Tuesday, March 10, 2026

"NewNew" At SECU: The Second Coming.... Half-Ba(n)ked!!!

 https://first10em.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Snake-Oil-Salesman.jpg  

The Promises, Promises New/New Elixer

 ✅ Comment: Anonymous  March 9, 2026 at 4:14 PM

"A very major flaw in this thinking is the notion that you get to choose who you are competing against, when Fintechs, banks, and credit unions market to and come after our members to serve their financial needs on the very same products we offer. We lost 5 billion in deposits a few years back. Where do you suppose that went? If banks got their pro-rata market share they got a lot 3 billion of it. If we had said “hey members. FYI, we don’t compete with banks”. I guess we coulda kept the 3 billion. Is that how that works?

Otherwise just an intellectually lazy comment to say all bankers are poor communicators, or can’t understand a credit union model and mission"

  or later, or whenever! "We'll let you know what you need to know when you need to know.  [..'cause we really have no clue!] 

😎 4:14pm The problem with your analysis is you rarely get your facts right. SECU dropped the $5 billion because we were underpaying the members... SECU looked inept and cheap. Poor management, not a question of competitiveness.

Also seem to overlook that when SECU woke up and returned to paying fair rates, that $5 billion immediately came back. Or hadn't you noticed. If you hadn't noticed, see ""Poor management" above!

The $5 billion didn't come back due to any noticeable new tech or new services recently offered at SECU - nothing much new of note has happened in last 5 years. You're living off the "dinosaur" of which you complain; which is kinda like still living at home in the basement while criticizing your parents! 

Might be time to demonstrate to members there really is some substance to the "new/new"... talk is cheap. (see "Cheap" above as reference). What exactly is the"new/new" going to be whenever you get around to introducing it? 

A bit faster, a little more convenient... or something more substantive like better savings rates, lower loan rates?  What can we expect in the "new/new" afterlife? (that you've been working on for 5 years?) 

Hey, give us a hint... if you can! 

Two other points: 1) It's not the bankers who are failing to understand the credit union model and mission, and 2) there is a tremendous difference between "being competitive" and "competing with".

😎 Not convinced that you know "There is a difference" (see #1 &2)... actually pretty sure you don't... and no fintech or "half-ba(n)ked" vision is going to bail you out.

Bottom line: Not knowing what you're doing - and not knowing you don't ! - has a tendency to metastasize... rather quickly.

 

Sunday, March 8, 2026

A "New/New" CU Leadership Anthem...

 
... and attitude?
 
😎 Q: In credit unions, name three important ideas which start with the letters "me-"?      
A: 1) Me-me, 2) mega-merger, and 3) h-m-m-m... 
 
 
   Sorry, nothing else really comes to my mind!