Oklahoma League Exploring Structure Options

TULSA, Okla. — Operating since last June without a permanent CEO, the Oklahoma Credit Union League said Thursday it is undergoing a major re-examination of structure and services looking at possible partnerships or co-op ventures with other leagues.

Any decision on partnerships perhaps along the lines of California/Nevada or Colorado/Wyoming or other co-op arrangements for the 83-member Oklahoma League could come within a month, forecast the trade group's interim CEO, Debra J. (D.J.) Morrow Ingram, who also is executive vice president.

“What we're doing in Oklahoma is no different than many other leagues or even credit unions do in looking at consolidation and finding new ways to deliver services to our members more efficiently and at a lower cost,” said Ingram.

For months, the league's board and a subcommittee have been exploring structure and service delivery options examining “the kind of product outsourcing we do well and those areas that need improvement,” she said.

And like other leagues in certain locales, “regional mergers have always been something to look at” though there are no specific plans on the table, said Ingram, who took over as CEO following the departure of Lisa Finley, who had held the job two and a half years and was a veteran league staffer.

The league's future makeup and structure was one of the prime topics two weeks ago discussed by top Oklahoma CU leaders at the league's annual CEO Roundtable in Stillwater.