, Royal Credit Union, Texas Trust Credit Union, and YOLO FCU. Read “Innovation At The Speed Of Payments (Part 1)” to hear from Atomic Credit Union, Coastal FCU, Dupaco Community Credit Union, GECU Credit Union, Golden 1 Credit Union, and Greater Texas FCU.

We’re balancing two speeds right now: the speed of money and the speed of change.

No One Wants To Wait

Razi Qadri was named chief operating and information officer at Lake Trust Credit Union ($2.7B, Brighton, MI) in July 2024. He held a similar role at another Michigan cooperative for the previous 10 years and now is leading data-driven decision making and other innovations at Lake Trust.

Which emerging technologies will drive the biggest changes in payments and at your credit union?

Razi Qadri: AI, blockchain, and open banking will each reshape how members experience payments in different ways.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we protect and serve members. At Lake Trust, we’ve moved from reactive alerts to predictive fraud prevention and are expanding AI’s role in personalization — like real-time reminders or smart payment suggestions. We’re already using AI in our call center and moving into loan decisioning. To scale this, we’ve built an enterprise AI framework and are working with partners like Microsoft and IBM to embed AI across our operations.

Blockchain is redefining payment speed and transparency, especially for cross-border transactions that now happen in seconds. We’re closely watching and evaluating use cases for tokenization for applications like member shares or loyalty points and exploring stablecoins as low-volatility digital payment options.

Open banking is about creating seamless access. APIs let us connect services members already use —  account aggregation, instant verification, fintech tools — turning the credit union into a hub for their financial lives. As we build our own apps, we’re also committed to sharing non-IP code with other credit union developers to drive collaborative innovation.

And of course, real-time payment networks like FedNow are reshaping expectations. Members want money to move instantly, like a text. No one wants to wait for money to clear.

How is your credit union upgrading payment systems for speed and convenience while managing risks? What are the biggest challenges you face in adapting to this new environment?

RQ: We’re balancing two speeds right now: the speed of money and the speed of change.

On the speed and convenience front, we’re deploying real-time payment capabilities through networks like FedNow and upgrading our digital banking platform for instant P2P and bill pay. We’ve implemented Zelle for consumer members and are extending it to businesses. Our goal is to make payments feel as effortless as sending a text — instant, intuitive, seamless. We’re redesigning workflows, eliminating steps, and streamlining processes so members can move money anytime, without friction.

At the same time, we’re doubling down on risk management. AI-driven fraud monitoring flags anomalies in real time, compliance rules are embedded automatically, and we’re using multi-factor and biometric authentication to keep security tight without slowing members down. Trust takes years to build but seconds to lose — so every feature goes through rigorous testing.

Internally, our biggest challenge is alignment. Payments modernization touches every department — from IT to compliance to the front line. It’s not just about new technology; it’s about retraining, rethinking, and shifting to a digital-first model. Externally, fintechs and big tech are raising expectations while regulations keep shifting. We must innovate without breaking trust — and move fast without tripping over compliance.

Bearish On Blockchain

James Richie has served as the vice president of payments services at Rogue Credit Union ($3.7B, Medford, OR) since October 2023. Richie began his career in cooperatives as a teller with a California credit union in 2014.

Which emerging technologies will drive the biggest changes in payments and at your credit union?

James Richie: The push toward faster payments seems most primed to drive transformation. While AI is already creating back-office efficiencies, I don’t foresee widespread AI use across all payment channels drastically shifting the landscape in the near term. Payments remain member-driven — how, when, and where they want to move money — and our role is to support that.

Despite ongoing hopes for the end of checks, members are steadily adopting faster payment channels. Instant payment rails, particularly FedNow and RTP, offer merchants and governments a way to reduce processing costs via pay-by-bank, biometric methods, and authentication tools.

Widespread adoption could shift volume from other channels and spark innovation in security and operations. While I’m bearish on cryptocurrency and blockchain as mainstream payment tools, I do see blockchain’s core tech gradually integrating into instant payment infrastructure.

How is your credit union upgrading payment systems for speed and convenience while managing risks? What are the biggest challenges you face in adapting to this new environment?

JR: The biggest challenge in payments remains balancing security and convenience. Members expect safety but won’t adopt systems that feel cumbersome. To drive loyalty and support key moments, we’ve added online dispute submission, card controls, and digital card issuance. We’re nearing the launch of Zelle, with plans for a credit card upgrade and a unified money movement hub integrating FedNow and RTP.

The hardest part is building security that verifies members accurately without adding friction. Across channels, we’re using AI for transaction decisioning — especially in card processing — layering algorithms to detect and stop fraud at authorization. Enhanced risk rules and targeted testing have reduced losses, built trust, and minimized cardholder impact.

We’re applying similar AI methods to check, ACH, and wire systems to flag suspicious activity early. Although cost-effective, scaling these programs without growing headcount is a challenge. We’ve succeeded by combining automation with vendor best practices to enable smarter fraud review with fewer manual touchpoints.

Fit For Purpose

Jeni Brantner began her career with Royal Credit Union ($5.5B, Eau Claire, WI) as a teller in March 2000. She became the Badger State cooperative’s vice president of payments in May 2022.

Which emerging technologies will drive the biggest changes in payments and at your credit union?

Jeni Brantner: AI and instant payments are poised to drive major shifts in payments. AI can enhance efficiency and fraud prevention, but it must be implemented carefully to avoid introducing new vulnerabilities. Instant payment systems like FedNow have strong potential — especially request-for-payment features that could help business members with receivables — but adoption is key.

Stablecoins are gaining attention, especially for cross-border payments, though institutional support will determine their impact. Open banking also holds promise for personalized services through shared data, but widespread use depends on overcoming challenges around tech, regulation, and security.

At Royal, we approach every new technology with a fit-for-purpose lens, prioritizing solutions that serve real member needs over chasing trends.

How is your credit union upgrading payment systems for speed and convenience while managing risks? What are the biggest challenges you face in adapting to this new environment?

JB: This is a great question and one that all institutions should be considering. Royal has invested in open architecture platforms that allow for integration via APIs and SDKs. This lets us customize member experiences, scale systems, and work with forward-looking partners. We evaluate vendors based on both current tech and future roadmaps, aiming for true partnerships, not just contracts.

Internally, we use relationship-based risk scoring to determine service eligibility, limits, and payment speed. Automation and modeling allow us to place immediate holds on accounts showing suspicious behavior — essential as faster settlement times reduce fraud recourse. Security remains a top priority, especially as payment types and channels expand.

Limited resources make it critical to choose the right technologies at the right time to meet evolving member expectations. We believe our ability to act with speed and discipline is what sets us apart in an environment driven by constant change.

Don’t Stop Here. Focused strategies and partnerships anchor innovation without the hype at this Wisconsin cooperative. Read more in “Royal Credit Union Bets On Smart Payments Innovation.”

Greater Interoperability Without Full Tech Overhauls

Robert Underwood was promoted to executive vice president and chief information officer at Texas Trust Credit Union ($2.0B, Arlington, TX) in June 2025. He’s been with Texas Trust for 17 years, including senior vice president posts since 2015, and has helped drive the suburban Dallas cooperative’s digital transformation.

Which emerging technologies will drive the biggest changes in payments and at your credit union?

Robert Underwood: The biggest changes in payments will come from the convergence of technologies improving both speed and user interface. AI will enhance risk management by analyzing transactions and behavior in real time, enabling faster, safer payments.

Meanwhile, open banking and the rise of APIs are breaking down barriers between systems. For credit unions, this means greater interoperability without needing full tech overhauls. Members get more convenient, modern tools, and institutions gain flexibility to compete more effectively.

How is your credit union upgrading payment systems for speed and convenience while managing risks? What are the biggest challenges you face in adapting to this new environment?

RU: Texas Trust is working to match the speed and convenience members expect from larger institutions. We’re investing in mobile-first omnichannel platforms to deliver the personalized experiences that today’s members demand. We’re also implementing Zelle and other instant payment tools while upgrading fraud detection and analytics to ensure secure transactions.

Our biggest challenge is sequencing — figuring out the right order to roll out tools and upgrades within our resource limits. Laying the right foundation is key to meeting rapidly evolving member expectations.

Ready For Stablecoins

Jenee Rawlings has been with Yolo Federal Credit Union ($405.2M, Woodland, CA) for 36 years. She was named president and CEO in 2013 after holding various executive roles over operations, lending, and human resources at the Sacramento-area credit union.

Which emerging technologies will drive the biggest changes in payments and at your credit union?

Jenee Rawlings: The biggest changes will come from real-time payments and AI working together. The United States is catching up, and solutions like FedNow are finally gaining traction and set to drive major change soon. AI boosts speed, safety, and efficiency by improving fraud detection and using chatbots to handle routine transactions.

We’re also watching stablecoins closely, especially with the GENIUS Act providing a regulatory path. They could significantly disrupt the banking space over time, and we need to be ready.

How is your credit union upgrading payment systems for speed and convenience while managing risks? What are the biggest challenges you face in adapting to this new environment?

JR: In 2023-2024, we made a strategic tech investment: a new core system, digital banking platform, and new vendor partners all focused on enhancing member experience while managing risk. We’re preparing to join FedNow and launch Zelle. Our upgraded systems improve fraud detection, support Apple Pay and Google Wallet and offer better card controls.

Internally, replacing legacy systems was the biggest challenge but necessary to stay competitive. Externally, fintech competition and a shifting payments landscape push us to stay flexible and innovative, especially with emerging tools like blockchain and digital currency.

Don’t Stop Here. Read “Innovation At The Speed Of Payments (Part 1)” to hear from Atomic Credit Union, Coastal FCU, Dupaco Community Credit Union, GECU Credit Union, Golden 1 Credit Union, and Greater Texas FCU.

Interviews have been edited and condensed.

The post Innovation At The Speed Of Payments (Part 2) appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• • Royal Credit Union builds agility through smart partnerships rather than betting big on bleeding-edge tech.
  • Stablecoins and AI are on the radar, but timing and purpose — not hype — drive adoption.
  • Smart builds, strong partners, and strategic timing drive Royal’s roadmap.

Royal Credit Union ($5.5B, Eau Claire, WI) isn’t into chasing bells and whistles. It’s focused on being ready when the time is right — and that readiness comes from a deliberate, layered strategy, not a sprint to be first.

“We’re not aiming to deliver every bleeding-edge technology,” says Jeni Brantner, vice president of payments at the 27-branch cooperative that serves approximately 325,000 members in Wisconsin and Minnesota. “But we are absolutely focused on being bleeding-edge aware.”

Brantner, who’s been with Royal for 25 years, describes that approach as “just-in-time” delivery, with deep environmental scanning built into its strategic process.

Instead of deploying tech for tech’s sake, Royal evaluates the why, who, and what of any innovation —  why it matters, who it benefits, and what problem it solves.

“Understanding what is possible lets us think beyond legacy systems to solve real challenges,” Brantner says.

Perception matters, too. Members might not use every new payment channel or app, but they notice whether it’s available.

“Consumers may choose not to use certain technology, but they still form their opinion on your relevance based on whether they could use it,” Brantner says.

In that way, emerging tools become part of brand reputation as much as member experience.

AI plays a growing role here. Royal uses automation to catch fraudulent behavior across channels, including non-monetary transactions like address changes or replacement card requests. This broad view is possible through its risk hub — a network of connected tools that together paint a clearer picture of suspicious activity and helps Royal build toward more proactive fraud management.

“We’re moving away from reactive case management and toward real-time decisioning,” Brantner says. “That includes using cyber data, money movement, and non-fund behaviors all in one ecosystem.”

Stablecoins: Caution, But With Intent

Royal is also closely watching the stablecoin space, with an eye more toward timing and use cases than getting ahead of the pack.

Brantner calls stablecoins “digital cash” pegged to traditional currency, with $1 in reserves backing every $1 issued. That adds stability lacking with Ethereum and Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. She notes their potential to reshape international remittances by offering a low-cost alternative to wire transfers.

“Stablecoin has an opportunity to disrupt traditional remittance platforms and offer a cost-efficient alternative,” she says.

But Royal isn’t diving in blindly. Brantner lays out several roles a member-owned financial cooperative could play in the stablecoin ecosystem — including issuer, custodian, platform host, or educator — and emphasizes the need for clear-eyed risk assessments in each.

“There are several ways to get involved, but each comes with varying degrees of responsibility,” she says.

Royal builds optionality into its roadmap, placing emerging technologies like stablecoins into a research and analysis phase before moving toward investment or deployment. The roadmap includes financial and competitive analysis as well as prioritization work.

“Just because a technology is on the roadmap doesn’t mean we’ll pursue it immediately,” Brantner says. “It means we’re putting the right thinking in place.”

Brantner says Royal also watches the implications of not moving forward. The risk of inaction isn’t zero, but any action requires thorough assessments to understand technological, operational, reputational, and compliance risks — both for implementing and not implementing, the payments veteran says.

That approach helps Royal avoid extremes, from being too early and getting burned or too late and falling behind. Brantner advises credit unions to seek out partnerships with forward-leaning fintechs, especially those willing to share early roadmaps and work collaboratively through regulatory uncertainty.

“Bring what’s on your mind and let them help solve those challenges,” she says.

Smaller Shops CAN Be Competitive

For credit unions like Royal, competing with banks and fintechs isn’t about having deeper pockets — it’s about having the right partners.

“Partner, partner, partner!” Brantner says. “We must prioritize how we use our resources responsibly. That means we can’t always deploy everything we’d like. But we can deploy smartly.”

Smart deployment starts with working with platform providers that not only share Royal’s values but also are early adopters themselves. Royal looks for open architecture partners that allow for extensibility through APIs and SDKs so it can customize tech, integrate it across platforms, and scale it as needed.

Royal’s strategy balances ambition with sustainability. It’s not about constant reinvention; it’s about staying intentional and agile. Brantner encourages leaders to consider whether a minimum viable product rather than a full-scale build might be enough.

“There are times the MVP serves members well without needing intensive extra investments,” she says.

The time spent understanding emerging technologies, completing analysis, and undertaking risk reviews is not wasted … It enhances your approach to opportunity by introducing thought leadership and guided decision-making, all leading to agility when the market shifts.

To keep up, Royal evaluates new payment rails like RTP, FedNow Service, and same-day ACH by matching use cases to the most cost-effective, low-risk solutions. Brantner advises credit union leaders to deploy solutions in a way that doesn’t requires users to understand which technology they’re using.

This behind-the-scenes efficiency helps smaller institutions remain competitive without adding member-facing complexity. At the same time, Royal uses automation to adjust service levels dynamically based on member risk scoring and relationship performance. That includes evaluating what limits are appropriate and how quickly funds should move.

That same precision behind the scenes extends to how Royal’s leadership plans for what’s next — through a strategic roadmap that aligns innovation with intent. To that end, Brantner advises other leaders to be intentional with their strategic journey, too.

“The time spent understanding emerging technologies, completing analysis, and undertaking risk reviews is not wasted, even when it steers you away from entering a market at this time,” she says. “Instead, it enhances your approach to opportunity by introducing thought leadership and guided decision-making, all leading to agility when the market shifts.”

A Future That Follows A Strategic Roadmap

“When we build a strategic roadmap, we start by including all emerging technologies,” Brantner says. “That doesn’t mean we’ll act on every opportunity right away — or at all. Instead, we map them on our payments roadmap, allowing time for thorough research, competitive analysis, and financial review. This helps us decide not only if a technology is right for us but also when to deploy it and how to prioritize it among other moving pieces.”

As for the future, Royal isn’t betting on a single technology to drive payments forward, but Brantner does think strategy will win.

“The most important capability isn’t tech,” she says. “It’s the ability to build strong partnerships and deploy with agility.”

That’s what positions Royal to not just keep up but to lead when — and where — it counts.

The post Royal Credit Union Bets On Smart Payments Innovation appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

There are things AI does better than humans and things only humans can do. We need the right people doing the right things.

AI is reshaping the lending landscape, and credit unions are finding ways to make the technology work for people as well as portfolios.

A white paper published by the World Economic Forum this year found 70% of financial services executives believe AI will directly tie to revenue growth in upcoming years, and several credit union leaders who have spoken to CreditUnions.com have noted the role it has played in increasing efficiency and member satisfaction at their organizations.

Marine Credit Union ($1.1B, La Crosse, WI) started its AI in lending journey five years ago with an in-house model geared toward scalability and faster decisioning.

“Our lenders and underwriters were spending a lot of time on applications where the human interaction wasn’t adding a lot of value,” says Kenneth Brossman, chief lending officer at Marine. “We wanted to reduce that as much as possible.”

Since then, AI has enabled measurable growth in Marine’s consumer lending. The organization even sold some consumer loans to the secondary market in 2024 and might do so again in 2025.

“Our yield and net interest margin have been strong, and charge-offs have been solid, even lower than peers in some cases despite taking on more risk,” Brossman says. “AI helped us scale, improve profitability, and make good decisions without adding excessive risk.”

Inside Implementation

MCU’s first surprise during the implementation process was how long it took. In total, Brossman says it required roughly 10 months with continuous testing to ensure the results were what the lending team was looking for.

“We didn’t have as big of a team to cover that lift as we should have,” the CLO explains. “So, there was a bit more work needed on the back end than we expected.”

When the credit union’s lending team launched the new system, it started with 20% auto-decisioning before quickly moving up to 40%. For the first six months, a dedicated team reviewed all turndowns and approvals. Brossman says only three out of 100 decisions on average differed from what live loan officers would have decided.

“That 3% difference helped us feel comfortable,” he says. “We decided the trade-off was worth it for the time savings and member experience.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Marine’s lending department hovers between 55% to 60% auto-decisioning with approximately 34% approvals and 22% declines on a monthly basis.

“We have a process where lenders can request an override, but it’s rare,” Brossman says. “Human review is really focused on complex loans such as credit, LTV, and DTI issues.”

That’s approximately 40% to 45% of applications. Occasionally, MCU auto-approves low-risk loans even if a member’s credit is lower, especially if the loan amount is small. On the flip side, some applications are a clear denial regardless of story.

Brossman says the credit union originally aimed for 80% auto-decisioning, but for the sake of its desired model, it was important to leave more room to better understand a member’s situation.

“If we go further, it could negatively impact our ability to say “yes” to members who just need a little more work to get approved,” he says.

LOANS TO ASSETS
FOR U.S. CREDIT UNIONS
SOURCE: Callahan & Associates

Happy Employees, Happy Members

MCU believes innovations like AI are essential for keeping up with consumer preferences.

“Member expectations are changing,” Brossman says. “Responsiveness is key. They expect the Amazon or Google experience. Being better positioned to serve members is critical, and this is a great way to do that.”

Lenders at the cooperative can now tell members they’re approved within minutes, and when an application does require manual review, team members are able to take that time to understand the member’s circumstances. This has resulted in happier, more engaged employees despite some initial skepticism and distrust in the beginning.

“Our team quickly got on board once they realized that AI would remove ‘easy’ approvals and declines, freeing them to work on cases where their expertise adds value,” Brossman says.

As for whether AI has resulted in fewer full-time employees, Brossman says the credit union’s underwriting team has actually grown since implementation.

“People often assume AI will replace humans, but that hasn’t been the case in lending or other areas where we’ve introduced AI,” he says. “It’s helped us approve more loans, and their productivity has gone up. It’s been a big win.”

DELINQUENCY TO TOTAL LOANS
FOR U.S. CREDIT UNIONS
SOURCE: Callahan & Associates

The Bottom Line

This year has been one of ongoing economic uncertainty. It is still unclear if interest rates will fall, and with increasing debt for auto and personal loans, many financial institutions are paying close attention to risk.

“Rising delinquency on the unsecured front is a big topic, and it’s part of why some peers haven’t adopted auto-decisioning,” Brossman says. “But by using this technology, we’ve kept our consumer delinquency and charge-offs in check.”

Of course, implementing AI into its consumer lending is not a set-it-and-forget-it initiative. The credit union holds a monthly underwriting summit where it reviews the percentage of auto-decisioned loans, manual reviews, look-to-book rates, and default rates comparing auto-decisions to manual ones.

“We challenge assumptions and look for ways to keep improving the model, but we’re pretty comfortable with it today,” Brossman says.

Looking ahead, MCU has plans to build a model for mortgage loans as well.

“We’ll likely start at 20% auto-decisioning on that side, but we’ve been doing consumer this way for five years and feel good about it,” Brossman says.

His No. 1 take away for other credit unions?

“Don’t rush,” he advises. “Start small with maybe one product or a small loan pool and get comfortable. There are things AI does better than humans and things only humans can do. We need the right people doing the right things.”

Smarter Lending Starts With Better Data. AI is changing how credit unions lend — but smart strategy still starts with knowing your numbers. Peer Suite gives you the performance insights you need to track trends, measure impact, and make confident, data-backed decisions as you innovate your lending approach. Book your analysis session with a Callahan advisor today, and see what Peer Suite can do for you.

The post How AI Is Transforming Consumer Lending At Marine Credit Union appeared first on CreditUnions.com.