Insights for Credit Unions from My Visit to the Dominican RepublicPosted by AnnaPeña on March 12, 2013 Guest blog post by Traci Stiles, Business Development Manager, Des Moines Metro Credit Union
While at CoopOriental, I was able to closely observe daily practices, as well as review policies and procedures. I was greatly impressed by CoopOriental’s staff and operations and strongly believe their success can be attributed to four distinct best practices: – Strong relationship with business partners (SEGs) Strong relationship with business partners (SEGs) This works well at CoopOriental because the SEGs know their employees arguably better than the credit union could know them. This is particularly true when it comes to employees’ salary information. Having this insight into borrowers makes it easier for lenders to know if the requested loan amount is reasonable and if the borrower is a good credit risk. The other advantage is that SEGS can guarantee loan repayment to the credit union through employee payroll deductions. Although there are many challenges to making this concept work in the U.S., I do think creating a stronger bond and layer of trust between a credit union and its SEGs is critical. These relationships can offer much less risk in lending. And, SEGs are a great referral source for credit unions, especially when working with the Hispanic community. Going directly to the members This concept could be easily applied to U.S. credit unions with SEGs that are far away from the credit union’s headquarters or SEGs with a large concentration of members in one location. By offering messenger service, credit unions can offer a convenience that other financial institutions don’t offer them, making it easy and affordable to make deposits to their accounts and pay on their loans. Extreme board involvement What this involvement proved to me was the importance of having an active board, one with a deep understanding of the day-to-day operations of the credit union and a willingness to promote the credit union whenever possible. League involvement For 13 days in January 2013, 11 young credit union professionals were selected to participate in the International Credit Union Leadership Program, made possible by a grant from the U.S. State Department, World Council of Credit Unions and the support of the participants’ respective leagues and credit unions. Each was placed in a different credit union or credit union association across the Dominican Republic. From Iowa, Traci Stiles, Business Development Manager at Des Moines Metro Credit Union in Des Moines, Iowa, was placed at the newest credit union in the Dominican Republic, CoopOriental; Erin O’Hern, Compliance Attorney at PolicyWorks, was placed with CoopBUENO; Anna Peña, Client Account Coordinator at Coopera, was placed at COOPACRENE. Highlights from their experience will be shared in a series of blog posts. Leave a comment |
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