DALLAS – Twenty credit union executives from Brazil stopped hererecently to gather and share information in the U.S. on the middlesegment of a three-country tour of the credit union system inAugust. The group also visited Mexico and Canada. The objective oftheir U.S. journey was to learn more about what U.S. credit unionsare doing to build a strong and successful movement in thiscountry. “The annual tour is an incentive for credit unions inBrazil,” said WOCCU's Victor Corro, who coordinated the trip. “Theygo and view institutions firsthand and take new ideas from them.They were particularly interested in the new product and investmentinformation they received, and very grateful for the credit unionsgiving of their time.” The group's first stop was to the TexasCredit Union League office where they were given an overview of theU.S. movement and TCUL's role in the movement. The group alsoshared information on their organization. The Brazilian creditunion movement started in the early 1900s. Today, there are 1,400credit unions in Brazil and the majority of them belong to one ofthree systems. The Sicredi group, the one visiting the U.S., wasestablished 20 years ago. Sicredi is concentrated in the Southernand Midwestern parts of the country and has 129 credit unionsaffiliates serving 700,000 members. Representatives from Sicredisaid the movement has faced challenges in the past, but legislativeand regulatory changes have enabled credit unions to operate morefreely and with fewer restrictions. As a result, they've achievedsignificant growth. “Although differences exist, our systems aresimilar in many ways,” said Vladimir Andrade Duarte, ExecutiveDirector for Sicredi. For example, the Sicredi system is morecentralized than in the U.S. They have standardized marketing,which all 129 of Sicredi's credit unions adhere to, and unlike inAmerica, credit unions in each respective system do not competeagainst one another. They are each assigned a specific region.There is, however, cross-system competition among credit unions.“Our system is very good in Brazil,” Duarte continued, “but wewould like to learn what others are doing. The purpose of our visitis to learn and when we go back, we will make a report about thetrip and present it to the Sicredi Board of Directors. We willanalyze and verify how we can improve our system.” The group alsovisited Southwest Corporate FCU and three individual credit unions.Hosts here shared what interested the Brazilians most: “TheBrazilian visitors were friendly and inquisitive,” said Jim Fry,American Airlines Federal Credit Union. “They were interested inour computer system and what steps we have taken to help ensuremember privacy and safety. One interesting topic that surfacedconcerned hiring practices. In Brazil, employers can requestcertain age ranges or genders for a particular position. “They alsoexpressed interest in who governs the credit union,” Fry added,“asking many questions about our Board of Directors, such as howthey are chosen, and how we solicit the election.” At New MountZion Baptist Church Credit Union, the visitors took lots ofpictures according to a credit union spokesperson, as they hadnever before seen a credit union located inside a church. Communityinvolvement was the suggested topic at Neighborhood Credit Union.Mark Arnold shared how the credit union serves the communitiesaround each of its branches, detailing programs such as its blockparties, poster contests, Children's Miracle Network fundraisingefforts and minority education initiative. “Although we weretalking about community involvment, most of their questions were onoperational issues,” Arnold said. “They wanted to know more aboutour organizational chart – our structure, branches, and employees.“All in all, it's positive to gain a worldwide perspective. Thecredit union movement is not just about savings and loans. It'sabout touching people. Both countries are committed to that commongoal,” he said. -

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