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To bring you the most up-to-date info, we’ve added “Quick Quips” to the top of the YES Blog.

What are Quick Quips?

Immediate, brief posts from yours truly about what’s going on in real time. This way, we can update you on the goings on without burdening post readers with short updates.

This feature is powered by something called Cover It Live, a really cool application to enhance the live blogging experience for attendees and readers abroad.

Don’t worry, pithy content guaranteed…

Full posts on select sessions and video interviews will be a short scroll away below the Quick Quips box. So, be sure to stay tuned for immediate coverage and in-depth info from CCUC09.

Can you believe we’re only a day + a few hours away from the CCUC09 kickoff!

>Happy Friday blog readers, and good news!

We’ll be featuring several speakers at the upcoming Community Credit Union & Growth Conference as guest bloggers here on the YES CU Blog.

Our guest bloggers will be posting on topics related to their sessions. Look for their posts to be intertwined with regular posts over the next few weeks.

Aren’t you excited!? If you aren’t… WAKE UP! You should be, this is a great way to get more out of the event by starting the conversation early on specific items and issues addressed October 21st – 24th in Las Vegas.

After reading their posts, and other posts here on the blog, you’ll be armed with a better idea of what speakers will talk about. Their posts will get that brain of yours thinking about all that will be discussed at the event and spark your curiosity for more information.

BEFORE, you only had a session description from the event’s Web site or pamphlet.

NOW, you have the opportunity to gain insight and interact with speakers as well as fellow attendees before the event begins!

Got something to say? Ask a question or post your thoughts by submitting a comment at the end of the post. You’ll also have the chance to ask when you attend their session and chat with any of the bloggers you see posting their comments.

It’s the next step in adding value to your attendance at CUNA’s Community Credit Union & Growth conference. So keep your eyes peeled!

>Hey everyone, just a quick update regarding CUNA’s Community Credit Union & Growth Conference coming up in a few weeks.

I just confirmed that we’ll be live blogging the event! We had great success with this at the YES Summit the past few years, and I’m glad we’ll be posting live at CCU&G in October.

Expect timely posts, an interview or two, and hopefully I can squeeze in a few pics and videos as well. It will be a busy time for yours truly, but there’s nothing I can’t handle… I think.

Why live blogging?

Live blogging can never replace actually attending an event, but it does provide a glimpse into what attendees are experiencing. There are a lot of important issues and topics to be discussed, and we’re committed to fostering the conversation throughout the CU movement.

It also enhances the experience of attendees.

How does it enhance an attendee’s experience?

Live blogging greases the wheels for conversation between attendees, either in-person or through commenting on posts. Live blogging also provides access to information an attendee may have missed thanks to a restroom visit or because they chose to attend a different breakout session.

So, keep your eyes peeled and your browser ready while you’re in Las Vegas October 21st – 24th. I’m looking forward to being on-site and adding value to the event… I hope you are too!

>I want to get the conversation started early on another topic addressed at the CUNA Credit Union & Growth conference–how to handle problem loans in the current economy.

Credit Union Magazine continues to be an awesome resource with timely articles and information. The latest cover story, Restructuring Troubled Debt is no exception.

To summarize, the article clarifies that troubled debt restructuring (TDR) is indeed a modified loan, but that not all modified loans are TDRs. The confusion lies with the accounting and regulatory reporting requirements.

“For example, credit unions must report TDRs as delinquent for six on-time, consecutive monthly payments–even if the member pays on time under the modified terms.”

The article explains confusion occurs because NCUA call reports only track modifications where real estate is the collateral, but not modified loans where collateral isn’t real estate. Therefore, many think that only real estate loans qualify for TDR delinquency reporting.

In fact, as Kevin Durrance, EVP/CFO for Georgia Federal Credit Union in Duluth, points out in the article, “The ‘delinquent’ rule that applies to TDRs applies regardless of the underlying collateral.”

Along the same lines, an article on Credit Union Magazine’s Web site discusses loan modifications and how one credit union, Ent Federal Credit Union of Colorado, handles them.

No doubt Matt Davidson’s session, Handling Problem Loans in this Economy, will be one of the hottest sessions at CUNA’s Community Credit Union & Growth conference in October.

Check out the resources above to get a head start.

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I want to share some thoughts relevant to the upcoming Community Credit Union & Growth Conference.

I ran across this article on Reuters which lauds top retail banks–such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citibank–for reaching out to Hispanics. The article–more of a press release, really–discusses how these banks “reach out” by offering things like fully functional sites in Spanish, or translated account applications and statements.

Sure, these are important to serving the needs of certain Hispanics–first generation Hispanics who typically don’t speak English. But this is a far cry from actually reaching out to the demographic.

Why?

In my opinion these efforts are not “reaching out” since a Spanish speaker has to seek out the information in order to access it. Reaching out to a demographic means going out into the community, developing a relationship, building trust, and establishing that your financial institution can meet their needs.

These efforts also seem to leave out second generation Hispanics. Why is this segment of the demographic important?

Many second generation Hispanics are making key family decisions, including the family finances. This role reversal is a fairly common phenomenon among first-and second-generation immigrants according to the 2006-07 CUNA E-Scan and a Filene Research Institute study. Are the banks’ efforts really reaching out to this segment of Hispanics?

The future of credit unions relies–in part–on how we reach emerging markets such as Hispanics. It will be interesting to see what insight attendees can obtain from Lois Kitch’s session on Growing Members One Deposit at a Time and the session Reaching Out to the Largest, Fastest-Growing, Youngest, and Most Underserved Population with Warren Morrow of Coopera Consulting.

And while the efforts of the banks mentioned in the article should be recognized, truly serving the needs of this demographic goes far beyond putting up a Web site in a different language.

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It’s usually about this time of year when plans for the CUNA YES Summit: Serving 18-to-30s were hitting the home stretch. This year, we’re doing something a little different.

Those who attended the 2008 CUNA YES Summit in Tampa will remember that Courtney, Christopher, and I announced YES would change for 2009 to make sure CUNA better serves the needs of credit unions.

So, for 2009, we are combining the YES Summit with two other powerful events–the Reach Out! Conference and the Community Credit Union Conference–to create the CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference.

Why? Given the current economy and that only 15% of eligible members have actually joined a credit union, we want to provide credit unions the power of three events in one to address significant growth opportunities.

How will your credit union better serve emerging markets such as young adults, immigrants, and the underserved in 2010?

Determine the answers for your credit union by attending this year’s CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference from October 21-24, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ok, so what is it? The CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference is for all credit unions that want to better attract and serve emerging markets.Go to community.cuna.org to learn more and register today.

Join your colleagues to:

• Explore growing members one deposit at a time with Lois Kitsch, National Credit Union Foundation;
• Understand how young board members and directors impact credit unions from Ben Rogers, Filene Research Institute;
• Examine community credit union best practices;
• Learn how to reach out to the largest, fastest-growing, youngest, and most under served population with Warren Morrow of Coopera Consulting.

Where does the YES CU Blog fit in? Just like with the YES Summit, we want to start the conversation early by posting about topics and discussing issues addressed at the CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference. Staying on top of these issues and learning more about them at the Conference will increase the impact of the event. It’s also a great way to keep the conversation going and share resources before, during, and after the event.

So, the YES CU Blog lives on and broadens it’s focus.

Oh, and one other cool thing! Check out CURevolution on Twitter. If you participate on Twitter via CURevolution you’ll receive a discount on your CCUC&G registration fee. Learn more here.

And don’t forget to follow the YES CU Blog’s Twitter feed as well!