Talking Credit Unions with Chris Smith

Apr 24 2024 12

Talking Credit Unions with Chris Smith Podcast artwork

These podcasts aim to communicate topics of interest from the world of credit unions targeted at managers, directors and other activists within the world of credit unions. I'm a long term supporter of credit unions and have served on the board of directors of several credit unions. This is a not for profit venture and my time is donated pro-bono. I am constantly on the look-out for stories and topics of interest to credit unions especially, but not exclusively, in the UK and Ireland. Contact me: [email protected] A contribution to my costs has been made by Swoboda Research Centre and I rely on them for additional distribution and inspiration.

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Credit Unions are ethical...aren't they?

Apr 24 2024 26 mins

Can credit unions truly be the gold standard of ethical finance? Join our enlightening exchange with ethics-man Barry Clavin, as we scrutinize whether these institutions are walking the talk of their cooperative principles. We traverse the complex terrain of credit union ethics, addressing their genuine commitment to these values, and the potential benefits of adopting a unified et

Human touch versus Digital Banking for Credit Unions?

Oct 03 2023 14 mins

Listen to a conversation with George Hofheimer, the advisor and author of "Banking on the Human Scale." As we navigate the challenges that credit unions face in the digital era, George illuminates the path ahead, offering strategic insight into blending technological investments with the human service that defines credit unions. The traditional face-to-face service is not

EDITION 31 - Are credit union members rate tarts?

Jul 24 2023 26 mins

Several responses to this question by credit union leaders:*Rate tart is a term used in banking to describe someone who transfers balances repeatedly, chasing the best possible interest rates on savings. David McAuley, CEO, Donore CU, Ireland " Are our members 'rate tarts'* and leave the credit union, if we pay insufficient dividend? Our members in the main are not b

EDITION 30 - SWOBODA RESEARCH CENTRE - SPRING 2023 UPDATE

Feb 28 2023 23 mins

Paul Jones and Nick Money update us on the wide list of projects, papers and conferences coming up in the next 12 months at the Swoboda Research Centre.Hear about:New credit union lending projectsSustainable credit unionsUpdates on the Governance ManualNew faces at SwobodaJonathon Moore's views on credit unionsTalking Credit Unions with Chris Smith is a regular podcast dedicat

EDITION 29 Employee Salary Advance Schemes are here to stay?

Oct 17 2022 27 mins

This podcast captures the views of some financial services industry commentators on the merits and drawbacks of ESAS (Employee Salary Advance Schemes).Guests on this podcast are:Matt Bland, CEO Co-op Credit Union, UKEmily Trant, head of Impact & Inclusion, WagestreamLindsay Melvin, CEO FlexiwageErik Porter, Wellbeing expertHow a Employee Salary Advance Scheme works:Specialist s

EDITION 28 Credit Unions - did they survive the pandemic?

Mar 31 2022 20 mins

The past two years has been the ultimate stress test for the financial, operational, competitive, and cultural resiliency of credit unions. Leaders have greater depth of insight into the risks facing their credit union and can now better plan for and address those risks, allowing the organisation to focus primarily on longer-term opportunities.Some credit unions are only now emergi

EDITION 26 - MEMBER GAMBLING AND VULNERABILITY

Oct 11 2021 51 mins

This summer saw the publication 'Gambling, Vulnerability and FCA Compliance' (How financial services firms can achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable customers who gamble), by Sharon Collard and Katie Cross at the Bristol University Personal Finance Research Centre. Credit unions are seeing increased levels of gambling activity on members accounts, especially since the

EDITION 27 - Save & Sound Project - Update

Sep 09 2021 18 mins

The Save and Sound project is now looking further afield for more credit union memories. The project wants to make sure that the efforts of people who worked to set up and run credit unions in the early days of the movement are not forgotten. The history of British credit unions is a diverse and inspiring one and the project wants to hear from anyone who was involved with a credit

EDITION 25 - Do credit unions alleviate poverty?

Jul 06 2021 23 mins

The purpose of credit unions is obvious, isn’t it? Well, isn’t it?One of the perceptions about credit unions is that they ‘alleviate poverty’ and I guess many within the Irish & UK credit union movement will accept that perception. I suspect that banks are not perceived as alleviating poverty, by the general public or even bank workers. So, do credit unions alleviate po

EDITION 23 - More Fintech Solutions? CUApps

May 31 2021 23 mins

This is podcast is where I look at another mobile 'app' being currently used by some credit unions.In this edition I talk with the enthusiastic Karen Bennett, CEO of the Merseyside based Enterprise Credit Union, about its fairly recent take up member mobile ‘app’ CUApps. Firstly, I spoke with the two young Scots tech entrepreneurs, Declan McGallagy and Jack Alison who