Financial Minds: Meet the Experts
Welcome to Vizo Financial Corporate CU's podcast, Financial Minds: Meet the Experts. Our goal with this podcast is to gather experts inside the corporate along with our partners to ask them credit union related questions about what’s going on in the financial industry, as well as relevant questions about the products and services we have to offer. We see this as another way to provide education to our member credit unions through a different platform; one they can access on their drive to work or on their lunch break or whenever they can.
All episodes are available right here on our website and also on Apple Podcast, and make sure to subscribe to our podcast while you’re there so you’re always notified when we release new episodes.
Episode 110 - Economic Update with Scott Wood and Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial
As you’re probably aware, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has its last meeting of 2024 scheduled for next week. To get some expert insight into what could happen at this meeting, Jaime is inviting Scott Wood, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief treasury officer, to the podcast.
They’re chatting about:
- Whether the Fed will lower rates or keep them the same at next week’s meeting
- Economic and market indicators that credit unions should be looking at for 2025
- What the incoming administration could mean for rates in the new year
- The impact of Bank Term Funding Program repayments on liquidity
- The potential for rate cuts throughout 2025
Our two favorite economic gurus provide a LOT of great information in this episode, so make sure to tune in!
Previous Episodes
Season Three
Episode 109 - Leading Vizo Financial Throughout 2024 with Fred Eisel, Vizo Financial
As many of you know, Fred Eisel became Vizo Financial’s president/CEO at the beginning of 2024, following David Brehmer’s retirement. Before transitioning into this new role, Fred served as Vizo Financial’s chief investment officer. After almost a full year of leading Vizo Financial as president/CEO, Jaime and Fred are sitting down this week to take a look back on the successes and challenges of 2024.
They’re discussing:
- Learning opportunities that arose from the transition to president/CEO
- Vizo Finanical’s greatest accomplishments in 2024
- Fred’s leadership style and how that has evolved over his career
- Short-term and long-term goals for the Corporate
As we prepare to close out the year, this episode is a great way to get to know Fred a little bit more and serves as a reminder of all that Vizo Financial has accomplished in 2024 under his leadership.
While the holidays are a joyful occasion for many, it’s important to remember that all of your employees may not celebrate the same holidays. That’s why we should be mindful about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) throughout the holiday season.
To help shed some light on how your organization can be DEIB mindful during the holidays, Jaime is sitting down with Melanie Lambie, senior human resources generalist at Vizo Financial, for this week’s episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts.
They’re discussing:
- The challenges companies face when creating a DEIB environment
- How Vizo Financial creates a sense of belonging during this time of year
- Appropriate ways to wish others well for holidays that you may not celebrate
- Advice for credit unions to consider when creating a DEIB culture during the holiday season
The holidays that we celebrate are important to us for many different reasons, and it’s vital to your organization’s culture that your employees feel empowered and encouraged to celebrate the holidays that are important to them. This episode provides great insight into how to be DEIB mindful this holiday season, so make sure to check it out!
This week, we’re raising awareness about fraud for International Fraud Awareness Week. For the past 24 years, International Fraud Awareness Week has encouraged organizations and individuals alike to be proactive in protecting themselves from bad actors. In honor of this week, Jaime invited Cindy Hagan, VP of compliance and fraud risk, to the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast.
They’re chatting about:
- The different types of fraud that credit unions are encountering
- Some fraud awareness prevention tips
- Ways credit unions can investigate and report fraud
- Policies and procedures that credit unions should have in place to protect their institution and members from fraud
As credit unions, it’s our job to stay up-to-date on the different types of fraud and schemes that are circulating. We encourage you to listen to this episode and share it with your fellow colleagues as a way to stay informed on what’s going on in the world of fraud.
Learn more:
www.ic3.gov
https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/find-help-or-report-abuse
https://www.uspis.gov/report
Last week, Jaime sat down with Mitch Rutledge, co-founder and CEO of Vertice AI, to chat about the new Vertice AI and Vizo Financial partnership and the solution available to credit unions through this partnership. This week, Jaime and Mitch are joined by Rodney May, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief engagement officer, to dive deeper into the partnership between our two organizations.
They’re discussing:
- What led Vizo Financial to seek a partner to help credit unions increase member growth and marketing effectiveness.
- Why Vizo Financial chose Vertice AI as our partner.
- What credit unions can expect from the Vertice AI solution.
- How this partnership benefits the members of Vizo Financial, as well as all credit unions.
- The security measures that are in place to keep credit union data safe.
- And much more!
Tune in to this episode to better understand how and why Vizo Financial ultimately decided to partner with Vertice AI, as well as the value that this solution will bring to our members.
Visit our website and register for our upcoming webinar on November 19:
Vizo Financial Partners with Vertice AI: Unlock Your Credit Union’s Growth Potential by Leveraging AI and Member Analytics!
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Have you heard the news? Vizo Financial has a new partnership with Vertice AI, the leading provider of member growth and marketing effectiveness solutions for credit unions! Through this partnership, your credit union has access to a growth engine that provides AI-based personalization recommendations to grow economic participation and reduce churn. To chat more about this new partnership and solution, Jaime invited Mitch Rutledge, co-founder and CEO of Vertice AI, to the podcast this week.
They’re discussing:
- Who Vertice AI is and what the organization does.
- Their three solutions: Know, Grow and Measure.
- What results credit unions on the solution are seeing in growth and wallet share.
- The role that AI plays in the Vertice AI solution.
We are thrilled about this new partnership, and we know it’ll bring value to our member credit unions. If you’re interested in learning more, make sure to visit our website and register for our upcoming webinar on November 19:
Vizo Financial Partners with Vertice AI: Unlock Your Credit Union’s Growth Potential by Leveraging AI and Member Analytics!
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Happy Wednesday! The November Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is next week, so Jaime invited our two favorite economic gurus to this week’s episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts. She’s sitting down with Scott Wood, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief treasury officer, to chat about what happened at the last FOMC meeting, how the decision to cut rates by 50 basis points surprised economists and how the economy has been impacted by that decision.
They’re also discussing:
- Next week’s meeting and what could unfold.
- The current value of a dollar, and how the third largest expense to the U.S. is the interest on our debt.
- Lending and how it’s affecting credit unions.
- Economic and market indicators that credit unions should be looking at in the upcoming months.
And with the big election coming up next week as well, Jaime, Scott and Tim are exploring how those results and the FOMC’s decision could impact our future economy. This is one episode you don’t want to miss.
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Welcome back to the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast! To continue raising awareness for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Jaime invited John Cuneo, Vizo Financial’s - VP of information security, to the podcast to chat about…well, cybersecurity, of course!
They’re diving into:
- Vizo Financial’s partnership with DefenseStorm, and the value it brings to our members.
- Reasons why credit union members might be opposed to using strong passwords or multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Ways that credit unions can combat fraud and scam attempts against their institution and members.
- Risk Assessments and how they can benefit credit unions.
- The importance of providing security awareness training to all of your employees.
Jaime and John cover some important information in this episode, so make sure to check it out! Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
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It’s an unfortunate reality that fraud, schemes and cyberattacks are on the rise. That’s why awareness and education are vital in protecting our credit unions and members.
Every year since 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been recognized in the month of October. This year, in an effort to help raise awareness, Jaime is sitting down with William Wetherill, chief information security officer for DefenseStorm, to chat about cybersecurity and how credit unions can protect themselves and their members from a variety of schemes and cyberattacks.
Jaime and William are also discussing:
- The tips that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has provided for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
- Ways that credit unions can help protect their membership from fraud and schemes.
- How financial specific malware is targeting mobile apps.
- Educational resources that credit unions can provide to their membership to help them protect themselves from threats.
- Security concerns with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).
This episode is full of important information that credit unions need to know about. Make sure to check it out and stay cybersafe this month and every month going forward. Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
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On the evening of September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend. Throughout the night and into Friday, Helene caused catastrophic damage in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Western North Carolina and even parts of Tennessee.
In the wake of the devastation, many people in these areas were without power for an extended period of time (some of whom still don’t have power), and all roads in Western North Carolina were closed because of flooding, debris and damage — leaving some heavily hit cities and towns only accessible by helicopter. It’s in these places where people, who have lost everything, are also without water, cell phone service and other basic necessities.
On today’s episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is sitting down with Bobbi Grady, foundation executive director for the League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates, and Lauren Whaley, president of the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, to talk about how these two organizations are supporting credit unions and their employees who have been impacted by Helene.
They’re also discussing any long-term plans the two foundations have to help these communities past this initial phase and how others can help – whether through monetary or supply donations.
With so many of our southern credit unions and their employees were devastated by Helene, we encourage everyone who can to support these credit unions during this time. Our industry was built upon people helping people, and it’s time to live out that principle for each other by showing up for our fellow credit unions. Will you join us?
National Credit Union Foundation CUAid
Southeastern Credit Union Foundation
Carolinas Credit Union Foundation
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What is happening in the economy and in the markets right now? That seems to be the big question on everyone’s mind, and to help answer it, Jaime is chatting with one of our favorite economic experts, Scott Wood, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief investment officer.
Since the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting next week, Scott is sharing his thoughts on whether a rate cut is possible at the upcoming meeting, and, if so, whether he believes we’ll see any more cuts in 2024.
They’re also discussing:
- The automobile and mortgage markets and how they’re impacting credit unions.
- Liquidity and how it’s affecting credit unions.
- Economic and market aspects that credit unions should be looking at in the upcoming months.
Scott provides a lot of great insights in this episode, so make sure to give it a listen. And thank you, again, to all of our listeners out there. We’re so grateful for you!
Watch on YouTube |
Last week, Jaime invited Sue Ward-Diorio from the CrossState Credit Union Foundation and three credit union grant recipients to the podcast to chat about the Vizo Financial Empowerment Grants.
This week, the focus on the CU Empowerment Grants Program continues, as Jaime sits down with Lauren Whaley from the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation and three grant recipients — Sarah Bell from Greenville FCU, Kalyn Stowers from TCP FCU and Elizabeth Spell from Summit CU. Lauren is explaining the qualifications needed to receive a grant, how the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation promoted the grants and some positive feedback in response to them. The three recipients are sharing:
- Their credit union’s purpose behind applying for the grant
- How their credit union is utilizing it
- The benefits that the new programs, being funded by the grant, have on the credit union and its members
Lauren, Sarah, Kalyn and Elizabeth are sharing a lot of great information in this episode, so make sure to check it out! And if you’re interested in applying for a CU Empowerment Grant, please reach out to your regional credit union foundation.
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In August of 2023, Vizo Financial pledged $1 million to the CU Empowerment Grants Program, which provides financial empowerment grants to credit unions. This program officially began in September 2023 and included a five-year plan to disperse funds to credit union foundations in order to help natural-person credit unions build financial literacy programs.
It’s officially been a year since the program launched, so to get an update on how it’s going, Jaime invited Sue Ward-Diorio from the CrossState Credit Union Foundation and three credit union grant recipients to the podcast today.
Sue is explaining how the grants work, the qualifications needed to receive a grant and how the CrossState Credit Union Foundation promoted the grants. The three recipients, Angela Barlup from Belco Community CU, Sandra Mullins from Advanced Financial FCU and Erica Wennell from Utilities Employees CU, are sharing:
- The credit union’s purpose behind applying for the grant
- How their credit union is utilizing it
- The benefits that the new programs, being funded by the grant, have on the credit union and its members
This is an info-packed episode that you don’t want to miss, so make sure to check it out. And if you’re interested in applying for a CU Empowerment Grant, please reach out to your regional credit union foundation.
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From the cyberattack on Evolve Bank & Trust in June to the global Crowdstrike issue that affected Microsoft products in July, this past summer was an interesting one for a lot of industries. To chat about these two headliner incidents, Jaime has invited Mike Bechtel, information security engineer for Vizo Financial, to the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast this week.
They’re chatting about why financial industries initially thought the cyberattack on Evolve Bank & Trust was an attack on the Federal Reserve and how the Crowdstrike issue managed to impact multiple industries all across the world. They’re also discussing how credit unions can mitigate situations like these (hint: business continuity plans), as well as how they can protect themselves against future cyberattacks.
Mike provides a lot of great information in this episode, so make sure to check it out!
Watch on YouTube |
There has been no shortage of chatter about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the past year. We’ve heard about ChatGPT, how AI can be used in healthcare and how it’s appearing in various ways on social media. However, one topic that we haven’t heard a lot about is AI and financial institutions.
As you know, all financial institutions are held to certain regulations and standards that make it more difficult for us to incorporate AI in our daily practices. But just because it may be more difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible; nor does it mean that financial institutions can’t use AI in a variety of different ways within the organization.
On today’s episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is sitting down with marketing consultant, Kyrus Keenan Westcott, to talk about how AI can be used at financial institutions, but more specifically, how it can be used in credit union marketing.
Kyrus is explaining:
- How AI is having a positive impact in the financial industry, specifically for credit unions.
- The difference between AI and automation.
- The biggest challenges credit unions are facing with AI marketing integration.
- Some of the benefits of using AI for credit union marketing.
Whether you work in the marketing department for your credit union or a different area, Kyrus provides a lot of great information in this episode, so make sure to tune in!
And if you’re interested in learning more or connecting with Kyrus, check out his website at thevibewithky.com.
Watch on YouTube |
Happy Wednesday! This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is sitting down with Linda White, executive director of Credit Union Women’s Leadership Alliance (CUWLA), to chat about the organization.
Linda started out her credit union career as a teller and worked her way up to becoming CEO before she retired. Shortly after her retirement, she, along with 12 other women, founded CUWLA in 2020. Today, Jaime and Linda are chatting about that journey.
They’re covering:
- The steps the team had to complete to launch the association.
- The mission of CUWLA.
- How someone can become a member of CUWLA.
- Upcoming events and educational opportunities that CUWLA is hosting.
Linda and Jaime cover a lot in this episode, so make sure to tune in! And if you’re interested in joining CUWLA, visit CUWLA.com and click the “Join Now” button!
Did you know that each Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) throughout the U.S. is required to allocate 10 percent of its net earnings to affordable housing? It’s true, according to ShaDonte Butler, community investment relationship manager at the FHLB Atlanta. And because they recognized a need in the market, the FHLB Atlanta actually allocated $100 million to affordable housing programs in 2024.
This week on the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast, Jaime is sitting down with ShaDonte to discuss the different affordable housing programs, how they work and their benefits. They’re also chatting about how the $100 million allocation was separated into different programs and the purpose of each program.
Tune in for this episode to learn about the Affordable Housing Program and how it impacts credit union communities. If your financial institution is interested in participating, contact your Federal Home Loan Bank.
Financial Minds: Meet the Experts is back!
After our summer hiatus, we’re excited to welcome our economic experts — Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief treasury officer, and Scott Wood, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief investment officer — back to the podcast. With the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting next week, Jaime is chatting with Tim and Scott to get their thoughts on if a rate cut is still in the realm of possibility for 2024 and insights on what could happen at the upcoming meeting.
They’re discussing:
- The economic indicators that the Fed may be focusing on prior to the meeting.
- If the FOMC will keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged again for the eighth consecutive meeting.
- The liquidity front and how it’s affecting credit unions.
- The current political climate and how it may affect economic factors.
Make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest economic news by listening to this info-packed episode!
Oh, snap! Vizo Financial's annual Hot Dog Eating Contest is BACK!
On July 18, 2024, Vizo Financial will hold its 11th Annual Virtual Hot Dog Eating Contest to raise funds for Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals at Penn State Health Children's Hospital. To chat about this totally awesome contest and how it helps support the children and families treated at CMN Hospitals, Jaime is sitting down with Vizo Financial's Erin Doan, CMN Hospital's Erika Zaborny-Myers and Miracle Family, Gannon and Jennifer Kupko.
They're discussing:
- The purpose of the hot dog eating contest and why CMN Hospitals was selected as the organization to benefit from the contest.
- How the funds raised in the contest are utilized by CMN Hospitals at Penn State Health Children's Hospital.
- The goals for this year's contest.
- How credit unions can get involved.
- And more!
Gannon and Jennifer Kupko will also share their experience with CMN Hospitals and Penn State Health Children's Hospital, as well as their thoughts on last year's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which they attended as the Miracle Family. This is an epic episode that you won't want to miss!
You know the drill! The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting next week, so Jaime is sitting down with our economic experts, Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief treasury officer, and Scott Wood, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief investment officer, to get their insights on what is happening in the economy and, as a result, what could happen at this upcoming meeting.
In this economic update, they're discussing:
- The indicators that the Fed is looking at in preparation for next week's meeting.
- The 10-year treasury, and if it will go up over the next six months.
- Whether a rate cut is still on the table for this year.
- Liquidity, and if it is still tight at credit unions.
- And so much more!
Scott and Tim are also providing their predictions for what could happen at this meeting, as well as their thoughts on how the current auto and mortgage environment is impacting credit unions.
As always, we invite you to listen in and catch up on all the pertinent economic topics in this info-packed episode!
Credit unions are no strangers to fraud and schemes carried out by bad actors. It's the name of the game in our industry. That's why Jaime invited Frank Serina, chief risk officer at Members 1st FCU, to join the podcast this week to chat about some common schemes that bad actors are currently utilizing.
During this episode, Frank is diving deep into the world of fraud and risk. He's explaining:
- The types of scams he is seeing and how Members 1st FCU helps their members combat these fraudulent attempts.
- Check and card fraud, along with the steps that should be taken to help mitigate these attempts.
- Insider threats and how they could impact credit unions.
- The fraud lifecycle and what that actually means.
- The controls a credit union should have in place to help fight fraud.
- And so much more.
This episode is packed full of important information that your credit union needs to be aware of, so make sure to give it a listen!
Linda Bodie is not only the president/CEO of Element FCU, but also the co-founder of CU Pride, a 2023 Herb Wegner award recipient and a candidate for the West Viriginia 55th district House of Delegates.
It's been quite a journey, and we're excited to hear about it as Jaime chats with Linda about her venture into the political world on this episode of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast. Linda is explaining what motivated her to run for office for the House of Delegates, her goals as a delegate of the district and the four pillars of her campaign. She's also sharing how her time as the president/CEO of Element FCU has prepared her to run for a political position.
Learn more about Linda's candidacy by visiting Bodie4WV.com or visit her Facebook page, Linda Bodie for House. And, of course, enjoy this exciting episode!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm. Finance, marketing, manufacturing, healthcare and ecommerce are just a few industries where AI has become a useful tool. To chat about AI and how it could help financial institutions with fraud concerns, Jaime invited Matthew Peters, chief technology officer at CAI, to the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast.
In this episode, Matthew dives deep into the world of AI, exploring its terms, how it works, its capabilities and limitations and what’s on the horizon for this ever-growing technology. If you have any interest in AI (professionally or personally), this is a great episode to listen to!
You can ask anyone…the economic landscape has changed quite a bit in the past few years. Rate changes, issues with liquidity and maturing loans are all challenges that credit unions may now face when it comes to business lending. That's why Jaime invited Justin Conrey, president/CEO of CU Business Group, to the podcast this week. They're chatting about who CU Business Group (CUBG) is and how they can help credit unions with business lending.
They're also discussing current and upcoming rules, regulations and requirements that credit unions may need to be aware of, as well as how credit unions can get started in the commercial lending space, if they haven't already.
Between legislation and class-action lawsuits, changes are on the horizon for non-sufficient funds (NSFs) and overdraft programs. Some credit unions in Arizona, California, Iowa, New Jersey, New York and Virginia have already received large fines because of overdraft and NSF programs. That's why Jaime invited Jon Weisblatt, VP of corporate and business development at DoubleCheck, to the podcast this week to chat about a solution that could help credit unions avoid these fines and lawsuits, while still generating fee income, and it's called the DoubleCheck Solution.
Jaime and Jon are discussing who DoubleCheck is, how the program works and the benefits that credit unions can receive from utilizing the program. They're also chatting about how credit union members can benefit from the program and the ways in which DoubleCheck can help a credit union manage their reputational and regulatory risks. If you're worried about the future of your credit union's NSF and overdraft programs, this episode is for you!
Welcome back to the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast! Since the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting next week, Jaime invited our economic experts, Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief treasury officer, and Scott Wood, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief investment officer, to the podcast to get their insights on what could happen at this upcoming meeting. They're discussing:
- The economic indicators that could impact the Fed's decision on rates next week.
- What the current auto and mortgage environment looks like.
- The state of liquidity, and if it is still impacting credit unions.
At the last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, the Fed held rates the same. With another meeting scheduled for next week, Jaime invited our economic experts, Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief treasury officer, and Scott Wood, Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief investment officer, to the podcast to get their insights on what could happen at this upcoming meeting. They’re sharing their predictions on whether the Fed will hold rates again, which is widely expected by economists, or whether a potential rate cut could be on the agenda. They’re also chatting about how a rate cut could affect credit unions, their liquidity situations and the overall economy. As always, Jaime, Scott and Tim are covering a variety of pertinent economic topics in this info-packed episode, so make sure to check it out!
Credit unions are no strangers to risks. From business email compromise to fraudulent transactions, we face potential security issues every day. That's why it's critical to make sure your credit union has the right defenses in place to protect your members and your institution from those risks. This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime has invited a leading expert in cybersecurity to the podcast. She's joined by Paige Barry, VP of strategic partnerships at DefenseStorm, to chat about why cybersecurity poses a business problem for credit unions and how DefenseStorm can help. Paige is also sharing a few real-world examples of how DefenseStorms' products and services have been able to protect other organizations.
If you're interested in making cybersecurity a priority at your institution, then this episode is definitely for you!
This week's episode is a bit different than previous episodes because Jaime has invited Mike Bechtel, Vizo Financial's information security engineer, to the podcast to share a real-life credit union security incident.
In this episode, Mike is discussing a business email compromise situation, a growing social engineering tactic, that struck an actual credit union. He's explaining the specifics of the incident, the red flags that should have been caught in the initial email and the training mechanisms that the credit union put into place afterward to prevent an issue like this from happening again.
Make sure to tune into this episode for advice on how to handle and prevent real-world business email compromise situations.
Last week, Jaime invited Stephanie Miracle from the Federal Reserve and Andi Crockett from Vizo Financial/MY CU Services to the podcast to chat about the FedNow® Service, including its features and functionalities, why credit unions should consider utilizing instant payments and some popular use cases of the service.
This week, Jaime is once again joined by Andi, along with Jeff Chelius from Riverfront Federal Credit Union. With the help of Vizo Financial and MY CU Services, Riverfront FCU successfully implemented the FedNow Service at their credit union in December of 2023. In this episode, Jaime, Andi and Jeff are discussing the implementation process, why Riverfront FCU decided to implement this instant payments solution at their credit union and how the service is currently benefiting their members.
If your credit union is considering implementing the FedNow Service, then make sure to tune into this enlightening episode!
The highly anticipated FedNow® Service officially launched in July of 2023. While it's been available for some months now, this new instant payments service inevitably conjures up a lot of questions and unknowns. To help answer some of these questions, Jaime invited Stephanie Miracle from the Federal Reserve and Andi Crockett from Vizo Financial/MY CU Services to the podcast this week.
They're covering a lot of information in this episode, including: what the FedNow Service actually entails, the features and functionalities of it, why credit unions should consider utilizing instant payments and some popular use cases of the service. They're also chatting about how Vizo Financial and MY CU Services can help credit unions implement the FedNow Service at their institutions.
The FedNow Service is the future of payments, so be sure to tune in for this enlightening episode!
The Corporate Transparency Act went into effect on January 1, 2024, and includes a new reporting requirement for financial institutions. To help shed light on this new act, Jaime invited Cindy Hagan, Vizo Financial's VP of compliance and fraud risk, to the podcast this week. They're chatting about what the act is, why it was enacted and who is required to report. They're also discussing the type of information that needs to be included in the report, important filing deadlines and penalties that financial institutions may face if they do not file on time. Don't miss this episode and the important compliance information for credit unions!
Resources:
Happy 2024, and welcome back to the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast. We're so excited to kick off season 3!
With that, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets next week to discuss recent market data and what decisions should be made in order to help keep the economy stable in 2024. To get some insight on what may happen at the meeting, Jaime invited our economic experts, Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief treasury officer, and Scott Wood, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief investment officer, to the podcast this week.
They're sharing their predictions on the Fed's rate moves, including when we might see a potential rate cut. They're also chatting about the Fed's Bank Term Funding Program, the current jobs landscape and the decrease in mortgage rates. Jaime, Scott and Tim are covering a variety of topics in this info-packed episode, so make sure to check it out!
Season Two
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets next week to discuss what's going on in the economy and what decisions should be made in order to help keep the economy stable. To get some insight on what may happen at the meeting, Jaime invited a couple of our economic experts, Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief treasury officer, and Scott Wood, Vizo Financial's SVP/chief investment officer, to the podcast this week.
They're discussing whether the Fed will keep rates the same or if we're in for another rate hike. They're also chatting about how unemployment rates are still affecting credit unions, if the Fed's Bank Term Funding Program will be extended past the March 2024 end date and what market/economic trends credit unions should be watching as we enter into 2024. This is an info-packed episode, so make sure to check it out!
Through decades of service, a financial crisis and a global pandemic, Vizo Financial's president/CEO, David Brehmer, has carried the torch and helped light the way for us during the best and worst of times. As many of you may know, David is retiring at the end of 2023. That's why Jaime is sitting down with him on the podcast this week – to chat about his time in the industry and to honor and celebrate his last month as leader of the Corporate. They're covering everything from the pivotal moment when David knew this movement was where he wanted to spend his career, how the role of corporate credit unions has changed throughout his tenure and the high and low points during his time with credit unions. Help us honor David and his time spent in the credit union world by listening to this very special episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts!
As 2023 is coming to an end, so are the long-tenured careers of many well-respected credit union CEOs. To honor them and gain insight into their time in our industry, Jaime is inviting a few of these individuals to the podcast over the next few weeks.
This week, Jaime sat down with George Nahodil, exiting CEO at Members 1st Federal Credit Union. They’re chatting about George’s pivotal moment when he knew he would spend the rest of his career in the credit union industry, the highlights of his career and what it takes to be the CEO of a credit union. They’re also touching on how the role of credit unions has changed since the beginning of his career. Make sure to tune into this series of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast!
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is inviting Dohnia Dorman from the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) to the podcast. They’re diving into the history and mission of the AACUC, as well as the membership requirements to join the coalition. They’re also discussing the many events the coalition holds and how you can be a part of them. Tune in for this episode and learn more about the AACUC by visiting their website at www.aacuc.org.
Jaime is back this week to talk about credit union grants with Katrina Hayes-Peerman from Virginia State University FCU. Katrina’s credit union recently received the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund (CDRLF): MDI Capacity Building Grant from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). With this grant, the credit union intends to expand their field of membership by purchasing equipment such as laptops so that they can visit areas within their community and be able to sign individuals up for membership from those locations. The credit union also wants to use the funds to build a marketing team, become certified as a Community Development Financial Institution so that they can continue to apply for grants and develop a credit union credit card program to offer to their credit union members.
Grants are beneficial to credit unions of all sizes for a variety of needs, which is why Jaime invited Karen Orie and Sue Tharsh from Hampton Roads Educators Credit Union (HRECU) to the podcast this week to chat about a grant they just recently won. The credit union, which is located in Hampton, Va., received a Digital Services and Cybersecurity grant from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) with the intention to utilize the grant to add additional features to their ATM machines and a chat feature to their website.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting next week, which means Jaime is welcoming Vizo Financial’s SVP/chief treasury officer, Tim Sustak, and SVP/chief investment officer, Scott Wood, to the podcast to get their thoughts on what might happen.
The overarching goal of credit unions everywhere is to help their members reach financial well-being. One way of doing that is through financial literacy programs, which can be beneficial to young children, students, adults and even senior citizens. This week on the podcast, Jaime sat down with another credit union that believes in the power of financial literacy, MC Federal. Jaime and Elba Arenas, president and chief member experience officer for MC Federal, discussed how the credit union provides financial literacy programs to high school students and the important topics they cover in their programs, as well as their accomplishments that led to them winning the Desjardins Adult Financial Education Award.
In July, the Federal Reserve launched the newest instant payment rail, The FedNow® Service. And since there is so much information surrounding this new solution, Jaime wanted to sit down with Andi Crockett, product manager of EFT for Vizo Financial, to talk all about it. They're covering what the FedNow® Service is and how it differs from real time payments (RTP), as well as the features and functionality included in the FedNow® Service and the benefits to credit unions. They're also chatting about why credit unions should utilize this instant payments rail and how Vizo Financial can help them do so. Jaime and Andi cover a lot of information in this episode, so make sure to check it out!
Resources:
The overarching goal of credit unions everywhere is to help their members reach financial well-being. One way of doing that is through financial literacy programs, which can be beneficial to young children, students, adults and even senior citizens.
One credit union that believes this wholeheartedly is TruMark Financial Credit Union. And that’s why Jaime decided to sit down with Chris Woods, VP, corporate social responsibility & government affairs at TruMark, to chat about how the credit union provides financial literacy programs to high school students and the important topics they cover in their programs, as well as other opportunities that TruMark offers to provide financial literacy to its members.
Phishing, vishing and email compromise, among others, are all forms of social engineering attacks, and they are happening to financial institutions of all sizes at alarming rates. On the podcast this week, Jaime is sitting down with Mike Bechtel, information security analyst for Vizo Financial, to discuss these attacks. They’re discovering why credit unions should be aware of social engineering attacks, what information is most sought after in these attacks, how to prepare for them by utilizing the social engineering testing service through Vizo Financial and SO much more. Make sure to check out this episode!
Resources:
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is chatting with Cindy Hagan, Vizo Financial's VP of compliance & fraud risk about elder financial abuse, an increasing concern for many credit unions today. Cindy is explaining what a trusted contact is, how an employee should handle a situation when they have a concern about an elderly member and where credit unions can find resources to help members who may be in trouble. Jaime and Cindy are covering a lot of useful and incredibly relevant information in this episode, so make sure to check it out!
Resources:
Often times, we hear of diversity, equity and inclusion as a group. But this week on the podcast, Jaime is sitting down with Vizo Financial's diversity, equity and inclusion director, Erin Doan, to talk specifically about diversity. What exactly is diversity and how is it different from its counterparts: equity and inclusion? What is the difference between visible and invisible diversity? How can we be intentional to ensure we're hiring a diverse workforce? Jaime and Erin are discussing these questions and more on this week's episode. Make sure to tune in!
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting next week, which means Jaime is welcoming Vizo Financial's SVP/chief treasury officer, Tim Sustak, and SVP/chief investment officer, Scott Wood, to the podcast to get their thoughts on what might happen at the meeting. They're discussing whether the Fed will keep rates the same, like they did in June, or if we're in for another rate hike. They're also chatting about the possibility that rates will end up reaching levels that we haven't seen since 2001 and how that could potentially affect credit unions, how close we are to bringing inflation back to two percent and the current condition of the labor market. Needless to say, Jaime, Scott and Tim are covering a lot in this episode, so make sure to check it out!
Recently, MY CU Services and CU*Answers extended their partnership to offer a new Managed IT Service for credit unions! Today on the podcast, Jaime is sitting down with Matt Sawtell from CU*Answers to chat about this new suite of services. They'll cover a high-level overview of the services, how they'll be of benefit to credit unions and why credit unions should utilize the services through MY CU Services and CU*Answers versus another vendor. Make sure to listen to this episode to learn all about the new Managed IT Services!
To continue the celebration of our 10th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, Jaime is chatting with previous contestants and sponsors today on the podcast. She's chatting with Mike Thomas from Service 1st FCU, Jae Mikalik from Vizo Financial and Trevor Reece from Belco Community CU. Jaime is getting their thoughts on the importance of being a contestant of the Hot Dog Eating Contest, as well as any tips or tricks to competing. She's also finding out why Belco Community CU and Service 1st FCU continue to sponsor the event year after year and how they get employees excited about it. Hot dog, it's a great episode! Check it out and consider supporting the Hot Dog Eating Contest by visiting our donation's page!
July marks our 10th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, and in celebration of this milestone event, Jaime is sitting down with Vizo Financial's Erin Doan, Penn State Health Childrens Hospital's Erika Zaborny-Myers and Miracle Family, Owen and Christi Zeager to chat about this incredible event. They're discussing why the event was created and why Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals was selected as the organization to benefit from it, as well as the partnership between Vizo Financial and CMN's Hospitals at Penn State Health Childrens Hospital. Owen and Christi Zeager will also share their experience at Penn State Health Children's Hospital, what the contest means to them and how this event and others like it help the children served by CMN Hospitals.
This is an episode you won't want to miss! Listen in to their conversation and consider supporting our contest by visiting these sites:
- Event Registration
June is Pride Month, and to celebrate, Jaime is chatting with Linda Bodie, Brandi Stankovic and Zach Christensen from CU Pride. They're talking about the history and mission of CU Pride, as well as how people can join or support the organization. Jaime is also gathering insight on their upcoming events for Pride Month and how you can participate. Make sure to check out this incredible conversation! And Happy Pride Month!
CU Pride: www.cupride.org
CU Pride Membership: www.cupride.org/membership
CU Pride Resource Portal: www.cupride.org/resources
CU Pride Events: www.cupride.space/events.html
With the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting next week, Jaime is welcoming Vizo Financial's SVP/chief treasury officer, Tim Sustak, and SVP/chief investment officer, Scott Wood, to the podcast to get their insights on what's happening in the financial arena. They're chatting about whether the Fed will hold the pause on rates at next week's meeting, how credit unions can prepare for a potential recession and how the recent debt ceiling legislation could affect the financial positioning of the country. This episode is full of pertinent information, so make sure to check it out!
Have you ever wondered about what our employees receive in a benefits package? Now's your chance to find out because Jaime is wrapping up the Credit Union Benefits Packages series this week by sitting down with our very own chief human resources officer, Janice Appleby! In this episode, Jaime is getting Janice's insight on our benefits package. She's asking Janice why we find it important to offer a Wellness Program to our employees, our goal in polling our employees to find out what they want in a package and why it was a priority of ours to offer a safe harbor as well as an impressive 401(k)-matching contribution. Make sure to listen to this episode!
Up next on the Credit Union Benefits Packages series is Leslie Norris from South Carolina FCU. South Carolina FCU has received numerous "best places to work" awards, so Jaime was curious to sit down with them and see what kind of benefits package they offer to their employees. They're discussing what all is included in the credit union's benefits package and why South Carolina FCU found it valuable to include non-traditional benefits in their package, such as adoption assistance, an employee relief fund, treadmill and sit or stand desks and even on-site food vendors. They're also chatting about how the credit union won both Glassdoor Best Places To Work in 2023 and Best Places to Work in South Carolina in 2022 awards. This is an insightful conversation that you won't want to miss!
This week on the podcast, Jaime is continuing the Credit Union Benefit Packages series with Sara Kennedy from Members 1st FCU. Their conversation includes information on what's included in the benefits package at Members 1st, the training programs and advancement opportunities that the credit union offers and why they believe it's important to poll employees to find out what they want from their benefits package. Listen to this episode today!
Jaime is kicking off a new series on the podcast this week that pertains to credit unions of all sizes: employee benefits packages. She's curious to find out how credit unions can structure their benefits packages to hire and retain great employees. Up first in the series is Jesse Kohl from InterLutions. They're chatting about the I-Care program and how it works, as well as how the partnership between InterLutions and Vizo Financial can benefit credit unions. You'll definitely want to tune in for this conversation!
On March 29, 2023, Vizo Financial won Gallup's Exceptional Workplace Award! This prestigious award recognizes the most engaged workplace cultures in the world and has only been presented to a handful of companies. In the latest episode of the Financial Minds podcast, Jaime sits down with Vizo Financial's chief culture officer, Joe Bertotto, and learning and engagement champion, Jeanne Heath, to discuss the purpose of the award and the process of applying for it. They're also chatting about the culture at Vizo Financial and the steps we've taken to set us up to win this award.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting next week, which means that Jaime is sitting down with Vizo Financial's chief credit officer, Tim Sustak, and executive vice president/chief investment officer, Fred Eisel, this week on the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast. She'll be getting their thoughts on if we're looking at another rate increase, if this will be the Fed's final rate increase and if there are warning signs that the U.S. economy is heading for a recession. This episode is full of economical insights, so make sure to check it out!
Jaime is wrapping up the DEI series of the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast this week by speaking with Lena Giakoumopoulos, director for the Global Women's Leadership Network (GWLN). Lena is sharing how the GWLN and the World Council's Young Credit Union Professionals (WYCUP) network help level the playing field for women and young professionals in the credit union industry and why it's important that credit unions encourage their employees to join these types of networking groups aimed at achieving diversification. She's also sharing how the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is supporting some of its partners in Brazil that are doing great work with DEI. Listen to this episode now because it's one you won't want to miss!
Check out these resources from the Global Women's Leadership Network:
- Focus on GWLN membership – Membership helps grow the scholarship program, supports events and learning opportunities for our audiences.
- An updated GWLN pink portal – new items added and more to come. A way to support GWLN at Sister Society meetings.
- GWLN Scholars Announced
- World Council Fellowship – GWLN and WYCUP worked to open applications for two observer roles on the World Council board. The representatives will be announced at the 2023 World Council AGM (July in Vancouver) and the observers will attend three Board meetings with a term ending in July 2024.
- GWLN at 2023 WCUC – For those of you who will be joining us in Vancouver this July, you can find all the WFCU events here.
- 2023 Executive Readiness Summit – November 7-9. Location TBD.
- 2024 WCUC will be jointly with CUNA in Boston, MA from July 21-24, 2024.
Check out the first two episodes in the series, DEI with Erin Doan, Vizo Financial, and DEI with Ciara LaVelle, Pheple FCU.
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is continuing the DEI series by welcoming Ciara LaVelle, the diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Pheple Federal Credit Union. Jaime and Ciara are covering Ciara's DEI journey, why DEI is important to her and how she is leading DEI efforts across Pennsylvania. They're also talking about the DEI efforts at Pheple FCU and the feedback from Pheple FCU employees about the organization's DEI initiatives. Make sure to check out their discussion!
Check out the first episode in the series, DEI with Erin Doan, Vizo Financial.
Welcome back to Financial Minds: Meet the Experts! We're excited to kick off season two of our podcast with a series on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Our first guest in the series is our very own DEI director, Erin Doan. She and Jaime will be chatting about the ways we maintain momentum around our DEI initiatives here at the Corporate, the most difficult part of implementing a DEI program at Vizo Financial and how we represent ourselves as a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization without tokenizing anyone. Listen to this discussion now!
Season One
Jaime is wrapping up the Credit Union Foundations series and the podcast for this year with Mike Reuter, executive director of the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions. Jaime and Mike are discussing how credit unions can support the foundation, their fundraising process and their upcoming goals and objectives, as well as activities and events the foundation has planned for 2023.
Since this is the last episode of 2022, we wanted to extend our appreciation to all of our listeners and supporters for making our very first podcasting year successful! We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have!
Check out these resources from the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions:
- WFCU Website: www.doglobalgood.org
- Ukraine Credit Union Displacement Fund & Impact: https://www.doglobalgood.org/donate/give?s=9#
- Global Women's Leadership Network: www.cuwomen.org
- World Council's Young Credit Union Professionals Program: www.wycup.org
- Global Bridges Engagement Program: www.doglobalgood.org/bridge
Pack your bags…the latest episode in the Credit Union Foundations series is headed south, theoretically speaking! Jaime is continuing the series this week with...you guessed it...the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation. She's chatting with Lauren Whaley, president of the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation to talk about the goals and objectives of the foundation, how the foundation assists credit unions and their members and a few activities the foundation is planning for 2023.
If you're interested, check out the Carolinas Credit Union Impact Report to see just what the foundation is doing for credit unions and the communities it serves!
Last week in the Credit Union Foundations series, Jaime chatted with Leigh Philibosian, director of the Credit Union Foundation of Maryland & The District of Columbia. This week, she's continuing the series by sitting down with Sue Ward-Diorio, executive director of the CrossState Credit Union Foundation. They're discussing how credit unions support the foundation, the role that the foundation plays in raising funds for grants, education and programs and the goals and objectives of the foundation. If your credit union is located in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, make sure to add this episode to your must-listen list!
Jaime is back this week with a new series on credit union foundations. She is sitting down with leaders from the foundations to talk to them about their goals, objectives and role in assisting credit unions. They're also discussing some activities and events the foundations have planned for 2023. To kick off the series, she is chatting with Leigh Philibosian, director of The Credit Union Foundation Of Maryland & The District of Columbia (MD|DC Foundation). Tune in to listen to their discussion!
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and in honor of that, Jaime is sitting down to share with you all the things that she is thankful for in the credit union industry. From the credit union leagues, associations and foundations to our partners and staff here at Vizo Financial, she's reflecting on all the wonderful things that make the credit union industry what it is. Tune in to listen to this special Thanksgiving episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts. And, we hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Implementing a new service or project or even undergoing a conversion can be stressful. But here at Vizo Financial, we've got an incredible implementation team that handles these tasks for our member credit unions. This week on our podcast, Jaime is sitting down with Anita Fonner, Vizo Financial's senior implementation coordinator, to talk about the inner workings of our implementation team. They're chatting about what the team is responsible for, how often they handle conversions for credit unions and who all is involved in the process of these projects. Tune in to get a sneak peek at the intricacies of implementation!
Language and the words we utilize, especially when addressing a group of people, are vital when promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. In order to dive deeper into the world of inclusive language, Jaime invited Jae Mikalik, a Vizo Financial DEI champion, and Erin Doan, Vizo Financial's diversity, equity and inclusion director, to join her this week on the podcast. They're chatting about examples of inclusive language, tips to improve its usage — including when mistakes are made — and how we are promoting all-encompassing language here at Vizo Financial.
With the November Fed meeting next week, Jaime is back with Fred Eisel, Vizo Financial's chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial's chief credit officer, to get their thoughts on the outlook of the economy. They're debating whether we're looking at another rate increase next week, as well as what the December FOMC meeting could look like. They're also sharing recommendations and potential strategies for credit unions facing issues with tightening liquidity in this environment. Tune in to catch their discussion!
So far in our celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we've discussed multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong passwords, as well as recognizing and reporting phishing attempts. This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is joined by information security experts, John Cuneo and Mike Bechtel, to discuss the importance of updating your software. They're diving into how updating software protects the credit union from malware and ransomware and the types of tools available to make those updates easier for your institution. They're also chatting about anti-virus software, including the "Next Generation" software, a entirely new feat in the world of cybersecurity.
We're continuing our Cybersecurity Awareness Month celebration on the Financial Minds: Meet the Experts podcast this week! In the newest episode of this three-week series, Jaime is sitting down with John Cuneo and Keeley Hartman from Vizo Financial's risk department. They're discussing the types of phishing credit unions are seeing, how they're different from spam and the risks of these phishing attempts. They're also explaining how credit unions can protect their staff and members from these schemes, so tune in!
It's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month! And, of course, Jaime is jumping on the awareness train with a three-part series on all things cybersecurity. In the first episode of the series, Jaime is sitting down with Vizo Financial's information security analyst duo, Mike Bechtel and Keeley Hartman. Together, they'll discuss multifactor authentication (MFA) and strong passwords, proper ways to implement them and why they are good lines of defense in the fight for credit union cybersecurity.
Jaime is wrapping up our workplace culture series this week by talking with Joe Bertotto about effective accountability. What's meant by tough love? How can you make accountability conversations more palatable? Moreover, how do these conversations coincide with befriending your employees? Find the answers to all of these questions and more in the last episode of this riveting and insightful series.
Befriending your employees? According to Joe Bertotto, Vizo Financial's chief culture officer, that's the way to go in order to create a caring, cordial work environment and, in turn, boost employee productivity. This week on the podcast, Jaime and Joe are chatting about how managers can break the myth that befriending their employees is wrong and, instead, build relationships and even friendships that will increase overall team morale and productivity.
Vizo Financial's goal is to create a culture that makes employees excited to come to work every day. With this goal in mind, Jaime is beginning a new series this week all about… you guessed it… workplace culture. And who better to join her for this three-week series than Vizo Financial's chief culture officer, Joe Bertotto! Jaime and Joe are kicking off this series by talking about how to mold a job to suit a person's strengths and the benefits of finding that perfect fit.
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is joined by Cindy Hagan, Vizo Financial's compliance and fraud risk director, and Tarah Sweigart, Vizo Financial's payments risk analyst, to discuss wire fraud. Tarah and Cindy explain what wire fraud entails, the different types of wire fraud and how to help prevent it from occurring in the first place. They also discuss the steps a credit union should follow when they realize a fraudulent wire has been initiated.
Financial literacy is a familiar phrase that is often utilized a lot in society, but what about financial wellbeing? Jaime is sitting down with Lori Timm from Allegacy FCU to discuss the term financial wellbeing and how Allegacy promotes holistic wellbeing both internally and externally. They're also chatting about how Allegacy turns ideas into action to improve the financial wellbeing of their members, as well as recommendations Allegacy has for other credit unions that are beginning the journey of creating a dynamic financial wellbeing program within their organizations.
After taking a short hiatus, Jaime is back with Fred Eisel, Vizo Financial's chief investment officer, and Tim Sustak, Vizo Financial's chief credit officer, to get their thoughts on the current economic outlook. They're chatting about how the housing market recession will impact credit unions, whether inflation will continue to show signs of easing and the effect of higher interest rates on credit union lending. They're also debating whether or not they believe the Fed will raise rates another 75 basis points at their next meeting in September.
Jaime is wrapping up the Credit Union Leagues series of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts this week with Patrick Conway, president/CEO of the CrossState Credit Union Association. They're sitting down to discuss challenges that credit unions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are facing and how the CrossState Credit Union Association is helping these credit unions overcome these challenges. They are also chatting about Patrick's vision for the future of the CrossState Credit Union Association.
Staffing, recruitment, retention, remote work, technology and cryptocurrency are all obstacles that credit unions in the Carolinas are facing. And this week, in another episode of the Credit Union Leagues series of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is welcoming Dan Schline, president/CEO of the Carolinas Credit Union League (CCUL), to discuss these obstacles and how the CCUL is helping Carolina credit unions overcome them. They'll also discuss what the league is currently focused on and other issues that they are trying to address with policymakers.
Calling all Virginia credit unions…this one is for you! Jaime is continuing the Credit Union Leagues series this week by chatting with Carrie Hunt, president/CEO of the Virginia Credit Union League. In this episode, Jaime and Carrie sit down to talk about the challenges facing credit unions in Virginia and how the league is helping Virginia credit unions overcome some of these challenges. They'll also discuss Carrie's vision for the future of the Virginia Credit Union League.
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is launching a new series - Credit Union Leagues. In this series, she'll sit down with leaders from different credit union leagues to talk about challenges that credit unions are facing, how the different leagues are helping credit unions overcome these challenges and other issues the leagues are trying to address with policymakers. First up in the series is John Bratsakis, president/CEO of the MD|DC Credit Union Association.
Every credit union needs a core processing system; it's a simple fact. But choosing and converting to a new core processing system is anything but simple. This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is sitting down with Rodney May, Vizo Financial's chief engagement officer, to talk about the mistakes credit unions can make when deciding upon a core provider and how they can avoid pitfalls of hidden fees and added costs. They'll also discuss things to keep in mind when balancing the need to find a core system that will grow with the credit union without hurting their bottom line.
Happy six months!! Every week for the past six months, Jaime has had the pleasure of sitting down with an expert in the financial industry to talk about topics that affect our favorite people, YOU! We're so grateful to all of our listeners and those who tune in on a weekly basis, and we are thrilled for what we have planned for the next six months. In this special episode, Jaime is discussing our podcast journey thus far, our future plans, resources and education that we have available for credit unions and the much anticipated #ILoveMyCreditUnion Day on July 29! We hope you enjoy this episode and our podcast so far, and once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for tuning in every week.
Do you have suggestions for podcast episodes? Email us at marketing@vfccu.org and tell us. We hope you'll join us in participating in #ILoveMyCreditUnion Day. You can find tons of resources at www.ilovemycreditunion.social.
The key to driving employee engagement levels is not only ensuring that you promote the right people into management, but also training them to meet the varying needs of their employees. So, this week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is chatting with Joe Bertotto, Vizo Financial's chief culture officer, to discuss what the term engagement actually entails, the barriers to employee engagement and why credit unions should invest time and resources in actively engaging their employees.
There are so many questions going through everyone's mind regarding the state of the economy. Are we moving towards a recession, or will the Fed lead us into a recession? When will inflation go down? Will the next Fed rate hike be 75-basis points again? To help answer some of your burning questions, Jaime Agostino, host of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, is sitting down with Vizo Financial's chief investment officer, Fred Eisel, and chief credit officer, Tim Sustak, to get their thoughts on the current economic outlook.
Elders in society can be susceptible to abuse and manipulation in many aspects of their lives, but this week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, we're discussing how they can become the victims of financial exploitation. Jaime is joined by Cindy Hagan, Vizo Financial's compliance and fraud risk director, to talk about who is at risk for elder financial abuse, the different types of elder financial abuse and what financial institutions can do when they believe a member is being financially abused.
What is project management office (PMO)? How can credit unions create a PMO team? And furthermore, how does having a project management team help your organization? During the latest episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is sitting down with Chris Dowhower, Vizo Financial's project management director, to dive into these questions and more on the power of PMO.
If you've ever wondered about the Credit Union Development Education, or DE, program, then this latest episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts is for you! Jaime is joined by Chad Helminak, director of programs and impact for the National Credit Union Foundation, to chat about why people should attend the DE program, the impact the DE program has had on past participants and how you can register for the program.
Great innovations come from asking the right questions, and Jaime is doing just that in the latest episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts. She's sitting down with Jeff Stoner, Vizo Financial's chief strategy and information technology officer, and Brent Shaffer, Vizo Financial's product strategy and development director, to talk about – you guessed it! – innovation. They'll discuss how to make sure promising new ideas aren't prematurely shot down and how to assemble cross-functional teams to drive innovation. They'll also chat about how innovation is fostered here at Vizo Financial!
Jaime and Jeanne are wrapping up our three-week series on CU Onboarding this week with a discussion on measuring the success of your credit union's onboarding program. Join them as they chat about how to evaluate the impact of an onboarding program, the benefits of the program for employees and – finally! – the secret to a good onboarding program.
Jaime and Jeanne are back for episode two of the three-week series: CU Onboarding. In this episode, they're discussing how credit unions can begin building an onboarding program and how they can keep it updated and relevant. They also talk about how to keep new employees interested in all the activities in an onboarding program without overwhelming them, as well as some highlights from Vizo Financial's onboarding programs.
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is joined by Jeanne Heath, Vizo Financial's learning and engagement champion, for a new three-week series on credit union onboarding. In the first episode, they're covering the basics of onboarding with these questions: What's the difference between onboarding and orientation? What are the necessary components of a good onboarding program? How does an onboarding program set a new employee up for success? Find the answers to these great questions and more by joining Jaime and Jeanne for this discussion!
A corporate account manager is indispensable to credit unions, which is why Jaime is sitting down with three of Vizo Financial's corporate account managers in our latest episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts. In this episode, Jaime is talking with Ty Snavely, Steve Houser and Joe Reiner about their role within the corporate and why it's beneficial for member credit unions to have a corporate account manager. They're also discussing the new expanded relationship meetings that Vizo Financial is now offering to members and how these meetings will provide greater value to credit unions.
Vizo Financial is proud to be participating in the pilot program for the FedNow service. And to talk about the FedNow service and instant payments, Jaime is joined by Mike Moyer, Vizo Financial's senior application analyst and project specialist. They're discussing the different types of instant payments, what features will be available to Vizo Financial's members when the FedNow service launches and how credit unions can get ready for the FedNow service.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was added as the eighth cooperative principle within the last few years and has since transformed the way Vizo Financial operates. In our latest podcast, Jaime is talking with Erin Doan, Vizo Financial's diversity, equity and inclusion director, about the steps Vizo Financial took to begin our DEI efforts. They'll discuss how the DEI program at Vizo Financial has impacted the organization and strategies on how credit unions can have the hard conversations concerning DEI at their credit unions.
Jaime is finishing up our four-week series dedicated to CU Security this week by chatting with Mike Bechtel, information security analyst at Vizo Financial, about email safety. During this conversation, they're covering why email is a popular target for bad actors, the difference between phishing, spear phishing and whaling and how credit unions can be prepared to combat these email attacks.
This week, we are continuing our four-week series on CU Security with a discussion surrounding multifactor and two-factor authentication! In this episode, Jaime talks with Robert Gentry, information security analyst at Vizo Financial. They're chatting about the key difference between multifactor authentication and two-factor authentication, which method is the most secure and if these methods are secure enough to protect credit unions from bad actors.
Welcome back to our four-week series on CU Security! In this episode, Jaime sits down with John Cuneo, Vizo Financial's information security director. They're chatting about the Log4j vulnerability discovered just before the end of 2021, what the term "Zero-Day Vulnerability" means, how these vulnerabilities are discovered and how credit unions can be prepared to combat these attacks.
Security and risk are two issues that constantly impact credit unions. Join Jaime for Financial Minds: Meet the Experts as she begins a new four-week series on CU Security. In the first episode of this series, she interviews Lori Gall, Vizo Financial's chief risk officer, to chat about business email compromise, how credit unions can mitigate this risk and her take on NCUA guidance issued in October of 2021.
This week on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is joined by Vizo Financial's compliance and fraud risk director, Cindy Hagan. They're chatting about a topic that is incredibly significant and ever changing in the financial industry: compliance. They'll discuss the recent sanctions being imposed on Russia and a credit union's role in regard to these sanctions, what 314(a) refers to and reports like Currency Transaction Reports and Suspicious Activity Reports.
There are a lot of moving parts going on in the economy right now with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, inflation and the Fed hikes coming this month. Jaime Agostino, host of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, is sitting down with Vizo Financial's chief investment officer, Fred Eisel, and chief credit officer, Tim Sustak, to talk about the state of the economy. They'll discuss how inflation and the tensions between Ukraine and Russia could impact the U.S. economy and credit unions, as well as other key economic factors credit unions should be looking at as a whole.
This week, on Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime is sitting down with Joel Schwartz, founder and co-CEO at DoubleCheck Solutions, to discuss a hot topic in the financial industry right now: non-sufficient funds (NSF) and overdraft fees. During this conversation, they'll talk about how the DoubleCheck program works, the implementation process for it and how credit unions can benefit from the program, regardless of whether they want to keep their current NSF and overdraft process the same or completely change it!
Welcome back to our four-week series on the Evolution of Credit Unions! In this episode, Jaime wraps up the series by joining Ron Longley, director of hybrid infrastructure, and Jared Ness, account executive, with Arraya Solutions to talk about information technology. They'll discuss the biggest information technology issues facing credit unions today, how information technology is changing the financial landscape in 2022 and how credit unions can stay on top of new technologies.
This week, we are continuing our four-week series on the Evolution of Credit Unions with a discussion surrounding credit union security! In this episode, Jaime talks with Mike Bechtel, information security analyst at Vizo Financial. They're chatting about all things security, like how the security needs of credit unions have changed in the past two decades, what security concerns credit unions are facing today and best practices for an all-inclusive credit union security setup.
Welcome back to our four-week series on the Evolution of Credit Unions! In this episode, Jaime talks with Dave DeFazio, partner at StrategyCorps. They'll discuss how fintech is transforming the financial industry and the way members are looking to meet their financial needs, as well as how implementing newer financial technologies can help credit unions evolve and stay competitive.
The landscape of payments is constantly evolving, and credit unions are having to adapt as members continue pushing the movement for faster payments. Join Jaime for Financial Minds: Meet the Experts as she begins a four-week series on the Evolution of Credit Unions. In the first episode of this series, she interviews Eric Dotson, executive vice president of Aptys Solutions, to chat about faster payments, how they have evolved over the past 25 years and the most popular forms of faster payments we can expect to see in 2022.
There's been a lot of talk about the new current expected credit loss (CECL) model recently because the January 1, 2023, deadline to adopt the model is quickly approaching. Join Jaime as she interviews Michael Umscheid, president/CEO of ARCSys, in the latest episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts. During this episode, they'll discuss the benefits that the ARCSys CECL solution provides to credit unions and why it is so imperative to start the implementation process now as opposed to waiting and ultimately facing additional challenges.
CUaxis is a credit union core community that offers a plethora of benefits to its members, including a robust core processing system that meets the varied needs of credit unions. In this episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts, Jaime interviews Rodney May, chief engagement officer for Vizo Financial, and Scott Collins, EVP, national sales and marketplace relationships with CU*Answers. They'll discuss the benefits the CUaxis community offers credit unions and how the partnership between CUaxis and CU*Answers results in a state-of-the-art core processing system available to members in this one-of-a-kind community.
THE PREMIERE EPISODE IS HERE!
From cyberattacks to excess liquidity, the new year is bound to bring new challenges for credit unions. Being prepared, though, and having a trusted partner will help make navigating these challenges a little easier. Join Jaime Agostino, marketing and business development director of Vizo Financial, for our very first episode of Financial Minds: Meet the Experts! In the episode, she interviews David Brehmer, president/CEO of Vizo Financial, to talk about the challenges that credit unions and the Corporate could face in 2022 and how Vizo Financial is able to assist credit unions when facing these challenges.