GLASTONBURY, Conn. – A number of items were on the agenda at Open Solutions Inc.'s first Member Business Services Forum.

The forum, which took place in May in Dallas, included educational sessions, discussions and roundtables on the latest business services issues and trends facing the credit union industry. Presentations ranged from an introduction to commercial loan participations to strategies for business lending success to a roundtable discussion featuring a number of credit union executives. For Mathy Hogan, senior vice president, business services at FAIRWINDS Credit Union, the roundtable discussion was the most beneficial session. “I walked away with not only future business contacts, but with contact information from a group of individuals who were willing to share their experiences, something I might not have learned through traditional methods,” Hogan said. Larry Accola, senior vice president, business loans and services at Royal Credit Union, said the contacts he made will be helpful in the future. “It was a great opportunity to meet other Open Solutions business services users,” Accola said. “I am looking forward to many more of these mutually beneficial networking opportunities in the future.” Open Solutions said it plans to offer additional forums this year. “More and more credit unions are interested in offering business services to their member business owners,” said Gary Daniel, senior vice president and general manager, Open Solutions Credit Union Group. “Small businesses represent a significant growth opportunity for credit unions.” Presentations included: *An Insider's Perspective of the Credit Union Movement at a Crossroads by Dennis Dollar, principle partner, Dollar Associates and former NCUA chairman; *Due Diligence in Business Services Planning by Scott Hodgins, senior director, Cornerstone Advisors; *How to Tiptoe Not Stumble into Business Services by Jeff Stone, executive vice president, business services, loan participations, North Island Credit Union; *An Introduction to Commercial Loan Participations by Paul Valdez, senior vice president/CFO, Texans Credit Union; *One Vendor's Approach by Esther D'Albero, director, Financial Product Management, Open Solutions *Paths to Business Lending Success by Jay Johnson, executive vice president, Callahan & Associates; *Roundtable discussion featuring representatives from Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Three Rivers Federal Credit Union, Royal Credit Union and Evangelical Christian Credit Union.

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