Blog & Resources
Builders and bankers
Are you a builder, or a banker? No, we’re not talking about construction here. Nor would I label a credit union person with “the b-word.” About five years ago, I heard an excellent presentation on leadership by T.D. Jakes....
What’s behind your walls?
Do you ever stop to consider what’s behind your walls? No, I’m not talking about spiders, bugs or ghosts… I’m talking about all of the “stuff” that has to work in order for your house to function well. I don’t think about...
Emerging risks: The “Grexit”
Among the emerging risks that The Rochdale Group monitors are geopolitical threats. These include things like last year’s worries over Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and its forays into Ukraine; the potential threat of a...
2015: The year of the consumer
After several years of intently watching the Fed for clues as to the economy, the markets and interest rates, 2015 will be the year that we can finally take our eyes off the Fed, and focus on the consumer. Think this year...
Twas the night before New Year’s
‘Twas the night before New Year’s, two-thousand-fifteen, A most interesting year on the ERM scene. Consumers were vulnerable to hackers’ reaches, As merchants were “Targets” of broad data breaches. Emerging technologies...
To “wow” your members, you have to “wow” your employees
We hear “Wow!” a lot these days among many of the credit unions we work with, in the context of “Wowing the Member,” or “Wow Member Service.” But here’s a stark truth: you can’t “Wow” your members if you don’t first “Wow”...
Interest Rate Risk
The NCUA is hyper-focused on interest rate risk (IRR). They go so far as to include an “Interest Rate Risk Resources” button on their main webpage that includes, among other items, a video featuring NCUA Chief Economist...
Best Practices in auto lending: Risk vs. Reward
The auto lending arena grows more competitive with each passing year. In a time when the pool of prime borrowers has shrunk significantly, dealers are offering 0% financing to capture a large percentage of new auto...
When good is bad
The latest home price numbers (through May, according to S&P/Case-Shiller) looked pretty solid: the benchmark 20-City Composite measure was up 9.3% year-over-year (YOY). All 20 markets posted gains on an unadjusted...