Headline News

Get Recognized for Your Commitment to Members, Work in the Community
We know Louisiana credit unions are doing remarkable things within their organization and in their communities. Now's the time to get recognized for all of your accomplishments.
 
The CUNA/LCUL Recognition Award Programs recognizes distinguished credit unions which demonstrate social responsibility (the Dora Maxwell Award), the credit union philosophy (the Louise Herring Award), and financial education (the Desjardins Awards). 
 
In an effort to streamline the submission process, CUNA and the Leagues have collaborated to produce one standardized format and online submission process. Click here to access the online application process.
 
Winners on a state level will be recognized at LCUL's Annual Meeting & Convention July 31 - August 3 and then entered on a national level.
 
Questions? Contact Lacey H. Weaver, Senior VP of Member Engagement.
 
Deadline to submit entries is June 19, 2019.
LCUL's YPN Workshop Surpasses All Expectations; Community Outreach Project, Reverse Crashers Reinforce the WHY

Laughter, tears, and everything in between. That's what went down at LCUL's 8th Annual Young Professionals Workshop, which was held Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 in Lafayette.  

During the two-day event, nearly 100 attendees participated in hands-on, interactive group activities such as icebreakers and roundtables. They learned how to "Rock Your Personal Brand" from motivational speaker Melanie Spring and proper business etiquette from University of Louisiana at Lafayette Career Services. Additionally, a special presentation recognized the dedication of past chair, Michelle Jinks with Access of Louisiana FCU, and Young Professional of the Year, Chad Miller with Southwest Louisiana CU.
 
After attendees put in a full day of work, they took off for a reception at Rock'n'Bowl, which was a great opportunity to network in a fun, casual setting.

"Whether you work on the frontline as a teller or you're a part of the executive management team, workshop attendees have one thing in common: the drive to better understand the movement and the determination to learn how to do our job the best we can," stated Chelsea Gstohl, Pelican State CU and Chair of the YPN Steering Committee.
 
YPN dedicated to community outreach
Throughout the workshop, the network held a bear drive for Barran's Bears, a non-profit organization that collects teddy bears for first responders to use at scenes where children experience domestic violence, car accidents, crime scenes, and other traumatic events. Together, the group donated 150 bears to the initiative! The founder even attended the event to share his positive experience as a lifelong credit union member.
 
Reverse Crashers feel the excitement
For the third year, the YPN hosted six "seasoned" credit union professionals and volunteers over 40 to Reverse CRASH the workshop to impart their wisdom at a roundtable discussions and other touchpoints throughout the workshop. This year's crashers included:
  • Brian Burton - Access of Louisiana
  • Danielle Thibodeaux - LCUL
  • Eddie Vollenweider  - Neighbors FCU
  • Lori Dougrey-Drumwright - Pelican State CU
  • Paige Corcoran - Pelican State CU
  • Pamela Stelly - Maple FCU
A special thanks to those who made the event a success, including those in attendance. Your dedication to the future of the credit union movement was certainly alive and well.
 
Under 40 and interested in joining YPN or know someone at your CU who may be interested? Click here for details!

Protect Your Brand Image: Trademarking Tips from KRP Law Firm
The credit union industry has recently experienced a sharp increase in brand trademark infringement issues.  The growth of online marketing, online searches and mobile applications has expanded marketing opportunities.

The negative side of such exposure is that, where once out-of-state financial institutions had little concern with credit unions, geographic barriers are fading. Credit unions now find themselves competing to protect brand imaging.  The best protection for your brand image can be found in Trademarking.
 
LCUL Strategic Partner Kudulis, Reisinger, and Price offers tips to ensure your credit union develops a strong and long lasting image. For additional information, Megan Thomas with Kudulis, Reisinger and Price.
 

Grant Cycle Open to Help CUs Measure Impact of Financial Health Initiatives
The National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) 2019 grant cycle is open. The Foundation is seeking requests for proposals from credit unions that want to document and measure the impacts of their products and services on member and employee financial health. The deadline for proposal submission is June 30, 2019.  

 
The Foundation will review all applications for each credit union's financial capacity and commitment to improving members' financial health that directly support the stated objectives defined in the above RFP. Total funding of $75,000 is available with a minimum grant request of $10,000.
Professional Development

Essentials of Share Accounts:  Bigger Venue to Meet Your Training Needs! 
When a topic is as essential to your daily operations as Share Account is, we want to make sure we meet the demand for training.

Kristen Tatlock is giving an encore presentation of the highly successful Share Account Workshop she taught in Shreveport in March.  Due to the overhwhelming response and limited seating capacity, we secured a larger space so do not hesitate to register the members of your team that could benefit most from her knowledge. 

This one day workshop will cover:
  • All the Do's and Don'ts of account cards
  • Legal Ownership of Accounts
  • Proper Titling of Individual, Joint and POD accounts
  • Matching Identification & IRS Records
  • Minor Accounts and UTMA
  • What each disclosure is and does
Walk away from this program understanding the need for accuracy and knowing the procedures to ensure it. 

An attendee from the Shreveport session commented   "I enjoyed hearing bits of procedures used by other CUs to better understand the similarities we share and the policies we follow."  Join us to find out for yourself and prevent small mistakes from becoming costly errors.        
 

Have you Heard?

Chad Miller Named LCUL's First Young Professional of the Year
LCUL's Young Professionals Network (YPN) presented Chad Miller (Southwest Louisiana CU) the first Young Professional of the Year Award at its annual workshop.  The event, which united nearly 100 young professionals, took place May 3-4 in Lafayette, Louisiana.
 
The Young Professional of the Year award recognizes an individual 18-40 years of age who has been exceptionally supportive of the Louisiana credit union movement over the past year. They enhance teamwork in the organization, inspiring others as a direct result of their dedication and leadership.
 
From his first role as a loan officer to his current role as COO, Chad has fully embraced the mission and passion as a credit union employee and committee member within YPN. He has earned the CUCE and CCUFC designations and was featured in a recent LCUL publication about his experience as a first time home owner and how he applied his learnings from the CCUFC coursework to the home buying process. 
 
"I am extremely honored and humbled to be recognized as the YP Member of the Year. Being able to be a part of a network that invests directly in our communities through Financial Literacy initiatives with our youth and community projects is truly amazing. Investing directly into Young Professionals by helping organize and implement bootcamps and workshops has been just as rewarding. The YPN has revitalized my passion for credit unions and our members, and I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it," commented Miller.

Quote of the Week:
"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
- Steve Jobs


Educational Calendar
Upcoming Conferences & Seminars from your League:

June 16-18:   LA/MS Volunteer Conference
June 18: Essentials of Share Accounts
June 25-26: ULend Academy

Upcoming Teleconferences & Webinars from your League:

May 16: Hot Issues in Cyber Compliance
May 20: Top 10 Ways to Mitigate ACH Payment Risk
May 21: Evaluating Collateral & Personal Guarantees for Loan Repayment
May 22: Repossession Practices, Compliance & Limitations
May 23: Supervisory Committees: Understanding Expectations & Avoiding Landmines
May 29: ACH Stop Payments vs. Unauthorized Extended Returns: Know the Difference
May 30: Military Lending Act & SCRA: Compliance & Lessons Learned  

For a complete listing of educational opportunities available from LCUL, visit the League website.