Natasha Chilingerian

Managing Editor

If you're like many in the credit union industry, you're probably reading this in Washington at CUNA's GAC (or while holding down the fort at your credit union for your GAC-going colleagues). GAC gives credit union professionals nationwide the chance to build relationships, share knowledge and tell their stories to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, so I – as I'm sure many of you do – look upon the week with excitement.

This will be my sixth GAC; I attended my first as a CU Times freelancer in 2012, my second as a Crasher from the state of California, and my third, fourth, fifth and now sixth as CU Times' managing editor. This year will be a little different for our staff, as we won't be holding our usual Trailblazer Awards reception at the Renaissance Washington, but the Trailblazer Awards themselves are still alive and well. You can learn about the six 2018 winners and how they're making an impact in their credit unions and communities on pages 14-26, like CEO of the Year Richard Romero, a Peruvian immigrant who made it part of his credit union's mission to serve the immigrant and Hispanic populations in the Seattle area. Other winners include Outstanding Service to the Underserved honoree Kathy Chartier, whose credit union helps financially-struggling members in a wealthy part of Connecticut, and Volunteer of the Year Joan Nelson, who took two children in need into her own home and facilitated a home-building charity project in North Carolina. All of our Trailblazers have personally demonstrated something all credit unions stand for – putting the needs of others over their own personal gain.

Some of the reasons I love attending GAC lean toward the realm of personal gain, like getting a change of scenery, catching up with old friends and dining at phenomenal D.C. restaurants. But more importantly, I enjoy the chance to witness people from different credit unions, who may very well be competing for the same business, come together to find solutions to problems they all share. One of these collective problems is the wave of lawsuits against credit unions (more than 70 to date) alleging their websites violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (read what CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan has to say about the litigation in his op-ed on page 12). If you've been affected by one of these suits, you'll want to attend the Monday breakout session, “Fighting Back Against Predatory Litigation for Website Accessibility.” This is a serious issue, as there is a major lack of clarity as to what makes a website ADA-compliant, and many small credit unions being targeted don't have the resources to fight back.

Another highly-anticipated session is “The Credit Union Creating Awareness Initiative” on Tuesday, where attendees can learn about CUNA's awareness initiative, which is still in its early stages, and how they can participate. Remember, many consumers outside of our credit union industry bubble still don't understand what we do, so awareness is key to building business and market share.

As credit union professionals continue to tell their stories this year – whether to push a lawmaker to back a bill during the GAC's Hike the Hill day or to grow awareness about the impact of credit unions in their communities – they must drive this point home: You can trust us. Because let's face it, the line between what's real and what isn't real in the world is becoming fuzzier and fuzzier, and consumers are getting tired of being duped.

We live in a world where a foreign government can use social media to manipulate voters and influence an outcome of a presidential election. We live in a world where made-up stories are posted, shared and believed. And the “fake news” phenomenon is only going to get worse – a recent Buzzfeed article discussed how artificial intelligence will soon allow people to very realistically manipulate the audio and video in online content, leading audiences to believe something has happened whether or not it has.

We also live in a world where people create profiles using fake pictures, and begin online relationships using those profiles (in case you're not aware, this is called “catfishing.”) In fact, my most horrifying date involved a catfish. Yes, I'll admit it, one night last year, I showed up at a bar to meet “Kevin,” a gorgeous 32-year-old. He turned out to be at least 20 years my senior, and didn't come close to resembling his Tinder profile pic. I have a very low tolerance for deceit, so I began spewing some choice words at the man and he booked it out of there, leaving a full beer sitting on the bar. (My only regret was not throwing my drink on him.)

The point is, honesty is hard to come by these days, so if you get one message out about your credit union this year, make it one that builds trust with your members and potential members. Tell them about the loan you made that didn't make much money for the credit union, but made a major difference in someone's life, like Trailblazer Award winner Chartier did. Show them how you've gone out of your way to make members' financial lives easier, and how you've followed through on your promises, again and again. Be the sturdy foundation holding up your members in a shaky world. And have a blast at GAC!

Instant Insights /

Credit Unions: The Trusted Friends in a Phony World

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