Author: Denise Wymore

June 12, 2017 –  Computerworld announces United Solutions Company as a 2017 Best Places to Work in IT, one of 100 top organizations that challenge their IT staffs while providing great benefits and compensation. Organizations will be included in coverage in Computerworld along with results from the 24th annual Best Places to Work in IT survey.

“We go out of our way to make United Solutions a great place to work for our employees. We understand that a positively motivated staff is reflected in the quality of support we provide for our clients.  However, the most important thing that we do at United Solutions is hold each other accountable and treat everyone with respect,” says Jim Giacobbe, President and CEO. “As the CEO, I personally interview with every employee  we hire.  I want to make sure that we are hiring the right people to help us fulfill our mission.  Our employees like knowing that the people sitting around them are as competent and hard working as they are.  Our clients seem to enjoy this too.”

“The organizations on this year’s Best Places to Work in IT list excel at creating a dynamic and satisfying IT work environment,” says Ken Mingis, executive editor of Computerworld.  “In a competitive market for tech talent, these outstanding employers are able to attract highly skilled IT pros by offering great benefits, new learning opportunities, access to cutting-edge technologies and challenging, business-critical projects.”

“United Solutions Company is delighted to be recognized as one of the best places in the nation for IT professionals,” said SVP/CIO Sajed Khan. “This distinction is for all of the esteemed staff at USC. The recognition of this award demonstrates the growth of great IT jobs in Tallahassee, FL and I am very grateful in retaining top technology talent which echoes the vision and aspirations of empowering our people to service Credit Unions nationwide.”

About the Best Places to Work in IT
The Best Places to Work in IT list is an annual ranking of the top 100 work environments for technology professionals by IDG’s Computerworld. The list is compiled based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, career development, training and retention. In addition, Computerworld conducts extensive surveys of IT workers, and their responses factor heavily in determining the rankings.

About United Solutions Company

United Solutions Company is a Credit Union Services Organization (CUSO) and Application Service Provider (ASP) founded in 1983 with headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. United Solutions provides a comprehensive menu of products and services to credit unions and other businesses all over the country. From core data processing and check 21 services, to collections and network management, our exceptional services and commitment to innovation is what truly sets us apart. Visit www.unitedsolutions.coop for more information.

About Computerworld
Computerworld from IDG is the leading technology media brand helping senior IT, business decision-makers and key influencers navigate change with effective business strategy. As the voice of business technology, Computerworld enables the IT value chain with unique editorial coverage from setting strategies to deriving value. Computerworld’s award-winning website (www.computerworld.com), focused conference series, strategic marketing solutions and research forms the hub of the world’s largest (40+ edition) global IT media network and provides opportunities for IT vendors to engage this audience. Computerworld leads the industry with an online audience of over 7.1 million monthly page views (Omniture, January 2016 – June 2016 average) and was recognized in 2016 as a top website by ASBPE. Computerworld is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of IDG. Company information is available at www.idgenterprise.com.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – June 20, 2017

CU*Answers, a 100% credit union-owned cooperative CUSO, announced that it has extended its employment contract with current CFO, Bob Frizzle, to 2023. Mr. Frizzle, who joined CU*Answers in 1997, has been instrumental in launching major initiatives such as the cuasterisk.com network of CUSOs, as well as the purchase of majority ownership in eDOC Innovations. Under his guidance, CU*Answers was able to launch innovative programs including the Spirit of CU*Answers scholarship, a de novo program providing free data processing for credit union start-ups, and the Investment Grant initiative.

“Bob’s leadership has been critical to the success of the CUSO these last 20 years,” said CEO Randy Karnes. “I look forward to him continuing to be a strong force on the Executive Council leading up to and beyond CU*Answers’ 50 year anniversary in 2020.” 

Mr. Frizzle provides accounting and CFO services to numerous national organizations and CUSOs including Xtend, eDOC Innovations, NACUSO, CU Student Choice, and Chatter Yak. He is an active board member for eDOC Innovations.

About CU*Answers, Inc.

CU*Answers offers expertise in implementing technical solutions to operational needs, and is a leader in helping credit unions form strategic alliances and partnerships. CU*Answers provides a wide variety of services for credit unions including its flagship CU*BASE^® processing system (online and in-house) and Internet development services featuring It’s Me 247 online and mobile banking. Additional services include web development, network design and security, and image check processing. Founded 40+ years ago, CU*Answers is a 100% credit union-owned cooperative CUSO providing services to credit unions representing over 1.9 million members and $19 billion in credit union assets. For more information, visit www.cuanswers.com.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – June 16, 2017

CU*Answers, a 100% credit union-owned cooperative CUSO, announced it has launched an extensive series of free webinars to educate clients on its CU*BASE^® toolset for data analysis. The 2017 Dashboard Dives weekly series kicked off with a session covering the All Memberships Analysis dashboard on June 1, 2017. There were 60+ credit unions in attendance.

 The webinar series will continue each Thursday through October 2017 and will take in-depth looks at each dashboard tool in CU*BASE, including review of data sources, suggestions for use, and insights for further analysis or trending.

 CU*Answers is invested in education and action on data analysis. They provide 80+ easy-to-use analytics dashboards within the core system, which cover a wide range of the data available to each credit union on the system. Topics covered include: loan portfolio review, collections management, EFT portfolio review, money movement analysis, account/member retention, sales tracking, credit score trending, and more.

 For any questions regarding Dashboard Dives or CU*Answers Data Analytics initiatives, please contact Keegan Daniel, Vice President of Professional Services, or visit the online webpage for CU*Answers Executive Study Groups.

 About CU*Answers, Inc.

CU*Answers offers expertise in implementing technical solutions to operational needs, and is a leader in helping credit unions form strategic alliances and partnerships. CU*Answers provides a wide variety of services for credit unions including its flagship CU*BASE^® processing system (online and in-house) and Internet development services featuring It’s Me 247 online and mobile banking. Additional services include web development, network design and security, and image check processing. Founded 40+ years ago, CU*Answers is a 100% credit union-owned cooperative CUSO providing services to credit unions representing over 1.9 million members and $19 billion in credit union assets. For more information, visit www.cuanswers.com.

2,500 in additional revenue generated on average for credit unions with 10k enrolled cards.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – (June 15, 2017) – The Credit Union Magic Minute Loyalty Sweepstakes was developed by PSCU as a way to help Member-Owner credit unions build even tighter relationships with their members and create stronger loyalty by delivering a unique and unforgettable member experience. The Magic Minute sweepstakes gives Owners a no-cost opportunity to reward lucky credit union members with an unrivaled shopping experience, while also increasing interchange revenue. As interchange remains an important revenue driver for a credit union’s card portfolio, Magic Minute significantly contributes to business results and member loyalty.

For the fifth year in a row, PSCU is providing complimentary digital marketing and social media materials, along with direct mail support, to help credit unions create awareness of the annual sweepstakes among their members and communities. Owner credit unions that participate in PSCU’s Rewards program are automatically enrolled in the sweepstakes, and those that participate can expect to see an average lift of $3.25 per credit member and $63 more per month on debit cards.

American Airlines Credit Union (Fort Worth, Texas) has consistently had the most cardholders registered for Magic Minute and earned a spot on the starting line of the charity dash each of the past two years. The Credit Union has also had two of its members chosen to run the Magic Minute dash.

“PSCU organized the Magic Minute event and experience wonderfully over the past couple of years,” said Sarah Daniel, Marketing Analyst for American Airlines Credit Union. “All of the participants received VIP treatment from the moment they arrived at the airport until they left for home. The PSCU team paid attention to every detail to ensure the Credit Union staff and our members had an unbelievable time.”

The Credit Union received an unexpected surprise when it discovered that the driver who arrived to pick up the merchandise for their chosen charity was actually eligible to become a Member-Owner of American Airlines Credit Union. He ended up becoming a member on the spot.

The Magic Minute sweepstakes works by encouraging members to register their contact information on their credit union’s PSCU Rewards program website. When they use their credit union’s credit or debit cards in a minimum of three transactions per week over the sweepstakes eligibility period, their names are automatically entered in a series of seven bi-weekly drawings. Sweepstakes winners are rewarded with an all-expense paid trip for two to Chicago on Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 that includes airfare, food and accommodations, and a magical 60-second warehouse dash where the goal is to load up on as much brand-name merchandise as possible before the clock runs out. A total of seven credit union cardholders and one credit union charity will be chosen as the winners.

“We strive to have a positive effect on the income and profitability of Owner credit unions’ portfolios through our loyalty program, and the additional $32,500 in revenue and 10k enrolled cards to the bottom line is impactful,” said Annie Cox, Vice President of Loyalty Solutions at PSCU. “Magic Minute is not only critical to maximizing interchange, but also to helping PSCU’s Owner credit unions build loyalty and keep their cards top-of-wallet with their members.”

Credit unions that particpated in previous years saw an increased card spend of $63 more per month on debit cards, and 73 percent of credit and debit member cardholders used their card three or more times. Five percent of targeted credit and debit cardholders redeemed for the first time.

The 2017 Credit Union Magic Minute Sweepstakes runs from June 19 through Sept. 24, 2017, with the drawing for the winners scheduled to begin on a bi-weekly basis beginning July 20, 2017.

About PSCU

Established in 1977, PSCU (St. Petersburg, Fla.) is the nation’s leading credit union service organization (CUSO). The company was recognized as CUSO of the Year in 2016 by the National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations. PSCU’s products, financial services solutions and service model collectively support over 850 Owner credit unions representing more than 20 million credit, debit, prepaid, online bill payment and mobile accounts; protect over 2 billion transactions annually from fraud; and optimize credit union performance and growth. Comprehensive 24/7/365 member support is delivered through call centers located throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.pscu.com.