I got this!
As you know, Local Government Credit Union ventured out into deep water in June with the transition to a new independent model - CIVIC FCU. Everyone held their breath, this was no easy task,
The short-term concern was whether the data/tech conversion of 400,000 member accounts could be effectively managed. Problems are the rule, not the exception in such complex efforts. CIVIC seems to have gotten across that bridge in pretty good order. There were some snafus; and member service complaints soared as "wait times" in the contact centers became measured in hours. That "white-knuckler" hopefully has passed.
The longer-term question is how well CIVIC will fare having abandoned the 275 local branch structure of SECU in favor of the new, " all (almost!) digital" format. Full automation/all digital can be more efficient and perhaps less costly as long as there are no "problems". Unfortunately,... members encounter lots of problems with their finances. Stuff just happens - to all of us.
The experienced, local branch staff has long been recognized as the key to the "highest in nation" service quality ratings SECU received. Local staff were authorized to act "to fix the problems", "make the exception" - on the spot. They were hired to listen, decide how to make it right, and even knew how to be humble and apologize! Members knew they had an ally - and an advocate! - when a problem occurred.
Hard to match that with an algorithm, especially after waiting 30 minutes on hold! SECU experienced a similar collapse in service with the centralization of '"loan decisioning" and collections two years ago - the elevated, multi-million dollar losses in delinquency and charge-offs have yet to recover.
✅ Will be interesting to watch "the service quality" barometer at CIVIC going forward. For now, from the June 30 regulatory reports, here are some "first indicators" on CIVIC:
Assets: Have dropped from over $4 billion to $3.66 billion.
Deposits: Have declined by @$500 million to less than $3 billion, despite good rates.
Loans: Dropped by over $200 million in the last quarter; delinquency is up to @5%.
Membership: Peaked at 407,000 and has now declined to 381,000.
Expenses: Up substantially, as might be expected with the transition.
Net Income: Operating in the red for the last 3 quarters, capital remains strong.
😎 Anyone can "go digital"! In the future, comparing the success of CIVIC vs SECU may be a strong signal as to the value of that SECU branch network.
How important do you think that local branch service is to the SECU membership?
