The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast

The listeners of this podcast are likely to know that credit unions are financial cooperatives — an identity that some credit unions lean into and others don't talk about much. Amongst the general U.S. population, our understanding of cooperatives is limited, at best. Most people are ill-equipped to distinguish between, say, a consumer co-op, like a credit union, and a worker co-op, like PixelSpoke! 

We'd like to change that, and ...

What is a micro-interaction, and why should credit unions care? Fintech growth and business transformation strategist Samantha Paxson joins us on The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss how credit unions could benefit from focusing less on big loans and focusing more on daily financial activities. 

We talk about how frequently used financial tools and services, like debit cards and P2P payments, not...

Many of us have been trained to look outward when it comes to growing companies, whether that means looking to new target markets, potential investors, or evolving trends. But according to Ronaldo Hardy, President & CEO of The National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO), we are missing a crucial step. In episode 106 of The Remarkable Credit Union, Ronaldo talks about why we actually need to start by looking ...

In a heavily regulated industry like financial services, innovation can seem daunting. There are so many regulatory hoops to contend with, not to mention a fierce aversion to risk. But as Jerome Emanuel, Chief Lending Officer at Alternatives Federal Credit Union has discovered, if you focus on solving a proven problem and finding ways to say yes, the doors that end up opening just might surprise you.

Jerome joins us for this month'...

In this age of multibillion-dollar credit unions, it can be easy to forget that most started with a small group of people looking to pool their resources. 

Well, Jessica Gordon Nembhard is here to remind us. Professor of Community Justice & Social Economic Development in Africana Studies at John Jay College, CUNY and author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought a...

Demand for clean energy products is on the rise, and not just from well-to-do Tesla owners. There is also widespread interest and demonstrated need in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. But how can credit unions meet that need?

Enter the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program (CCIA), which is currently offering funding to credit unions and other community lenders to deliver green products, with a focus on the und...

We all know that products are a credit union’s bread and butter, so to speak. But a “product-first” mentality can result in more transactional relationships with your members, not to mention a product mix that may not fully meet their needs.

This month, we talked to Alicia Portada, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Lower East Side People’s Credit Union, about how they focus on following the need, keeping boots ...

As AI has wriggled its way into more nooks and crannies of our everyday lives, we’ve been hearing quite a bit of chatter about technology versus humanity. We’re not here today to speculate about possible dystopian futures, but we are here to talk about why it’s so important for even the most technologically advanced credit unions to keep the focus on their people. 

Chylon Pappas, VP of Corporate & Government Engagement...

Welcome to our 100th episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast! We couldn't have asked for a better guest to help us celebrate this milestone—the inimitable Linda Bodie, Chief + Innovator at Element Federal Credit Union.

Linda joins us to share some incredible stories from her over 25 years as a leader in the credit union movement, including how Element FCU became the first financial institution in the country to offer mobile ...

A shared commitment to serving the financial needs of the underserved has long distinguished credit unions from other financial institutions. In this episode, we talk to Jules Epstein-Hebert, the Director of Membership, Growth, and Partnership at Inclusiv, a nonprofit that has been championing the cause of financial inclusion for 50 years. 

We reflect on the movement over the past five decades and tackle this month’s B...

This is both an exciting and bittersweet episode. After recording 97 episodes of The Remarkable Credit Union, longtime host and PixelSpoke's founder and former CEO, Cameron Madill, joins as a guest to share his top takeaways from his 20 years leading an impact-focused marketing agency for credit unions. Accompanying him is PixelSpoke's new CEO, Katie Stone, who further expounds on leadership lessons she's learned since joining Pixe...

In a movement where large asset sizes have become a badge of honor, Express Credit Union is proud to be small. They believe that their intimate size affords them the opportunity to truly know their members and to pivot quickly when faced with unexpected challenges.

This month, we’re excited to welcome Express Credit Union’s Chief Business Officer, Elizabeth Escobar, to talk about how to meet members where they’re at, what Express h...

Most credit unions have a set of brand guidelines that include dos and don’ts for their color palettes, logos, images, graphics, and copy. But do guidelines like these truly capture the essence of your brand? Allison Netzer, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Nymbus and co-author of Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank, would answer that question with a resounding NO.

Allison joins us on this month’s episode of The Remarkable Credit U...

Credit unions across the country are searching for ways to offer their underserved members pathways to homeownership. But when it comes to affordable housing, it’s clear that bolder action is needed to meaningfully move the needle.

The affordable housing crisis is particularly acute in Seattle, Washington, where home prices increased by over 80% between 2010 and 2020. This month we’re excited to welcome Uche Okezie, Real Estate Dev...

Is “ownership and economic opportunity for all” an idealistic pipe dream, or is it an achievable goal? Self-Help Credit Union would like to think the latter. Its mission statement embodies the credit union’s penchant for thinking big and pushing the boundaries of what credit unions can do and be. 

This month, we’re thrilled to be joined by Randy Chambers, President of Self-Help Credit Union, to talk about ...

Bank collapses, recession forecasts, and rising interest rates, oh my!

If there’s anything we know for certain, it’s that uncertainty is here to stay. As much as we’ve tried to get back to “normal,” the volatility that Covid set in motion seems determined to wreak havoc on our best-laid plans.

This month, we’re excited to welcome Laurie Flanders, VP of Client Solutions at Strum Platform, and Ben Stangland, President & COO of Strum ...

Most credit unions are fiercely committed to their local communities, and we think that’s great. Sometimes, though, it’s important to take a few steps back and broaden our perspective. That’s where the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) comes in.

Today, we’re going to step back with Mike Reuter, the Executive Director of WOCCU’s Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions; Ari Farrell, Program Manager of the World Young Credit Union...

If you’re a credit union marketer who feels like you should be doing more with automation and personalization, but you’re not sure how, you’re not alone.

Kristin Harrison, Director of Business Development for WebStrategies, joins us to talk about why personalization has so much potential for credit unions and why it’s so hard to implement effectively. Here are tips for overcoming common obstacles and ensuring that your personalizat...

The “About” pages on credit union websites are full of stories about humble beginnings—small groups of people getting together to pool their resources. Nueva Esperanza Credit Union has a similar story, but with one crucial difference: It was founded in 2010.

This month, CEO Sue Cuevas shares her inspiring journey, starting with recruiting inaugural members by copying their ID documents with a portable copy machine she kept in the t...