Blog & Resources
Bon Appetit, credit unions!
It’s that time of year again, when many of us pledge to live a healthier lifestyle. In order to do that, we need to plan our meals according to our appetite – not for how much we can eat, but for how much we should eat in...
Are your people part of your long-term strategy?
It’s that time of year again: strategic planning season! Boards and management teams are busy analyzing, discussing and strategizing for the next three to five – hopefully even ten – years. Discussions revolving around...
Three Questions to Answer when considering launching MBLs
Exploring member business lending (MBLs) during 2016 was one recurring priority I heard during this year’s planning season. As management discussed that proposition, without fail, angst would follow as the credit unions...
What is your credit union’s appetite for risk?
The Rochdale Group’s consultants work with a large number of credit unions of all sizes that are in a variety of stages in implementing Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) programs. One of the most common questions we field in...
When Did “OK” Become the Objective?
Is it the adage of the tortoise (slow and steady wins the race) or is it that mediocrity has become the acceptable norm when it comes to our credit unions? Self-rationalization can be a powerful influencer. Over the years,...
What is this thing called member value?
The notion of member value is a frequent discussion topic as we meet with credit union CEOs, boards and senior management teams. Some credit unions, generally including those that most enthusiastically support the credit...
Enterprise Risk Management and Capital Budgeting
In our last article in this series, we discussed relative differences in risk appetite among builders and bankers. (You will recall that by builders, we mean those leaders who can “build a hot fire from a matchstick,” while...
Builders, bankers and risk aversion
In this, our last installment in a series of articles on builders and bankers, we’ll take a look at the relative attitudes toward risk of each group (and perhaps debunk some misconceptions in the process). You may recall...
Builders, bankers and risk
Our last article, titled “Builders and Bankers,” highlighted the difference in leadership style between builders and bankers, using the analogy of building a hot fire in a wood stove vs. banking the coals to keep the heat...