I would appreciate your prayers for a friend.

I would really appreciate any reader’s prayers for my friend Annise. I met Annise through my lending position at the Credit Union 5+ years ago. Annise is the kind of member who has always made my day a little bit brighter and made me laugh more times than I can count. Annise just found out a month ago that she has stage 4 cancer. She is still her happy self and sure that whatever God wants will be what’s best for her. She still makes me smile every time we talk, but when she leaves now I sit and think, “What if that were me?” Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely

 

“Uncoupled” debit cards???

Take a moment to read this post from Doug True and the article that he refernces. I know that this doesn’t have anything to do with CU Indirect Lending (unless you understand that without growing deposits you have no money to lend out!), but it is a threat to the CU business model.

 

The next “big idea”!

Take a minute to read this post on “the next big idea” by Jeff Hardin the CU Communicator (LOVE the name)! Great post! Put your thinking caps on and be sure to leave some ideas!!

 

Branding day!

Here is another great branding post! Take the time to read about Mike Wagner’s $30,000 toothbrush and put in your $.02 on the best way to resolve the situation. Great blogging from Mike!

 

Branding to the next level

Here is a quote that I found extremely interesting! “They [people] are looking for a relationship, whether that’s with an author, an idea, a brand, a product. If you don’t give them that, you’re certainly never going to be able to charge a premium. You’ve got to remember, brands are only invented to charge a premium. That was the purpose of a brand; it didn’t have any other. ‘Recognize me, desire me, have faith in me, trust me, pay more for me.’” by Kevin Roberts the author of Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands. You can read the full interview here. Great Stuff!

 

Hitting the wall

April has been the month where I “hit the wall.” I’ve had two board proposals to prepare, two branches to review loan files from the last year, and our annual line of credit review completed. Sorry for the lack of activity, but things are CRAZY! I am hoping to have some items posted in the next week. If any readers have specific items they would like to hear about, please let me know at tcarnaha at midmocu dot com.

 

Congratulations!

Congratualtions to Devon Callan for starting his blog “Uncertain Trumpets“! Please stop by to check it out. Beautiful site!

 

Contest at Open Source CU

Trey Reeme has a contest running to define what a Credit Union is in 15 words. Prize? $5 at STARBUCKS! I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t use that! Stop by and give it your best shot! http://www.opensourcecu.com/articles/2007/02/26/can-we-define-credit-union-in-15-words

 

Soldiers in the Seats!

One of the great things about working at a Credit Union is the opportunity to help out in the community! If you (or your company) would be interested in helping some SOLDIERS attend a Springfield Cardinals game, please contact Tracy McCord at 573-329-3151 x251. Our Credit Union began this program last year and we were able to fill over 800 seats. Our goal for this year is 2,000 seats. We have worked a deal with the Springfield Cardinals to lower the price to $5.00 per ticket. Any funds donated will go directly to place SOLDIERS in the Seats. Here are some pictures from last years event.

 

Pain triangle

Check out this post by Doug True. http://www.dougtrue.net/articles/2007/02/25/pain-triangle What is the center of your pain triangle? As I commented on his blog, mine is loan yield. Great stuff Doug! Keep it coming!