Matricular Consular Cards Well Worth CUs' While

Thank you, Mike Welch, once again for your input in your September 17th column on the Matricular form of ID for new members (“Are Matricular Consular Cards Good Or Bad?”). We have been wrestling with this very question at our credit union and Welch’s column makes it easier for me to make the recommendation to our Board to go ahead with accepting this form of ID. Welch has helped me focus on the correct answers to many problems such as this in the past, and this time is no different. It’s funny, a lot of credit unions here in Texas have danced around with the idea that we should be doing more toward attracting and serving the Hispanic market. All of us know what a tremendous potential there is out there, but very few of us have really done all the things necessary to be a leader in the Hispanic Community, such as hired bi-lingual employees, gotten the bi-lingual forms, etc. Most importantly, set aside marketing dollars to be used in the Hispanic community. Too many credit unions go the “safe route” ( Human nature sees risk in cultures different than our own) or we set policies based upon “what other credit unions are doing this.” The Texas Credit League has developed a great manual on “Embracing Your Hispanic Market” which gives tremendous information needed to properly serve this new market. The Matricular Consular Cards will be an important consideration for our next strategic planning session. Andrea Johnson CEO Neches Federal Credit Union Port Neches, Texas