Headline News

National Foundation Collaborating with Leagues in Response to Recent Disasters; See the Impact of Louisiana Foundation
In response to the California Wildfires and Hurricane Laura, the National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) has been working closely with state credit union foundations and leagues, specifically with the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues, Louisiana Credit Union League, and the Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation to evaluate the disaster relief needs of credit union employees and volunteers.

"From our conversations, California and Louisiana have the greatest need for financial assistance and we are able to meet that need through cash reserves currently held in the Foundation's disaster relief fund. We are working with the leagues and state foundations to get credit union employees back on their feet so they can continue serving members when they need it most," said Hannibal L. Brumskine, CFOO at the National Foundation.

The Foundation has an established disaster relief fund through the CUAid national online fundraising platform that enables the ability to quickly disburse funds to credit union employees and volunteers in need. Because of the collective generosity from the credit union movement in the past, the Foundation's disaster relief fund is able to support the current needs of those impacted by the recent disasters, and we have collectively as a group decided not to activate CUAid for the purpose of soliciting additional donations to fund the needs associated with the current disasters. 

One of the three pillars of the Foundation's work is responding and providing aid in the wake of a natural disaster. Due to the significant damage from Hurricane Laura, the Louisiana Foundation has issued 253 grants to Louisiana credit union employees totaling $135,500.
Save The Date: We're Lunching Local with a Twist!
LCUL will once again be hosting our annual CU Lunch Local initiative in conjunction with International Credit Union Week. This year has thrown plenty of curveballs, so here at the League we are throwing our own. Instead of celebrating the event just for one week, we encourage Louisiana credit unions to participate starting October 1. That's right, CU Lunch Local will be held a little over two weeks (October 1 - October 16) allowing credit unions to give back as much as they can to the communities they serve.

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt by so many local businesses and could take communities years to recover from. We've preached that that every dollar spent makes a difference when it goes to a local business, but this year it couldn't be more true. Let's continue to stand together and help lift our local economy.

More information heading your way in the coming days!
Professional Development

Don't Miss Out on 2 for 1 Virtual Sale: National Call Center Conference

If you've always wanted to attend the National Call Center in Las Vegas, but never had the opportunity, this is your chance. For only $299, two registrants from your credit union can sign up together and take in everything this 3 day conference has to offer virtually. From September 28 - 30th, you'll hear from keynote speakers, participate in peer round table discussions, visit exhibitors showing off the hottest new products on the market and participate in vendor led breakout sessions to help you excel at your job of helping members!  

For more information on this collaboration with the Credit Union Association of New Mexico, click here
IRA Training with Ascensus Going Virtual in October

Ascensus has transitioned their popular IRA Essentials and Advanced training online. Whether you need a refresher course or an introduction to the basics, the IRA Essentials training will give you a solid foundation using exercises to apply information to job related situations. IRA Advanced will build upon your basic IRA knowledge to dig deeper into more complex IRA issues. Registrants can choose either course individually or save by registering the same participant for both sessions.  

For more information, click here.
Member Business Services

MBSC Hosting Webinar on Safe Lending Practices
MBSC Logo
The Member Business Services Council will be hosting a webinar on Safe Lending Practices on September 16 at 11:00 am CDT. 

This impactful webinar will discuss expanding on safe lending practices in the face of the current global pandemic. 
Join the team from Business Alliance Financial Services (BAFS) LLC, as they discusses the means and methods necessary for lenders to preserve their client relationships, manage the enhanced portfolio risks, and help the economy get back on its feet.

Registration is open to members of the Member Business Services Council as well as credit union employees from affiliated credit unions of LCUL and Cornerstone Credit Union League. 

Advance registration is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Condolences

Former Southwest Louisiana CU Board Member and LCUL Board Member Conner Passes
Former LCUL Board Member Tom Conner passed away on September 3 at the age of 73.  Tom dedicated over 47 years in service to the credit union industry as a member and multi-term President of the Board of Southwest Louisiana Credit Union.  In 1995 he was also elected to the Louisiana Credit Union League Board of Directors where he represented the Lake Charles Chapter for 21 years. He served all of his roles dutifully while living by his personal motto of "Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking".SWLACU has ensured that his legacy will live on by inducting him into the LCUL Hall of Fame in 2017 and by recently naming their community room the Thomas A Conner Community Room in his honor.   
Have You Heard

Meritus CU Lends Office Space to Displaced McNeese FCU
Committed to the financial cooperative mission, Meritus Credit Union is offering "office housing" to the McNeese Federal Credit Union staff. Starting Tuesday, September 1st, McNeese Federal Credit Union temporarily set-up shop in the Meritus CU's new annex building in order to promptly serve their members, many facing incredible hardship due to Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. McNeese FCU's office sustained minor damage, but it will take some time before their branch is repaired. This is a perfect match as Meritus Credit Union has ample free space in their new main annex building, just constructed in 2018.

"Meritus Credit Union is beyond willing to open office space for our displaced credit union family," said Connie S. Roy, Meritus Credit Union CEO/President. "The impact of Hurricane Laura is devastating and the last thing our credit union colleagues need to worry about is where they will be able to work. We're hoping this takes a huge burden off of them, so they can focus on their membership, who will need their help desperately. Before, members were having to face financial hardships due to our downturned economy and the pandemic, and now they are faced with losing their homes. We are here for McNeese Federal Credit Union so they can get right back to serving their members."

A team of four, McNeese Federal Credit Union is no stranger to Meritus Credit Union. In fact three of their team members stayed with Meritus Credit Union, at the time called Lafayette Schools Credit Union, during the impact of Hurricane Rita. The whole Meritus Credit Union team welcomes this new credit union staff and encourages McNeese to take all the time they need, as both the branch and staff's homes are in need of repairs.   

Pelican State CU Hosts Virtual #AskPelican Workshop
On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Pelican State Credit Union hosted a free Virtual Financial Wellness Workshop where attendees were invited to have their questions answered live by Pelican's Nationally Certified Credit Counselors.
 
Credit Counselors Nannette Diaz, Lynn Gobert, and April Gomez, as well as Director of Financial Outreach Jessica Sharon, fielded questions from guests beginning at 7:00 pm.
 
The live Q&A was hosted on Zoom and streamed live on Pelican's Facebook page. During registration, the credit union received over 300 registrants and over 180 questions were sent in before and during the live stream-many of which were answered live.
 
Since the live stream, the video has been seen on Facebook over 3,000 times.
Quote of the Week:
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."

Educational Calendar

Upcoming Conferences & Seminars from your League:
Upcoming Teleconferences & Webinars: 

September 10: Cyber Series: Cybersecurity Assessment Tool 2.0 & GLBA Privacy
September 15: Unpack NCUA's Revised 2020 Supervisory Priorities Before Your Next Exam
September 16: Prospecting & the Pandemic: Tools for Success During COVID-19
September 17: Building the Best Possible Board Meeting: From Agenda to Action
September 21: Mortgage Collection & Foreclosure: Best Practices & Tenants' Rights
September 22: Avoiding Costly Mistakes in Calculating Debt Service Coverage
September 23: UCC-1 & UCC-3 Financing Statements Line-by-Line: Filing, Amending & Renewing
September 24: Ag Lending Compliance, Including Industrial Hemp
September 28: CDD Update: New FinCEN FAQs & COVID's Daily Practical Challenges
September 29: Mastering Escrow: Analysis, Rules, Forms & Compliance
September 30: FFIEC Requirements for a Remote Deposit Capture Risk Assessment


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