Session Info and Speaker Bios
2009 Lending Conference
February 11-12
Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, Mt. Pleasant
Session Descriptions
General Session - Wednesday
Lending in Tough Economic Times
Facilitated by Ed Swanson
The question of how credit unions can grow in an increasingly competitive environment is the number one topic credit unions are asking across the nation. Is the roller coaster rate environment, hyper-competition and never-ending loan losses giving you the lending blues? Count on the fact that making loans at credit unions will become more challenging for the next few years, especially in light of some of the financial woes the American consumer is facing today. This thought provoking session will give you specific strategies to compete in today’s difficult economic times and highly competitive lending environment.
Breakout Session - Wednesday
Improving Your Delinquency Numbers - Cost Effective Methods
Facilitated by Ed Swanson
How well do your collectors actually collect money? Are they too busy shuffling papers to actually take the time to collect? In today’s competitive financial services industry your credit union can not afford to overlook this key area of asset management. This session will teach you how to implement a more effective collection effort at your credit union and collect more dollars from your members.
Breakout Session - Wednesday
Youth Lending: Guidelines for Success
Facilitated by Beth Troost and Jim Kirk
Learn how to attract teens to your credit union and help them grow into loyal and responsible life-long members with a youth lending program. MCUL's Beth Troost will facilitate this session to provide inspiration, examples and procedural assistance to create or improve your program. Jim Kirk from University of Michigan Credit Union will then review the newly revised “Youth Loan Manual," which is a document available online through MCUL. All aspects of a successful youth lending program will be reviewed, including education, marketing, and legal/collection issues. A panel discussion will follow to provide specific examples and success stories from credit unions, as well as compliance advice from OFIR to complete the session.
Breakout Session - Wednesday
Indirect Lending - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Facilitated by Ed Swanson
Although credit unions have earned a reputation over the years as the place to turn for a quality auto loan, the industry has a long way to go to grab its fair share of new and used car financing in this increasingly competitive marketplace. Establishing an indirect lending program is one way to try to expand auto lending volume, but even veteran lenders caution that establishing an indirect lending program requires extreme care and ongoing vigilance. This session will discuss the advantages and the caveats that you need to consider before offering a successful indirect lending program at your credit union.
Breakout Session - Wednesday
Foreclosures and Understanding the "Abandonment" Rules"
Facilitated by Dan Morley
This session will discuss the pros and cons of loan workouts as an alternative to bankruptcy foreclosure, and also issues concerning abandonment of real property, both pre- and post-foreclosure. Additionally, there are both state and federal Bills currently being discussed that may affect the foreclosure process. To the extent that any of those Bills pass between now and the date of this event, a portion of this session will likely discuss the impact of those bills on the foreclosure process.
General Session - Thursday
Credit Union Mega-Trends
Facilitated by Tim Harrington
What are the mega-trends in the market place that you need to know about? This session covers major shifts taking place in the financial services market place that you either need to take advantage of or brace your credit union for, such as the massive demographic changes coming in work force and membership to exceptionally aggressive new competitors in the market. You need to know, so you can grow!
Breakout Session - Thursday
Proposed Changes in Reg Z “Truth in Lending”
Facilitated by Kelly Kammer & Robert Zalewski
Regulation Z is already one of the more massive regulations, and it continues to change and grow! Keeping up with changes can be challenging, to say the least. This session begins with a general overview of Regulation Z “Truth in Lending”. We will examine recent changes to Reg Z’s mortgage and advertising requirements and how it may impact your credit union. Available tools and “best practices” to assist with achieving and maintaining compliance will also be discussed.
Breakout Session - Thursday
Financial Statements Made Easy!
Facilitated by Tim Harrington
Understanding financial statements and reports is vital for many people in the credit union, however, many non-financial volunteers and employees do not fully grasp the nature of accounts, relationships between accounts and the importance of critical financial statement elements. This session makes financial statements so simple everyone will come away grasping them as they never did before. Examples are reviewed of the statement of financial condition, income statement, other key reports and key ratios.
Closing General Session - Thursday
Creating a Lending Machine
Facilitated by Tim Harrington
Your members may not be borrowing from you, but they are borrowing. But, from whom? What makes some credit unions highly successful lenders? It is part attitude, part training, part people and part system? This session will share the strategies and tactics of successful lenders to build large and strong loan business. It will look at what they do to see lending from a borrower’s perspective, what they do to constantly improve processes and remove obstacles, and what they do to make loans their reason for existence. After all, we are CREDIT unions. This course will help you see that even in tough lending cycles, somebody is making loans. It might as well be you.
About the Facilitators
 Tim Harrington, CPA
Tim explodes the stereotype of his profession! He's an expert in the field of credit unions, has consulted with several hundred of credit unions from coast to coast and meets with thousands of credit union volunteers and employees throughout the United States. He is a native of Montana and holds a bachelor's of business administration in accounting from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and did his graduate studies at the University of Washington in Seattle.
 Kelly Kammer
Kelly is a compliance consultant for CUcorp and has worked in the credit union industry for 10 years, with leadership and operational experience in accounting, internal audit and compliance. She holds a bachelor's of science in accounting from Minnesota’s Winona State University and is nearing completion of a master's of business administration from Saginaw Valley State University. A certified compliance officer, she also holds certification as an accredited ACH professional.
 Jim Kirk
Jim is the director of community relations for University of Michigan Credit Union and a credit union development educator. He has worked in the credit union movement since 1978 in a wide variety of positions. Jim is a past chairperson of the Michigan Credit Union League’s Family Involvement Council, as well as the past chairperson for the MCUL Bankruptcy Task Force. He believes that one of the best ways to prevent bankruptcy is to educate our youth about personal finance and the wise use of credit. Jim also serves on the executive committee of the Huron Valley Chapter of Credit Unions, the MCUL Government and Political Affairs Forum and the MCUL Community Reinvestment Initiative.
Dan Morley
Dan is an attorney with Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge where he specialized in business and individual planning, banking and finance, as well as real estate. He attended the United States Military Academy and possesses a bachelor's of science from Michigan Technological University and a juris doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and has been admitted to the U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.
 Ed Swanson
Ed is vice president of national accounts with Patelco Credit Union. He is a 25 year veteran of the financial services industry and a 22 year veteran of the credit union industry. He is based in the Chicago area and is responsible for managing and developing business with large national companies, such as Walgreens and CNA UniSource, who seek credit union services for their employees. Ed was formerly a credit union consultant and has helped dozens of institutions across the country to strengthen themselves.
 Beth Troost
MCUL Financial Education Coordinator
Beth Troost is the financial education coordinator for the Michigan Credit Union League and is a certified credit union financial counselor. She provides support, training and resources for financial education for credit union staff and members. Beth also serves as the executive director of the Center for Financial Health, a non-profit certified housing counseling agency. A board member of the Michigan Jump$tart Coalition, Beth also serves as the League’s representative for Money Smart Week, the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) and MSU Extension.
 Robert Zalewski
Robert is a compliance consultant for CUcorp and has worked in the banking industry for over 10 years. He has operational compliance experience with a community bank and a multi-billion dollar financial institution. Robert also worked for 5 years as an associate bank examiner with the U.S. Department of Treasury - Office of Comptroller of the Currency, gaining exposure to small community financial institutions as well as money center banks. He holds a bachelor's of business administration in economics from Eastern Michigan University.
Top |
