Op-Ed

Written By: Scott Simpson President & CEO America’s Credit Unions Housing is the defining financial challenge facing millions of Americans right now. Not in an abstract, technocratic way, but in a personal [...]

Written By: Judy DeLucca President & CEO New Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit Union There has been a great deal of discussion recently about the future of smaller credit unions and whether institutions [...]

Written By: Monica Parks Chief Information Officer Bank3 The departure of Joe Kent from his role at the White House didn't just make headlines — it made me stop and think deeply [...]

Written By: Joshua Herman CEO CU WealthNext When I worked as an NCUA examiner, the rhythm of the job was set by paper and email. I would send an items-needed list ahead [...]

Written By: Phil Sutliff Founder Main Street & Co. a consulting company “Knees weak, palms sweaty, nervous. On the surface, though, he looks calm and ready…” Alright, maybe not quite 8 Mile intense, [...]

Written By: Brian Waldron President & CEO Dort Financial Credit Union The credit union movement was built on cooperation. Not competition. Not comparison. Cooperation. And if we want this movement to stay [...]

Written By: Jeff Marsico Principal of Strategic Consulting Services Wolf & Company P.C. The traditional financial industry is facing a quiet, steady drain of its lifeblood. While the "unbanked" population is shrinking, [...]

Written By: Michael Boettcher Director Artisan Advisors We are seeing a growing trend in the community bank merger and acquisition space: credit unions have become more active and successful acquirers of community banks. [...]

Written By: Duncan Campbell President & CEO Pennsylvania Bankers Association Patrick Conway President & CEO CrossState Credit Union Association Kevin Shivers President & CEO Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers [...]

Written By: Peter Duffy Managing Director of Merger and Acquisition Strategy SRM Just 25 years into the 21st Century,  we have endured the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the “Great Recession” and the [...]

Written By: Alan Bergstrom Founder Bergstrom Consulting Services Now that GAC 2026 is over, it’s time for a quick recap of the key issues facing credit unions in the year (and years) [...]

Written By: Michael Murdoch AVP of Marketing University Credit Union For more than a decade, the banking industry has confidently predicted the demise of the branch. Smartphones would replace tellers. Mobile deposit [...]

Written By: Michael Macchiarola Chief Executive Officer Olden Lane For much of their history, America’s credit unions have thrived through steady, deliberate decision-making. Prudence, patience, and incremental progress are virtues in a [...]

Written By: Scott Simpson President & CEO America’s Credit Unions This week, more than 6,000 credit union leaders from across the country are gathering in Washington, D.C., for America’s Credit Unions’ Governmental [...]

Written By: Geoff Bacino Founder & CEO Bacino & Associates It’s not often that the Supreme Court is our leadoff hitter, but the arguments in the Trump v. Slaughter case that was [...]

Written By: Jeff Marsico Principal of Strategic Consulting Services Wolf & Company P.C. I occasionally deliver an intriguing presentation at bankers conferences called Predictapalooza: It Could Happen. My premise is that at [...]

Written By: Michael Jamesson Principal Jamesson Associates Free markets and capitalism are frequently conflated. However, the fact of the matter is that capitalists are rarely in favor of free markets. Rather, those [...]

Written By: Monica Parks Chief Information Officer Bank3 This isn't just another data breach story. This is a leadership crisis that should shake every organization to its core. Last week, Politico reported [...]

Written By: Kirk Kordeleski Partner PARC Street Partners For too long, credit unions have underestimated their potential — and underestimated the importance of leadership transitions. In a time of historic disruption — [...]

Written By: Scott Simpson President & CEO America’s Credit Unions After enough years of observing Washington work, you start to recognize the seasons. Midterm years have a different energy to them. Action [...]

Written By: Joshua Herman CEO CU WealthNext My career has mostly been in the U.S. credit union system. In fact, most of my life has revolved around the U.S. credit union system. My first [...]

Written By: Ryan Ross President & CEO University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union Every week, another op-ed questions whether credit unions are losing their way. While the industry has evolved, one thing [...]

Written By: Anthony Hernandez President & CEO Defense Credit Union Council An Air Force colleague of mine recently posted something that changed my thinking. At the end of each year, many leaders [...]

Written By: Phil Sutliff Community Banking Executive & Strategic Growth Consultant LeadFirst IQ Client relationships are not always shaped by the big moments. They are often shaped by one small, decisive moment [...]

Written By: Judy DeLucca President & CEO New Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit Union As Washington dismantles decades of progress in community finance and special education, we face a moral test that defines [...]

Written By: Patrick Conway CrossState Credit Union Association President & CEO, and American Association of Credit Union Leagues Board Chair When credit unions speak with one voice, powerful things happen. At CrossState [...]

Written By: Tim Scholten President & Founder Visible Progress LLC Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology have been gaining mainstream attention  for years, but the next phase of their evolution is set to unfold [...]

Written By: Michael Macchiarola Chief Executive Officer Olden Lane Credit unions and community banks have long dominated the deposit gathering and consumer lending in the pockets of America uninteresting to the country’s [...]

Written By: Scott Simpson President & CEO America’s Credit Unions There’s something uniquely powerful about cooperative finance. This model isn’t defined by competition, but by collaboration. I’ve seen it time and again: [...]

Written By: Alan Bergstrom Founder Bergstrom Consulting Services The credit union landscape has shifted dramatically over the past few decades. Forty years ago, credit unions were gaining momentum as consumers sought [...]

Written By: Benjamin Crowley Managing Director The Kafafian Group Community banks play a vital role in the economic health of local communities. Their success hinges not only on strategic leadership but [...]

Written By: Jim Nussle President & CEO America’s Credit Unions In response to the OP-ED article New data shows policymakers should focus on harmful impact of CU acquisitions. For years, community [...]

Written By: Michael Murdoch AVP of Marketing University Credit Union It is a curious moment for credit unions in the United States. Perhaps every moment is, but by most measures the [...]

Written By: Brad Bolton President & CEO Community Spirit Bank & Past Chairman Independent Community Bankers of America & Ken Hale President & CEO BOM Bank The credit union [...]

Written By: Brian Waldron President & CEO Dort Financial Credit Union When a credit union places its name atop a stadium, it’s far more than a branding effort; it’s a visible commitment [...]

Written By: Dan Prezioso Partner & Elaine Xiang Investment Banking Associate Olden Lane Credit unions have expanded membership at scale over the years, yet the composition of that growth raises strategic [...]

Written By: Michael Jamesson Principal Jamesson Associates America is divided.  Political polarization infects our everyday lives in ways that would have been inconceivable a couple of decades ago. The kind of beer or [...]

Written By: Phil Sutliff Commercial Banking Executive Langley Federal Credit Union The heartbeat of every community doesn’t echo in glass towers. It pulses on Main Street, inside the bakery that opens before [...]

Written By: Ken Hale President & CEO BOM Bank Louisiana is somewhat unique in the way banks are taxed. In our state, both C-Corp and S-Corp banks are subject to a corporate [...]

Written By: Judy DeLucca President & CEO New Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit Union Across the country, there is a growing chorus suggesting that credit unions should merge, consolidate, and “speak with one [...]

Written By: Dennis Holthaus Senior Consultant Holthaus Consulting, LLC Most credit union’s strategic plans target growth: growth in total assets; growth in membership; growth in net earnings. While credit union boards and [...]

Written By: Peter Duffy Managing Director of Merger and Acquisition Strategy SRM Research we have conducted reinforces the growing sentiment in the C-Suite and boardroom of America’s community banks and credit unions [...]

Written By: Bruce Kershner Founder & CEO Kershner & Co. Community banks and credit unions have long been the bedrock of local economies, thriving on trust and personal relationships. But as customer [...]

Written By: Tim Scholten President & Founder Visible Progress LLC SaaS may be necessary for many banks and credit unions to innovate faster and provide a better digital experience for their clients. [...]

Written By: Kirk Kordeleski Partner PARC Street Partners For too long, credit unions have underestimated their potential. In a time of historic disruption—where traditional banks are retreating, where AI and digital-first platforms [...]

Written By: Armand Parvazi Strategic Advisor CUCollaborate Over the last week, I’ve spoken with dozens of credit union leaders who are relieved that our industry was able to maintain our tax-exempt status [...]

Originally published on CUInsight.com Written By: Brian Lee President and CEO Arizona Central Credit Union My oldest child recently graduated from high school. One of her talents is singing, and she [...]

Written By: Alan Bergstrom Founder Bergstrom Consulting Services We seem to be entering yet another cycle—a season marked by headlines announcing yet another small credit union merging into a larger one. And [...]

Written By: David Murphy President Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union On April 4, 2025, Jim Nussle, President and CEO of America’s Credit Unions (ACU), announced his intention to retire—concluding more than 11 [...]

Written By: Cynthia Rohde Managing Director Artisan Advisors EIGHT SECONDS. That may be the most important number that you take away from this story.  You have 8 seconds to grab Gen Z’s attention. [...]

Written By: Jason Stverak Chief Advocacy Officer Defense Credit Union Council When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, America’s credit unions rose to meet the moment. Amid unprecedented economic disruption, they [...]

Written By: Michael Murdoch AVP of Marketing University Credit Union I find myself explaining this more often than I care to: Credit Unions pay taxes. We pay payroll taxes. We pay [...]

Written By: Phil Sutliff Credit Union Executive/ Strategic Growth Consultant LeadFirst IQ Imagine a lighthouse replaced by a skyscraper. One stands anchored, casting light for the community. The other rises high, built to [...]

Written By: Jeff Marsico President The Kafafian Group Community banking has almost achieved Kleenex or Xerox fame, being generalized to the point of meaninglessness. PNC ($557 billion in total assets) calls itself [...]

Written By: Jim Rieniets President and CEO INSBANK For most every year since the Great Recession, I’ve joined a delegation of Tennessee bankers for an annual trip to DC to meet with [...]

Written By: Brian Waldron President and CEO Dort Financial Credit Union Todd Harper’s interview last week with Brookings and his subsequent post is disingenuous to the credit union movement. Brookings provided [...]

Written By: Tim Scholten President and Founder Visible Progress LLC In an era of rapid digitization, where mobile apps and automated services dominate financial interactions, the concept of relationship banking remains not [...]

Written By: Aaron Goff Credit Union Executive & Principal AG Executive Consulting You don’t have to be Nostradamus to see that the credit union industry is staring down a serious identity crisis. [...]

Written By: Geoff Bacino Founder and CEO Bacino & Associates The most seismic day in the history of the National Credit Union Administration board took place on April 16th when board members Todd Harper [...]

Originally published on CUInsight.com Written By: Brian Lee President and CEO Landings Credit Union I was fortunate to be hired as the CEO of Landings Credit Union in January 2020 at [...]

Written By: Ron Mercer, CPA Director Artisan Advisors Workout may be making a comeback.  Current economic uncertainty may cause more troubled loans, in which case focus will shift from normal operations to [...]

Written By: Jeff Cardone Partner Luse Gorman, PC As Congress considers legislation to reform U.S. tax policy, the credit union tax exemption is a frequent topic of debate and a point of [...]

Written By: Bruce Kershner Founder and CEO Kershner & Co. The community banking sector, long defined by its deep-rooted customer relationships and localized  decision-making, is at a transformational crossroads. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is [...]

Written By: Sam Brownell Founder and CEO CUCollaborate In financial services, data is the ultimate competitive edge. The largest banks, fintechs, and emerging digital players have leveraged vast datasets to overhaul underwriting, optimize [...]

Written By: Sam Brownell Founder and CEO CUCollaborate The landscape of credit union chartering has evolved, and one charter type stands out for its performance, growth potential, and strategic advantages: the Multiple [...]

Written By: Lorrie Trogden President and CEO Arkansas Bankers Association 2024 has seen a record number of credit unions purchasing banks. Per S&P Global, credit unions had acquired $7.2 billion of bank [...]

Written By: Steve Heckard Managing Director Artisan Advisors With increasing frequency, we are encountering financial institutions that no longer have a productive relationship with a technology vendor, primarily their core vendor. As [...]

By Chip Filson, former NCUA regulator and co-founder of the consulting firm Callahan & Associates Written By: Chip Filson Former NCUA regulator and co-founder Callahan & Associates “Dictatorial systems make one [...]

Originally published on CUInsight.com Written By: Brian Lee President and CEO Landings Credit Union One of my team members told me about how her family was handling the effects of her [...]