Bon voyage! The CSCU Solutions Conference 2016 (SC16) sets sail at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club in Orlando.  With more than 300 attendees, 30 breakout sessions, 3 keynote speakers, and the partners’ solutions showcase, SC16 is shaping up to be the biggest and best CSCU conference to date for credit unions. Importantly, SC16 is an industry leading educational event that will deliver timely and relevant thought leadership insights and information to help credit unions navigate through the many changes going on in the world of payments.

Record turnout expected. Renowned speakers. The Payments Review will be there!

It seems like we just unpacked the boxes from last year’s CSCU Solutions Conference (SC), but here we are again with our 2016 annual conference just a few days away.  SC16 runs from April 20-23 and is being held at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club in Orlando, a world-class resort and conference center that just happens to be connected to some rather famous theme parks.  The venue, the agenda, the speakers, the weather, and the fun are all key ingredients to making SC16 shape up as arguably one of CSCU’s best conferences. 

Loyalty programs are undergoing changes on all fronts. American Express announced a new mobile app that will allow membership rewards to be used at the POS, presumably at a devalued exchange rate. Starbucks changed their long-standing rewards program by issuing “stars” based on dollar spend, rather than the number of transactions, causing some consternation among Frappuccino and Oprah Chai aficionados. The way credit and debit card issuers who offer loyalty programs view rewards is also coming under scrutiny.

New Payment Technologies.  Fighting Fraud. Interest Rates.  CU Loan Growth.

Tom Davis, CSCU’s Sr. Vice President of Finance and Technology, was recently interviewed by Mike Lawson of CU Broadcast during GAC in Washington, D.C.  Covering a wide range of topics on what credit unions should be prepared for in 2016, Davis offered his expert insights on emerging payments and what to expect in the ongoing fight against fraud.  Additionally, he says to keep an eye on interest rates and that we will continue to see loan growth for credit unions in 2016.

Gain younger members with a streamlined and digital friendly onboarding process

Mobile account opening is an effective method for credit unions to convert potential applicants to new members. According to a recent report by Javelin Research, when opening a standard share draft account, 70% of likely applicants say they would prefer to submit a digital application.  A Mobile Strategy Partners (MSP) study says 12% of all banking customers in the U.S. will switch financial institutions this year.  And if you are looking to attract millennials as members, MSP points out that 21% of all millennials will make the switch.