Keeping you connected to key credit union news, events, and trends: April 5, 2017
In This Issue
Headline News

Advocates Encouraged to Secure Lodging for State GAC


Credit union advocates planning to attend the 2017 Louisiana Governmental Affairs Conference on April 25-26 in Baton Rouge are encouraged to secure lodging before the April 10 deadline. LCUL is holding a block of rooms at the Hilton at a rate of $155/night.  To reserve your room, please call 1-800-955-6962 and ask for the LA Credit Union League rate.

For more information, contact Angela Gervais, Director of Governmental Affairs.

Click here to register!
Think You Have What it Takes to CRASH the Louisiana  GAC?
Baton Rouge, April 25-26

The Louisiana Credit Union League & the Young Professionals Network (YPN) are excited to provide a chance for three lucky winners to experience what the movement is all about as they CRASH the state GAC on April 25-26.

The CRASH contest is open to all current YPN members. To be entered into the drawing, simply leave the comment "I WANT TO GO" on the YPN's CRASH post before Monday, April 10. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April, 11.

Remember, your CEO or Supervisor must approve before entering the drawing. Be sure to share with them that the winning crashers receive full conference registration courtesy of LCUL with the YPN covering hotel costs.

Questions? Reach out to the YPN!
4th Quarter 2016 LA Credit Union Profiles & Milestones Report Available on LCUL Website*
The Louisiana Credit Union League works with CUNA's Economics & Statistics Department to analyze quarterly data submitted by credit unions to NCUA and then provides a quarterly report showing trends in various areas including loan & savings growth, risk trends, membership trends, and more.

We also provide a "milestones" report that looks at top credit unions in the areas of loan penetration, share draft penetration, and average savings balances; this report also highlights credit unions that have reached and exceeded certain amounts for assets, members, and loans. 

The reports for the 4th Quarter of 2016 are now complete and have been posted to the League's website. You can access the reports directly by clicking on the following link: http://www.lcul.com/Research__Information_228.html . 

*Milestones report now includes a breakdown by asset size.
Just for Fun: It's Officially Baseball Season! 4 Things You Can Learn About Leadership From Mike Trout, Baseball's Best Player
There is a lot out there about what makes a great leader. Attributes that have been called out range from  personal habits and capabilities to the ability to  inspire and motivate the workforce to being able to create focus and drive  hard decisions.

All are critical, but we often forget how important behaviors are for leaders and how important and powerful you can be as a leader by being the person you want everyone else in the organization to be.

 It's opening week for Major League Baseball. Whether you are a baseball fan like me or not, this isn't a piece about baseball. It is a piece about quiet leadership and the impact of modeling leadership behaviors. And for that, I turn to baseball and arguably the best baseball player on the planet, someone who has already won the league MVP twice and who is only 24 years old.

Click here to continue reading.
Professional Development

Share Accounts Workshop Coming to Lafayette
Come join us in Lafayette on May 10 & 11 for Louisiana Share Accounts Workshop! 

This program, taught by Debbie Crawford of GetTechnical, Inc, is a comprehensive workshop for frontline and member service staff that contains vital and imperative information for the day-to-day operations of every credit union!

 This workshop is designed so that sessions may be purchased separately or together depending on each attendees educational needs. 
  
Day one covers the Basics of Share Accounts including:
  • Completing Account Cards withfull overviewof 20 types of account ownership
  • Identification and security issues
  • Taxpayer Identification Number
  •  NCUASIF Insurance and more!
The Basics course is vital for Tellers, Member Service Reps and all personnel who need a refresher course or staff new to the credit union with approximately 3 years of experience or less.
  
Day two of the workshop is designed for Member Service Reps, Head Tellers, Branch Managers, Deposit Operations staff and anyone with more than three years of experience. 

In Share Accounts Advanced, Debbie will dive deeper into more complex  topics such as
  • Successions
  • Power of Attorneys
  • Trusts
  • Business Accounts and more!
Click here for more information on the workshop!
Products & Services

News from CUNA Mutual

March 2017 CU Trends Report Now Available
CUNA Mutual Group's Credit Union Trends Report for March 201 7 is now available online and can be accessed in the Compliance & Research section of our website, under the heading Research & Information.

 During January, credit unions picked up 338,000 in new memberships, loan and savings balances grew at a 12.8% and 7.4% seasonally-adjusted annualized pace, respectively. Firms hired 238,000 workers, nominal consumer spending increased 0.2%, and long-term interest rates decreased 6 basis points. Real GDP increased 1.9% in the fourth quarter and 1.6% for all of 2016, below the 2.6% increase in 2015.
 
Additional highlights of this month's report include:
  • At the end of January, CUNA's monthly estimates reported 5,986 CUs in operation, 10 fewer than one month earlier. Year-over-year, the number of credit unions declined by 244, less than the 267 lost in the 12 months ending in January 2016.
  • Total credit union assets rose 0.7% in January, above the 0.6% gain reported in January 2016. Assets rose 7.5% during the past year due to a 7.4% increase in deposits, a 15.1% increase in borrowings, and a 6.5% increase in capital.
  • The nation's credit unions increased their loan portfolios by 0.9% in January, more than the 0.4% pace reported in January 2016. Loan balances are up 11.5% during the last 12 months. With loan balances growing faster than savings, credit union liquidity is tightening up as the credit union average loan-to-savings ratio reached 81.2%, up from 78.2% in January 2016.
  • Credit union memberships rose 0.31% in January, up from the 0.19% gain reported in January 2016. Memberships are up 4.8% during the past year due to robust demand for credit, solid job growth and comparatively lower fees and loan interest rates.
  • Credit union loan delinquency rates rose to 0.82% in January from 0.80% in December and are unchanged from one year ago. The credit union capital-to-asset ratio fell to 10.6% in January from 10.7% last January, as asset growth outpaced capital growth.
 
For more information, view the complete report here. If you have problems accessing the information or have additional questions about the research and information services provided by the Louisiana Credit Union League, please contact Danielle Thibodeaux at (800) 452-7221, ext. 3018 or research@lcul.com.

Have You Heard?

Maple FCU Recognizes Scholarship Finalists at Annual Meeting
Maple FCU held its Annual Membership Meeting on March 15, 2017 and proudly recognized seven scholarship finalists. The $2,000 Outstanding Scholarship recipient was Nicholas Meadows.  A drawing for three additional $1,000 scholarships from the remaining finalists were awarded to Oshianna Wright, Brett Stelly and Luke Huval.  A $100 cash stipend was awarded to all participating scholarship finalists. 

"This is the second year recognizing our younger membership through the scholarship program. We recognize the financial burdens placed on students and their families especially with the cuts to TOPS, so we could not be more excited to help them in furthering their education. These outstanding students met rigorous requirements and deserve the recognition for their efforts.  It is a privilege to have them as part of the Maple FCU family," commented Pamela Stelly, President/CEO.

La Capitol FCU Receives 2016 "Best of the Best" Award
La Capitol FCU has been named one of the "Best of the Best" credit unions in 2016 for outperforming its peers and receiving amongst the highest scores for member experience nationwide. The award, presented by mystery shopper service provider MemberXP, reflects industry-leading scores in the categories of consumer lending experience and transaction experience. This was the inaugural year of the "Best of the Best" award, making La Cap one of the first ever credit unions to receive the honor.

"La Capitol's top scores show a real commitment to listening to members and improving the member experience based on that feedback," said Constance Anderson, founder of MemberXP. La Cap President and CEO Michael Hooper said, "Providing the products and services that help members achieve their financial well-being is our goal in everything we do. We are honored to be recognized by our members for providing exemplary service to them, and look forward to continuing that tradition."
Quote of the Week:
"The path in front of you is rarely a straight line. It's full of bumps...embrace those bumps."
- Ellen Bennett

Educational Calendar
Upcoming Conferences & Seminars from your League:    

April 26: BSA Officer Training 
 
Upcoming Teleconferences & Webinars from your League

April 12: Managing TDRs Start to Finish: Initial Identification to Rewriting to Non-TDR Status
April 13: Risk Management Series: Developing a Risk-Based Compliance Audit for Your Loan Portfolio
April 20: How to Build an Effective & NCUA Compliant MBL Credit Administration Program
April 26: BSA Compliance Hotspots: Regulators, Litigation, Policies & Procedures
April 27: Securing Collateral
Part 2
April 4: Human Resource Dos & Don'ts for Supervisors
April 6: Website & Social Media Common Compliance Violations
April 11: Trust Your Instincts: Teaching Frontline to Recognize Criminal Activity
April 19:  The Future of FinTech & Blockchain/Bitcoin: New Technologies Reshaping Financial Services
 April 25: 10 Steps to Creating Unparalleled Service
May 2: Security Officer Reports to the Board: Annual Requirement
May 3: Revisiting TRID Line-by-Line Part 1: Loan Estimate
May 4: ACH Specialist Series: Complex ACH Origination Issues for ODFIs
May 9: Director Series: What the Board Needs to Know About Vendor Management
May 10: Communicating in a Crisis: How to Protect Your Reputation & Brand
May 11: Surviving an FFIEC IT Security Exam
May 16: Securing Collateral Part 3: Legal & Compliance Issues in Obtaining Priority in Collateral
May 17: Risk Management Series: Conducting an RDC Risk Assessment
May 18: HMDA Data Collection Rules: Preparing for the January 1, 2018 Changes
May 23: Reg E Series: How to Handle Unauthorized Electronic Fund Transfers Under Reg E
May 25: 12 Key Elements of an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy
May 31: Mastering Escrow Compliance: Analysis, Rules, Forms & Accounting
     
For a complete listing of educational opportunities available from LCUL, visit the League website and click on "Education".
  
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824 Elmwood Park Blvd, Suite 200, Harahan, LA  70123
(800) 452-7221   www.lcul.com