Making members aware of Credit Union digital products & services is half the battle. Members will use the tools that they know about and when branch hours are limited or eliminated members need to be aware of their options. When people are coming into the branch less frequently, be sure to keep sharing messaging in other ways to keep them aware of your offering.

This global situation is forcing all businesses to make some drastic changes that only weeks ago they wouldn't even consider, and credit unions are certainly not immune. Pending debt is a major topic of concern as more people are struggling to keep their jobs and employers make hard decisions necessary for the continued health of the business. It's a time that requires both shrewd business calculations but also compassion. Part of the credit union difference is a human connection, so that compassion is a call they need to heed. To that end, the NCUA issued guidance encouraging credit unions to work with affected borrowers. One of the suggestions to help is to allow members to defer or skip loan payments, in particular those for open-end credit, like credit cards.

Credit unions have long held a reputation for excellent member retention rates. Members are genuinely loyal to their credit unions. Yet, while they maintain their loyalty in the form of a car loan or mortgage, members are increasingly seeking out different FI's for their primary provider. While historically credit unions have been heavily focused on consumer lending by providing the lowest rates to members, it's time to step out of the past, and look beyond the present. Look beyond the lending department and consider the payments opportunity. In the top 3 US banks, for example, credit cards represent roughly 26 percent of loan volume, whereas for credit unions, cards represent just a little over 6 percent! It's time for CU's to look at how their members' lifestyles and spending habits have evolved, and evolve along with them.

You may try, and you may try, and you may try... but members can't get no satisfaction from a credit card that doesn't offer rewards and easily understood benefits. According to a J.D. Power 2019 Credit Card Satisfaction Study, rewards are what drive member satisfaction with credit cards, as has been the case for several years now. Issuing credit unions have continued to improve upon rewards programs but often struggle to find the right rewards offering for their member base, as well as a simple approach to understanding and redeeming rewards. The same JD Power study found that only 66 percent of members fully grasp their reward program offerings, and only about a third say they completely understood all the benefits available to them.

As if! Compare how members make payments today to how they made payments 25 years ago. In the 1990's, bills were paid primarily through snail mail by check, or perhaps paid in person with cash at a designated payment location. Many people still received traditional paychecks, and it was not uncommon to be stuck behind someone paying for groceries with a paper check. A stolen credit card could be as detrimental to your cash reserves as misplacing a highly valued beanie baby. Whatever! How times have changed.

More and more, members are reliant upon online shopping and payments, just as more and more hackers are targeting the sites where members shop. With the adoption of EMV (chip card) technology, face-to-face payment fraud has lessened. Conversely, digital transaction fraud and online card theft have increased. And while tools such as point-to-point encryption and tokenization are largely in place on e-commerce sites to safeguard buyers and merchants alike, it is important for consumers to be aware of where their data is most vulnerable. When shopping online, certain payment methods may be better than others, depending on the circumstances.

Credit cards are a lucrative industry, and with nearly 40 billion credit card transactions in the US last year, the trend is not expected to stop. Even with economists predicting an overdue economic downturn, volume is still projected to remain high.  A credit card program is a great way to keep members engaged with your products and services, and a rewards program can certainly boost its popularity. You may have cards issued and people using the program, but is the program benefiting both the member and the CU? Here are five best practices for every credit card program in a credit union to help ensure it is running well while offering benefits for members and the CU as a whole:

Credit card programs can be a smart way to grow your credit union, assuming your membership does one important thing: pay. There are many ways your members can make their credit card payments, some methods are more cumbersome and time-consuming than others. Eliminating hurdles to payment is an easy way to ensure your members don't get turned off by the process and pay on time. Here are some popular payment options offered by credit unions.

Members love perks. Feeling like they're getting something extra can be a great incentive to sign up for just about anything. If your credit union offers a credit card,  consider what kind of extras you can offer, in addition to interest rates, that will bring members to you instead of going for their airline miles or rewards credit cards. There is no shortage of reward options, so you need to stand out with a better carrot and stick than the rest. Here are five best practices to make sure your rewards program is a success.

Having knowledgeable and educated members who understand the importance of a good FICO^® Score is immensely beneficial to the overall financial health and well being of both your members and your credit union as a whole. Many members mistakenly assume a "good enough" credit score will ensure that they can get a credit card or approved for a mortgage or auto loan, and that's "okay enough." Especially younger adults, who are just getting used to the burdens of adulthood, won't think twice about being late on a payment, as they don't understand the impact this has on both their short and long term financial health. Your credit union's role in the matter of credit scores is teaching your members that just okay is not okay. Here are some points to hit home with members on why they should pay attention to their credit scores, as well as benefits these bring to your credit union.