Tuesday, January 2, 2024

SECU: "In Good Faith"? ... Not Passing Muster Under Anyone's Measure...

  Way passed time to put this one to rest with a simple "I'm sorry, I apologize." Has now festered into a question of reputation, character and leadership... easy to resolve for a true leader. 

[Ms. Brady's quote:

“… Let me be clear on that group of members; 28 of those 32 were SECU retirees,” said Brady. “These were members where Blaine gave them a sheet of paper and said ‘You read this.’ And gave the next one a sheet of paper and said, ‘Now you read this.’ They were holding papers where Blaine gave them talking points. And they were supposed to stand up during the comment section and read their comments.” Brady said she knows for a fact that is what occurred." ]

 ✅ Letter to CEO Leigh Brady - 12/24/2023



Response from the Annual meeting - Julian Hawes  Dec. 24, 2023

Leigh,
I think that we have two different definitions of “good faith” referred to in your response to the comments at the annual meeting. [Ms. Brady's statement: "
My good faith understanding that one party drafted comments for speakers to deliver at our Annual Meeting was incorrect."] Was it “good faith” that I sent two written requests to you for a response only to have them ignored for a couple of weeks?  The only way I could elicit a response was to retain an attorney.  The response came back more as an explaination as to why the remarks were made.  It also included a definition of your responsibilities.  It should have been a heart felt apology without qualifications, straight up, no tip toeing around an admission.  That would have been the easiest and simplest thing to do. As of this date the only response I have had was a call from my attorney after he had a phone conversation with the credit union’s interim general council. The response was to authorize my attorney to send me a copy of Leigh’s letter to the publisher and a copy of the published article.  At least I got a response. 

How many of the 32 speakers received a copy of the response unsolicited?  I can appreciate your responsibilities to the board and the organization; however, I believe your highest priority is to the members above all else.

The more this issue lingers the wider the divide gets and the more it erodes trust.  I’ve had several long term members (non employee) communicate with me concerning the direction of the credit union, its reputation, and its mission. One common thread in all of these conversations is the feeling of the loss of their input for the direction of the credit union.  In addition, they felt that trust was slowly disipating on a daily basis.  One even commented that if we loose groups of members, then all we have left is a second rate bank without anything special to differentiate us from the industry standard.  I believe that to be true.

Thank you for your time.
Julian Hawes




 
✅ From: PLAUT, CATHY <CATHY.PLAUT@ncsecu.org>
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2023 3:22 PM
To: Jeff Hutchins <jeff@jhutchlaw.com>
Subject: SECU - Julian Hawes
 

Hi Jeff –

Thank you for speaking with me today.

I have attached an email that Leigh Brady sent to Frank Diekmann with CU Times and the article that was published. 

Feel free to share these with Mr. Hawes.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Cathy

Cathleen M. Plaut

Interim General Counsel

 

✅ Letter to CEO Brady December 16, 2023 

Ms. Brady,
I understand you have published a retraction to Jean Blaine [see comment below 1/3 @12:37pm], but I have yet to receive a response, retraction nor apology.  If you intend the article to be your only answer, would you please send your response to me and to each speaker personally so that I can be assured all have received it.  If you will do that immediately, I and the others will consider the matter closed.  If not, then I will forward my request to my attorney.

Thank you for prompt attention to this matter.
Respectfully,
Julian Hawes

 ✅ Letter from Lawyer for Mr. Hawes - December 11, 2023


Original letter from Julian Hawes - Speaker at Annual Meeting - October 21, 2023

To: Mr. Chris Ayers, Chairman, 

SECU Board of Directors, October 21, 2023

I am writing this email to request your thoughts on Mrs. Brady’s quote in CUToday about my attending and expressing my concerns as a member/owner.

It is a complete misrepresentation of what transpired. I do admit that I am a 20 year retiree of the credit union and I worked with SECU in Goldsboro for 30 years. I came to the annual meeting to do two things: (1) to support a member/candidate that I have known for 45 years. Mr. Stone has served as an advisory board member and a loan review committee member. I felt that he would provide much needed grass roots perspectives. I do not think that is a crime to support a candidate that would reflect member values.

(2) The second and most important issue was expressing my opposition to risk based lending. Mr. Blaine nor any one else provided me with talking points or agenda sheets. I was talking from 30 years of grass roots experience in the trenches serving members who were economically challenged and primarily low income. Regardless of circumstances, we treated all our members with the same level and quality of service.
As a result of our policies, the credit union developed generational loyalty and trust from our field of membership. Growth occurred as a natural consequence beyond our wildest dreams. We did not need hoards of marketing gurus to spark growth. Our members did it for us. We are now turning on our most vulnerable members with excessive interest rates they can ill afford. Weren’t these the type of members our original board in 1937 was trying to help avoid loan sharks? We are now the sharks.    

One more question. Are we handcuffed from offering our members higher rates because the prior administration violated a cardinal rule of not investing in long term instruments with short term deposits? How much money do we have invested at 2% or less? What would our capital be if we marked to market values these assets? BTW I can get 5% on a daily money market fund backed by treasuries at my broker. If you want A paper, compare our 1.1% to their 5%

I will close by saying all that glitters is not gold. We need to take care of our members already in the tent before we pitch new ones. 

Respectfully submitted 

Julian Hawes 

 

...why not just "Nike" this?... y'know, "Do the Right Thing"?

 

47 comments:

  1. Claudine Gay had the character today.

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  2. 1700 people waiting in the queue!!!

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    Replies
    1. Wish you would send this to the SECU Board with proof...they seem to be oblivious

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    2. I think they know, they just don't care ... JMO
      I mean after an extended weekend the manager or whatever they call themselves now-a-days HAD to know this was about to happen (they knew when I worked there, but those were legacy SVP/VP). The new/new don't care about the employees, they don't care about the members, they don't care about an 85 yr reputation ...

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    3. It has been this way for almost 4 hours.

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  3. The plot thickens... check out the website...SECU is down, down, down.

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    Replies
    1. Bomba is the handbasket to hell.

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    2. he won't be the one fixing it ... the worker bees will get er done!

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  4. That ought to help the call center queue

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  5. Great service Leigh. No need to apologize.

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  6. The Board of Directors MUST resign exclude the newly elected. The CEO should be FIRED. Why the constant deceit, and deception. Step up to the plate and apologize. Do the right thing. Do the GAY thing - and quit already.

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    Replies
    1. Let Mona Moon - mmm312506@gmail.com - the board chair kinow tonight

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    2. and cpl's lackey Ayers. he's familiar with outages cayers13@hotmail.com

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    3. from website " and we apologize for any inconvenience.". That ain't Leigh for sure.

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  7. The culture is rotting and SECU is just the latest casualty. We are run by incompetent people at every turn. There's not a day goes by when I just shake my head and wonder how as a country we got to this place!

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  8. As a former Legacy SECU IT worker who was forced out by the Jim / Josh / Leigh debacle, I have to say that I hurt for those legacy employees who are dealing with the issue. The new 1st Citizens transfers cant fix this, but they will surely cast plenty of blame. Staff shortages (skilled), no support from leadership and those killing themselves will surely be "held accountable" in the end.

    Production issues aren't new, but not knowing how or having the staff to fix them is. The board put us in this position. Reap what you sow.

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    Replies
    1. There’s no staff shortage in IT. They have 800 employees while I haven’t been able to replace an employee I lost a year and a half ago. But hey, at least we have a second website that plagiarizes a slogan from Marshall University.

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    2. It's true IT has blown up, but not with skilled workers. The original commenter said the people from 1st Citizens can't fix this. That's because they are all managers. They do not write or read code. They call vendors and spend money.

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    3. Managers should never be above the work. The best managers we have had at SECU have been willing to cash a check, write a loan, sweep the floor, etc. Anything to help a member

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  9. Honestly believe the powers that should care just don't give a crap. And that starts with Bomba and Brady.

    Let the members eat cake!

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  10. Yes, 1700 members in the queue as of 7:45.

    And the 1-800 not working (seems suspicious). Members getting thru by dialing the branch number.

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  11. I think the biggest issue is all of a sudden we decide we need how many third parties involved in our affairs???? Yes in the past we have had short periods that our system would go down, but was back up. How many times has this new method of handling our affairs caused an issue for the membership in the last 2.5 years???? Seems like to me someone in charge may not be the right man for the job when it comes to decision making. Outside is not always better. Look at the CashApp incident that was OUR fault……need I say more!?!?!? That cost the membership MILLIONS of dollars in charge off accounts and yet we were telling them it was all CashApp when it has been determined……THAT WAS A LIE. The click of one file welcomed a nightmare for employees and who was stuck collecting this…… Member facing employees……

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  12. Thank you, Julian, for shedding light on the true CEO. This morning Home Equity rate is now 6.50% but Money Market is still the same. SECU is continues to fall short of what we were. No big salary cuts or hire freezes from the glass house though- new philosophy - let the branches deal with it they can handle anything to make "us" look good.

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    Replies
    1. Per website, initial interest rate on HOEQ is 7.50%

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    5-, 10-, 15-, 20-year1

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  14. I received my letter from Leigh Brady dated December 21 after Mr. Hutchins, Julian Hawes’ attorney, wrote her. She referred to the CU Today article and apologized for her “misstep in commenting that you were provided remarks by a third party.” That she arrived there in “good faith”. Her remarks give “good faith” and the Credit Union a bad name. Leigh can embarrass herself all she wants, but she is embarrassing the institution and slandering the three newly elected Board Members. Leigh could say “I was wrong. I retract those statements. I apologize to every member who spoke at the annual meeting.” Clean and done. Move on. But Leigh…

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    Replies
    1. I cannot believe how blatantly obvious it is that Poor Leigh doesn't care about the membership, employees, nor the future of our wonderful credit union. It makes me sad to know that we have a President/CEO that is tarnishing the SECU that so many members and hard working employees have built. Thank you, Mrs. Blaine, for your dedication & determination to save OUR SECU!

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    2. LB reaps what she has sown, but the board started all this by hiring Gym ... it's been downhill ever since ... don't let LB take all the fall for the boards decisions! Remember 'they' have stood unanimous with Gym and LB!
      (except the new elected members)

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    3. The board can't hide in the shadows, the light must be shined brightly on those directly involved in this mess!

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    4. Yes flush them out.

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  15. Drain the swamp. Vote these guys out come October. Once they’re out, get Leigh as far away from the Credit Union as possible & take Bomba with her.

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  16. We have to start looking for "our" 4 candidates for the board NOW!!! 4 more in '24!!! This has to be a priority to put SECU back in place for People helping People!

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    Replies
    1. yes 4 more and we have the majority, then the other 4 need to repent and see the light or else just slither away (or be voted out either way is fine with me)!

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  17. This is off subject but. . . Our IT department is outgoing itself. HOW do they print bill pay checks with the WRONG INK??

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    Replies
    1. printing is outsourced ....

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    2. Guess that means Leigh and fellow travelers in sr mgnt aren't responsible. Typical. Another good faith screw up.

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    3. It has gotten so embarrassing having to explain all these screw-ups to our membership. Systems down too often, statements not being received or being received later than they're used to, cashapp mishaps, bill pay screwing up, branches/MSS short staffed/overworked. I feel like we're on a really bad episode of "Candid Camera" - only these situations don't end up being funny nor a joke. The board needs to do better. Poor Leigh needs to do better. God knows employees are doing the best we can with what we have to "work" with.

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    4. "Leigh and fellow travelers in sr mgnt aren't responsible."
      Au Contraire ... 'They' are responsible for everything!!! ... they don't get a "free pass". Not when you make the kind of money THEY do!
      They signed the contracts ...
      Incompetents EVERYWHERE! Birds of a feather flock together ...

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    5. They outsourced the printing of Billpay checks to a third party vendor less than a month ago. Lo and behold, due to an error made by that vendor, we now have a huge issue with potentially TEN THOUSAND invalid billpay checks being sent to payees.

      Didn't take long, huh? And now the MSS employees will habe to work their butts off to mitigate a mess made by some overpaid goon at HQ.

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    6. When does Board become personally liable for hiring senior leaders who are incompetent in good faith? This is costing us millions of dollars. Not funny anymore. We need to class action the Board in good faith.

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    7. I'm in for ten bucks. how many supporters do we need to get an attorney? 7,000 members voted the former idiots out. Will that be enough for a contingency fee?

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    8. Who is going to cover the late fees, credit report issues, and so on now?

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    9. I recall the previous 'legacy' SVP would test each batch of micr ink when it got opened. Guess the new crew of bombastica and Lee Chalk don't want to do all this manual labor. Outsourcing everything so all they have to do is sit around all day in meetings and such, have the free lunches and go home. Add to it, they cannot be blamed now since it has all been outsourced and so it's not their mistake.

      What a shame! Outsourcing everything when it was all working without a hitch for years and providing jobs for our community.

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    10. @9.27 don't forget the big paycheck that goes with it. Unlike the ones who are running ragged trying to answer calls, messages and trying to fix this mess and don't get paid enough or promoted.

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    11. "Who is going to cover the late fees, credit report issues, and so on now?"

      The member/owners ...

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    12. If a legacy employee has caused this blunder, he/she would have been shown the door mercilessly by the Brady bunch. Now that they are the ones who created this mess, who would give them the boot and open the door? That's why it pays to be in a position of power and surrounding yourself with your cronies. You form a tight circle and have each other's back. NOONE can touch you. This explains the explosion of newbies, 1st citizens especially, mostly in the top level jobs.

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  18. Need to come clean on the call center too. Wait time is averaging close to 4 minutes. on a 100,000 calls that means we're wasting around 6,500 hours of the members time each month. And we handle more than 100k calls. P-poor management. Members' time is not important. Poor staffing, poor management, poor leadership, poor Leigh. Hey Board step up.

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