FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A consulting economist advised credit union card executives that now is an ideal time to make inroads with banking customers.
"Most banks are more worried about their capital positions now than they are about holding on to their customers," Dr. Donald Ratajczak, a retired consulting economist and economist with the Morgan Keegan investment firm told credit union card executives attending Card Services For Credit Unions annual conference. "But you have to offer them some business, something more than giving them another savings vehicle and a car loan. You need to offer them something distinctive that banks cannot or will not."
CSCU is the association of credit unions which process their card transactions with Fidelity National Information Systems.
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Ratajczak also discounted the impact of the most recent round of federal economic stimulus because of the costs of oil and gas. "We will get some impact," he said. "We will see a little lift off but not too much. We probably won't see any good news until July."
But the higher energy prices will mean the consumer likely feels weak and that, combined with housing foreclosures, is liable to keep the economy anemic but out of recession.
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