Articles
5 Steps to Better Budgeting for 2020
Published in: CU Business The strategic planning season is ramping up and many financial institutions have initiated the process of preparing for 2020 – identifying likely challenges, defining strategic direction, and forecasting the balance sheet and financial...
read moreTaking a Portfolio Level View of Risk Management
Published in: CUNA Finance Council ALM First speaks with credit union portfolio managers regularly about investments. Often, we find that institutional portfolio managers spend the bulk of their time evaluating individual securities and developing an opinion on future...
read moreWhy Your Credit Union’s Investment Process Is Critical Now
Published in: creditunions.com With the fixed-income market pricing for multiple rate cuts in 2019, some of the credit union investors we speak with each day express a need for specific investments or strategies that perform well in a falling rate environment. While...
read moreManaging Risk at a Portfolio Level
Published in: CU Business In our conversations with clients, we often find that depository portfolio managers spend most of their time looking at individual securities and developing an opinion on which way the market will move. ALM First takes the common view held in...
read moreAn Investment Process for Any Rate Environment
Published in: CU Business In response to slower global growth expectations and a more dovish tone from the Fed in 2019, the fixed-income market is now pricing for rate cuts within the next 12 months. As such, some investors have professed a need for specific...
read moreProtect Your Profits with Mortgage Pipeline Hedging
In the increasingly competitive mortgage lending market, every basis point of profitability counts. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the average profit earned per loan originated in 2018 was only $367, a decrease from $711 per loan in 2017. ...
read moreProtect Your Profits with Mortgage Pipeline Hedging
Published in: CU Business In the increasingly competitive mortgage lending market, every basis point of profitability counts. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the average profit earned per loan originated in 2018 was only $367, a decrease from $711 per...
read moreKey Considerations for Your Credit Union’s Investment Process
Published in: CUNA Finance Council A more dovish tone from the Fed, coupled with lower global growth expectations in 2019, have led the fixed-income market to price for rate cuts within the next 12 months. During this period, some credit union investors have expressed...
read moreMore Mergers of Equals on the Horizon
As total merger activity slowed slightly in 2018, with 192 approved consolidations vs. 200 approved by the NCUA the previous year, there seems to be a transition happening within the industry. Larger credit unions with $1B or more in assets are less likely to be...
read moreThe Road to Higher Profits
Banks want to achieve above-average profitability. Profitable growth is a critical element to success as an organization. Long-run commercial viability occurs when an organization delivers value to its constituents in a profitable and sustainable manner. But how do...
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“ALM First” is a brand name for a financial services business conducted by ALM First Group, LLC (“ALM First”) through its wholly owned subsidiaries: ALM First Financial Advisors, LLC (“ALM First Financial Advisors”); ALM First Advisors, LLC (“ALM First Advisors”); and ALM First Analytics, LLC (“ALM First Analytics”). Investment advisory services are offered through ALM First Financial Advisors, an SEC registered investment adviser. Balance sheet advisory services are offered through ALM First Advisors. Financial reporting services, loan introduction services, and other special project services are offered through ALM First Analytics. Neither ALM First nor any of its subsidiaries provide legal, tax, or accounting advice.
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