The Remarkable Credit Union

The driving philosophy behind the credit union movement is that community assets can—and should—be pooled for everyone's benefit. But is the movement's cooperative ethos still viable within the decidedly non-cooperative environment that defines the broader financial services industry and our economy at large? John Felton, CEO of the Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union (SCFCU), answers that qu...

When Allegiance Credit Union set out to serve the growing Spanish-speaking community in Greater Oklahoma City, they didn't start with a marketing campaign. They started by listening. In this episode of the Remarkable Credit Union Podcast, Christin Vaughn, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Allegiance, shares how years of community organizing, policy changes, and deep relationship-building led to t...

"Wait... is this real?" Most of us have had the unsettling experience of receiving an email, text, or phone call and wondering if we're being scammed. While scams used to come with telltale red flags, they are getting increasingly sophisticated, and even more so with the rise of AI. According to the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, Americans lost more than $20.9 billion to internet fraud alone in...

AEO, GEO, zero-click searches. Amidst all the buzz about the changing search landscape, how do we move forward in a way that is neither too reckless nor too cautious? In this episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast, we sit down with Megan Kenealy, Senior Digital Specialist at Avenue Agency, who works with credit unions and purpose-driven companies on SEO and AI Search, amongst other digital...

In this episode of The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast, I sit down with Randy Ralston, a seasoned entrepreneur and blockchain expert, to explore how credit unions can effectively engage with cryptocurrency in a values-aligned manner. We dive into the evolving landscape of digital assets, discussing the risks of inaction for credit unions, including potential deposit losses and the need to attract...

For younger generations, the notion of depositing a check at a branch is as antiquated as the notion of booking a flight at a travel agency. The financial landscape has evolved dramatically over the last few decades, and credit unions are working hard to keep pace.  Consolidation and growth in the credit union movement have helped some credit unions stay competitive, but at what cost? Do credit un...

The end of another year is upon us. Over the course of 2025, we’ve had the opportunity to speak to a wide range of leaders in the credit union movement, delve deep into trending topics, and stay close to industry news. In our final episode of the year, our co-host Katie Stone, also CEO and Co-Owner at PixelSpoke, takes the guest seat, along with PixelSpoke President and Co-Owner Dave Drouin. Toget...

Perhaps you're getting a little sick of all the AI hype. Perhaps you're totally into all the AI hype. Perhaps you're intrigued, but you're not sure how to leverage AI most effectively. Perhaps you're a skeptic who wishes we could turn back the clock.  No matter how you feel about AI, the truth is, it's here to stay. So how can credit unions best leverage it without sacrificing the "people helping...

We think of finance as a science, not an art. But the truth is, when it comes to our personal finances, money is about so much more than numbers. World-renowned financial wellness expert Manisha Thakor joins us to talk about how our emotions affect our financial decisions, what we can learn about behavior change from Weight Watchers, and what opportunities she sees for credit unions to leverage ou...

According to a survey conducted by Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU), Gen Z doesn't know all that much about credit unions. Perhaps this doesn't come as a surprise, but it's most definitely an issue that the credit union movement must be actively working to address. DCU is setting an example for how to recruit and engage Gen Z members in a way that isn't, as a Gen Z'er might put it, cringe. We sa...

Credit unions have reams of data at their fingertips. They can measure member satisfaction, website traffic, loan and account conversions, market trends, and financial performance. But the one metric credit unions aren’t generally measuring just might be the most important one: member financial health. Andy Bandyopadhyay, Founder and CEO of Attune, would like to change that. Hospitals measure pati...

In this special episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast, we explore the surprising parallels between beloved folk-rock band, The Avett Brothers, and effective strategies for credit union marketing. When our host, Katie Stone, discovered that she isn't the only superfan of The Avett Brothers in the credit union movement, she invited Call Federal Credit Union's Director of Marketing & Financi...

In the midst of what has already been a tumultuous year, the credit union movement was rattled in April by the unexpected firings of NCUA Board Chairs, Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka. There has been a lot of speculation about what this could mean for the future of credit unions and the broader financial services industry. Elizabeth Eurgubian, a current Partner at Atlas Advocacy and the former NCUA D...

To say there is uncertainty in the credit union movement right now is an understatement. The NCUA shake-up has left many feeling… well, a bit shaken up. And though tax exemption and funding for CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) are protected for now, it’s hard to say when “for now” might abruptly end. When compared to concerns about the NCUA and credit union tax status, there ha...

These days, most people automatically think of technology when they think of innovation, but innovation doesn’t require fancy digital bells and whistles. In fact, sometimes the most impactful innovations aren’t about dramatic invention, but rather incremental iteration. Philanthropy is a field that’s rife with opportunities for iteration, and Gloria Dixon, BECU’s Director of Philanthropy and the E...

Between natural disasters, economic volatility, and political chaos, there is a lot to respond to these days. It’s important for credit unions to create contingency plans and prepare for crisis. It’s equally important to escape the reactivity trap by proactively creating opportunities for joy and connection. That’s precisely what Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union has done with 325 Day, an even...

The listeners of this podcast are likely to know that credit unions are financial cooperatives — an identity that some credit unions lean into and others don't talk about much. Amongst the general U.S. population, our understanding of cooperatives is limited, at best. Most people are ill-equipped to distinguish between, say, a consumer co-op, like a credit union, and a worker co-op, like PixelSpok...

What is a micro-interaction, and why should credit unions care? Fintech growth and business transformation strategist Samantha Paxson joins us on The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss how credit unions could benefit from focusing less on big loans and focusing more on daily financial activities.  We talk about how frequently used financial tools and services, like debit cards and P2P...

Many of us have been trained to look outward when it comes to growing companies, whether that means looking to new target markets, potential investors, or evolving trends. But according to Ronaldo Hardy, President & CEO of The National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO), we are missing a crucial step. In episode 106 of The Remarkable Credit Union, Ronaldo talks about wh...

In a heavily regulated industry like financial services, innovation can seem daunting. There are so many regulatory hoops to contend with, not to mention a fierce aversion to risk. But as Jerome Emanuel, Chief Lending Officer at Alternatives Federal Credit Union has discovered, if you focus on solving a proven problem and finding ways to say yes, the doors that end up opening just might surprise y...

In this age of multibillion-dollar credit unions, it can be easy to forget that most started with a small group of people looking to pool their resources.  Well, Jessica Gordon Nembhard is here to remind us. Professor of Community Justice & Social Economic Development in Africana Studies at John Jay College, CUNY and author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative...

Demand for clean energy products is on the rise, and not just from well-to-do Tesla owners. There is also widespread interest and demonstrated need in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. But how can credit unions meet that need? Enter the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program (CCIA), which is currently offering funding to credit unions and other community lenders to deliver gree...

We all know that products are a credit union’s bread and butter, so to speak. But a “product-first” mentality can result in more transactional relationships with your members, not to mention a product mix that may not fully meet their needs. This month, we talked to Alicia Portada, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Lower East Side People’s Credit Union, about how they focus on...

As AI has wriggled its way into more nooks and crannies of our everyday lives, we’ve been hearing quite a bit of chatter about technology versus humanity. We’re not here today to speculate about possible dystopian futures, but we are here to talk about why it’s so important for even the most technologically advanced credit unions to keep the focus on their people.   Chylon Pappas, VP of Corpo...

Welcome to our 100th episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast! We couldn't have asked for a better guest to help us celebrate this milestone—the inimitable Linda Bodie, Chief + Innovator at Element Federal Credit Union. Linda joins us to share some incredible stories from her over 25 years as a leader in the credit union movement, including how Element FCU became the first financial institut...