Articles
Are Derivatives in Your Credit Union’s Toolbox?
Published by CU Business New proposed derivatives rule may offer an opportunity for federally chartered credit unions to gain greater flexibility in managing interest rate risk and making profitable decisions. Last Fall, the NCUA Board of Directors unanimously...
Why rising rates may not be such a bad thing: The fundamentals of depositories
Published by CU Insight We have all heard comments over the years regarding rising interest rates and depositories’ bond portfolios. However, instead of lamenting – “Rates went up and I should have locked in those gains” or “With the ten-year rising am I going to lose...
How to Get the Best of Both Worlds in Your Pre-Fund Plan
Published by CU Business In a year where depositories face ongoing margin pressure, management teams and boardrooms across the country search for alternatives that generate additional profits. In many respects, credit unions may have a more challenging time...
CU Investment Advisors Applaud NCUA’s Proposed Derivative Changes
Published by CU Times Throughout our twenty-five years as advisors to credit unions, we are continually impressed by their true community-oriented strategies. The service and care that they provide to their members is inspiring. At their core, credit unions are in the...
Don’t Fight the Fed– Why Now is a Good Time to Sell Mortgages
Published by Bank Business Selling GSE-eligible mortgages is looking considerably more profitable than it has in years. Lender profitability has skyrocketed according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) performance data and our experience at ALM First Financial...
Why Now is the Time to Develop a Sound Investment Framework
Published by Bank Business Additional stimulus payments, traditional seasonal liquidity trends, lower loan demand and the low-rate environment could challenge financial institutions even further to deploy excess cash effectively in 2021. Fixed income investment...
Six Steps For Evaluating Merger Opportunities Early On
Published by CU Management Use this disciplined approach as opposed to an emotional one to consider the impact of your organization’s options. Over the last decade, the number of credit unions has declined by approximately 30%; however, mergers dwindled during the...
How to Effectively Evaluate Investment Offerings
Published by Bank Business Excess liquidity, net interest margin compression and a low-rate environmenthave made the search for investment yield top of mind for many financial institutions and their investment managers. However, it is critical to remember that simple...
Using Interchange Income to Combat Margin Compression
The year 2020 has caused a significant shift in the way Americans view everyday activities due to COVID-19. Many storefronts have implemented card only policies to slow the spread of the virus. However, the trend of using cards over cash has been tilting more towards...
Credit Union Mergers: 2020 Trends & Outlook
Published by Credit Union Times After years of experience helping credit unions navigate mergers and acquisitions, we have been struck by a unique trend taking place this year due to ongoing uncertainty in the marketplace. Let’s simply call it the “year 2020 effect.”...
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