Conference Agenda

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The Annual Strategic Lending Conference is full of timely sessions packed with fresh ideas and innovative solutions to the issues facing today’s credit unions.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Schedule subject to change. Registered guests are welcome during these (GP) credit union conference events.

Earn 12 CPE credits while attending this conference.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Conference Registration

1:00 - 1:15 p.m.

Opening Remarks

1:15 - 2:15 p.m.

Winning with Direct Auto Lending in a Competitive Lending Space

Don Arkell, Senior Consultant, CU Lending Advice

Are you looking for a way to lower your concentration of Indirect Auto Loans? Credit unions originate 25% of all auto loans in the country. Auto lending is at the core of credit union lending. In this session you will hear case studies from top performing credit unions that have eliminated or greatly reduced their reliance on Indirect Auto Lending. You donʼt want to miss this session:

• Pros and cons of indirect lending

• Profitability analysis

• Increasing member relationships

• Removing the friction in the auto loan transaction

2:15 - 2:30 p.m.

Networking/Refreshment Break

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

How to Get to and Stay at Your Preferred Loan to Share Ratio - Permanently!

Walt Agius, CEO, CU Sol, LLC/CU Lending Edge

While everyone is at least familiar with the term and presumably the concept of loan participations, credit unions have not taken full advantage of the regulatory and market opportunities to build and maintain a regional/national consumer loan generation and participation CUSO. While participation models abound on the Member Business Loan (MBL) side of the business, the fact remains that your bread & butter loans (and primary income) are derived from standard consumer vehicle and other non-secured loans.

In this session, weʼll explore the ins and outs and key benefits and opportunities, as well as make the case for developing and managing a CUSO for the sole purpose of generating a constant flow of quality loans, with originations & servicing that can compete even with the big guys . . . major banks, finance companies, and even the financial captives.

If you want to walk away with a solid CUSO opportunity – you will not want to miss this session.

3:30 - 3:45 p.m.

Day in Review

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. (GP)

Welcome Reception

Enjoy cocktails, light dining & valuable networking opportunities with credit union leaders from across the country, their guests and “The Ones in Red”!

CU Conferences is grateful for the support of its sponsor, OM Financial, and would like to thank them for co-sponsoring the reception. Learn more about OM Financial.

Friday, July 24, 2020

7:45 - 8:45 a.m. (GP)

Sit-Down Breakfast

8:45 - 8:50 a.m.

Opening Remarks

8:50 - 9:50 a.m.

Rewarding Loyalty

Brian Day, Solutions Consultant, PSCU

Rewards programs have been offered for many years, but are they as effective today as they have been in the past?

PSCU Solutions consultant, Brian Day, will review trends in rewards and loyalty programs within the financial services arena and look at ways other industries are incentivizing consumers to use their products and services.

• Ways to ensure your rewards program is competitive

• New ideas and concepts coming to rewards programs

• Key steps to ensure your existing credit union rewards program is successful

9:50 - 10:05 a.m.

Networking/Refreshment Break

10:05 - 11:05 a.m.

Know Your Data, Know Your Members: Growing Loans in a Digital World

Amy Robertson, Senior Manager, Product, CUNA Mutual Group

Credit unions used to learn of their membersʼ financial needs by talking with them during branch visits. But with the growing popularity of digital banking, it may seem like itʼs harder to know what they want. Fortunately, the data your members generate is a roadmap to meeting their expectations.

In this session, youʼll discover how data analytics can provide insights into member behavior, helping you improve your marketing results, enhance the experience you provide, and grow your loan portfolio.

Learn about:

• Approaches for identifying data you already have to better market to members

• Trends in how data is being leveraged in financial services marketing

• Current consumer insights on borrowing in digital and traditional channels

• Role of personalization in marketing and the steps from where you are to there

11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Diversity and Inclusion: Ethnicity, New Immigrants, the Financially Excluded

Victor Corro, CEO, Coopera

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is a hot topic in our industry. To stay relevant and represent the members within your field of membership, credit unions need D&I goes beyond ethnic and gender thoughts and we need to widen our terms of reference when considering D&I. There are existing examples within the U.S. credit union family. Find out what they have done, learn about their challenges and successes, and discover their plans for the future.

In terms of the business case for D&I, learn ways to reach and meet the demands of various untapped or underserved markets. Gain insights on how to successfully serve multigenerational borrowers, customers with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), those with nontraditional employment and others with complex underwriting needs.

12:10 - 1:10 p.m. (GP)

Sit-Down Luncheon

1:10 - 2:10 p.m.

Key Strategies to Increase Loan Interest and Your Bottom Line

Celeste Cook, CEO/Founder, cuStrategies, LLC

Explore key lending and marketing strategies that have been proven to increase loan opportunities, profitability and membership growth in a challenging economy. Discover creative lending strategies, innovative marketing initiatives and a unique lending program that credit unions can integrate for successful growth.

From tips on how to help members improve their credit scores, to finding ways to get employees enthusiastically engaged to bring in more loan opportnities. Now is the time to strengthen relationships with your members to capture more loans!

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Living Broke: The New American Dream for Millennials

Don Arkell, Senior Consultant, CU Lending Advice

In the first quarter of 2017, the millennial generation surpassed the boomers as the single largest block of consumers in the U.S. Straddled with student loan debt, this generation is entering peak borrowing years and has different expectations than previous generations.

By attending this session, youʼll learn why you arenʼt attracting and maintaining a relationship with these new borrowers. Reasons include:

• The expectation gap between your board and millennials

• “Adulting”—financial literacy is at an all-time low

• Student loan debt crisis

• The sharing economy is putting your auto portfolio at risk

• Itʼs about the experience

3:15 - 3:30 p.m.

Day in Review

Saturday, July 25, 2020

7:45 - 8:45 a.m. (GP)

Sit-Down Breakfast

8:45 - 9:00 a.m.

Opening Remarks

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

How to Keep the Loan Apps Flowing & Compete with the "Lending Trees" in the Market

Walt Agius, CEO, CU Sol, LLC/CU Lending Edge

There is no such thing as not enough loans or even too many loan apps. You should never stop originating good loans! Learn how you can keep apps flowing and consistently capture business from existing as well as new members – while lowering your costs, increasing operational efficiency, improving loan quality, AND driving up portfolio yields. Take home proven strategies that are boosting CU loan growth, and credit union yields 90+ bps. With this innovative CUSO multi-channel approach YOU CAN take back business from indirect and online lenders in the marketplace.

10:05 - 11:05 a.m.

Real Estate Lending

Brian Bone, President/CEO, American Partners FCU

Real estate lending is one of the most important components of a healthy and growing credit unionʼs portfolio. Todayʼs products & services go far beyond what we think of a traditional 30-year mortgage.

Brian Bone will share powerful information that will be valuable for credit unions with no real estate experience as well as for those with existing portfolios. In this session, you will learn more about:

• How to build (and maintain) a strong and performing real estate portfolio

• How to look for problems before they are a problem

• How important it is to have the right team

• How to grow and strengthen your balance sheet

• The role of policies, concentrations and borrowing

11:05 - 11:20 a.m.

Networking/Refreshment Break

11:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Lending Best Practices

Celeste Cook, CEO/Founder, cuStrategies, LLC

Credit unions must become more strategic in their efforts to attract profitable, quality loans in an environment that is extremely competitive. Take this time to explore lending best practices proven to help credit unions increase loan growth, profitability and retention through key strategies, while overcoming competitive pricing challenges. It is possible to turn staff into engaged financial solution partners to offer members the right solutions and build strong relationships.

12:20 - 12:30 p.m.

Conference Wrap-Up

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Travel Day. Have a safe trip home!