September 2015 

FOCUS is a monthly e-newsletter of the Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives. It focuses on helping small credit unions achieve success by providing news and highlighting opportunities. Use this link to subscribe.
Featured this Month (select a heading to go directly to an article)
Headliner Headliner: Prepare Now, In Case of Emergency
Fortunately, small credit unions can significantly enhance their preparedness capabilities without investing a great deal of resources.
 
September is recognized as National Preparedness Month. So, we asked emergency management specialists in NCUA's Office of Continuity and Security Management to provide some tips to assist small credit unions with emergency planning. Following is an excerpt from the advice they offered.
 
Hurricane Katrina image
Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina. (Photograph from the National Weather Service, http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_katrina2005)
Member needs are likely to be different than normal during an emergency. For example, following Hurricane Katrina, many people were relocated and lost their personal possessions in the process. They urgently needed access to cash. Due to the costs of relocation and replacement of lost items, most needed to withdraw much larger amounts of cash than normal. Disasters may also lead to temporary or long-term unemployment, which can affect an individual's ability to make loan payments. In planning to address member needs, assess the potential affect on, and needs of, the member population for the various types of disasters (hurricane, flood, wildfire) likely for your location.
 
 
 
 
 
InFocus In Focus with Bill: Take Your Time At Bat
Last month was tough. It is discouraging to hear from so many friends and formerly productive credit unions now experiencing problems.Bill Myers
 
I've invested my 36-year career in credit unions and only recently, four years ago, switched perspectives from practitioner to regulator.  I had already seen the constant rate of mergers among small credit unions. I had seen the rate of asset size decrease and the membership decrease. The net income losses were familiar. I could easily see how credit unions that lost their borrowers couldn't long survive.
 
I wasn't aware though, how often a missing series of routine bank reconcilements covered a fraud or how predictably a management transition signaled a demise.
 
I continue to think of small credit unions as a defensible market segment because of the common vision of community controlled finance. Small is a stage of the growth cycle. It contains hard transitions. Take your time at bat; make your swing. You have room to make your swing.
 
The Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives appreciates calls from small credit unions in trouble. But, we would rather hear from you when you recognize your credit union needs a strategic plan than when NCUA requires a Net Worth Restoration Plan.

Watch now: What Every Board Member Should Know
Screenshot Board of Directors video
Click the image to view the video.
OSCUI's latest video "...offers training to directors to strengthen credit unions and the system overall."

This video series is designed for directors of small and medium-sized credit unions. The
series features case studies, an online test and the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion.
 
Other videos in the series will be available by the end of the year.

TrainingTraining: Scheduled Webinars
Graphic image-audit internal controls
See what you missed!
More than 1,004 individuals have viewed the webinar on maintaining adequate internal controls. If you missed the live session, catch the archived version of "Internal Controls and Accounting Tips for Small Credit Unions."
 
Coming next month!
Are your marketing campaigns reaching your members the way you want them to?  Are you using member data to design targeted marketing campaigns? On Oct. 21, join the "Data Mining:  Golden Nuggets for Your Marketing Campaign" webinar for ideas on these concepts and more.
 
Graphic auto loan
Mark your calendar!
Auto Lending is the subject of our Nov. 18 webinar. Join the session to hear from the experts and have your questions answered live.
 
Webinars begin at 2 p.m. Eastern. There is no charge to participate. A live question-and-answer session with the experts follows the presentation. A certificate of completion is available for those who successfully complete an online quiz.

 

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AnnouncementsAnnouncements: Non-NCUA Opportunities and Resources
Partner Events
ConsumerFinancial Protection Bureau seeks participants for new pilot: The Bereau seeks 25 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Programs around the country interested in starting or expanding savings initiatives within their tax preparation efforts for the 2016 tax season. Response due to empowerment@consumerfinance.gov  by Sept. 28, 2015.

The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund revised the CDFI Program Regulations: Public comments are sought concerning all aspects of the Interim Rule. Comments must be received by Oct. 30, 2015 and must be submitted via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Comments submitted directly to the CDFI Fund will not be considered.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a number of resources and upcoming training opportunities: To help prospective applicants apply for upcoming Assets for Independence grant rounds, the agency offers:

An intensive Coaching Cohort: For organizations that plan to apply for AFI funding by Oct. 13. The cohort will bring together a small group of applicants to work through the steps of planning their AFI projects and developing applications. Participants will learn from each other and keep on track to finish the application in time for the October 2015 application cycle.
 
The following live and archived webinars:
  • Developing Resources and Partners: Live webinar will offer considerations for developing partnerships for financial and other types of support. It will be held Sept. 23 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern.
  • Introduction to the 2015 FOA: Introduces the 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcement, highlighting important points, and explaining how to access the FOA, the application due dates and the evaluation criteria. This webinar can be helpful for both first-time and returning Assets for Independence applicants.
  •  Preparing an AFI Application: Reviews the logistics of preparing and submitting an application, including the required standard federal forms, navigating the Application Package, fonts and formatting, and budgets. First-time applicants and organizations with new staff will particularly benefit from this webinar.
  • Grants.gov and the Two-File Requirement: Reviews the process for registering and tracking applications with Grants.gov and how to abide by the Division of Grants Policy's Two File Electronic Submission Requirement. First-time applicants and organizations with new staff will benefit from this webinar.
Training Opportunities
"Aligning Mission with Margin" webinar series: The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions will offer this series to assist credit union managers in the creation, management and maintenance of a successful, diversified lending program in today's financial environment. The remaining date and topic in the series is,  " Lending to Credit-Challenged Members Using Risk-Based Loan Pricing" on Oct. 21 .
 
2015 Federation Annual Conference and CUNA Community Credit Union Conference: This conference is scheduled for Sept. 22 to 25 in Phoenix. The conference will feature new approaches to community development, industry experts and speakers on tools for reaching your local community, ways to communicate the benefits of your credit union and best practices for attracting new members.  

Other Resources  
The Center for Financial Services Innovation offers resources and webinars: Continuing its Consumer Financial Health Study, the Center created profiles and briefs  for the 4 "less-than-healthy" consumer segments identified in the study. Nearly 3 out of 5 U.S. households fall into one of these segments. CFSI is also offering the following webinars, which are free, but require registration and begin at 1 p.m., Eastern:

Email us at partners@ncua.gov to tell us how you like this new, mobile-friendly format.

National Credit Union Administration
The Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives
1775 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Website: www.ncua.gov/oscui
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