NACUSO is on a mission to tell stories of collaboration, innovation and cooperation that not only strengthen the credit union movement but also are in the best interests of our members. We believe that we’re better together. We also know that the CUSO model has mitigated the need for many credit unions to merge by obtaining economies of scale and driving efficiencies. CUProdigy is a great example of helping credit unions with a quality cloud based core that is affordable. We heard about the tremendous cost savings and reached out to a recent convert, Roy MacKinnon, CEO of Edwards FCU.
Roy, first, tell me a little about your credit union.
Edwards FCU was founded in 1962 on Edwards AFB in California and was originally chartered to serve personnel on the base. Edwards FCU received a community charter shortly after 2000 as many military base credit unions did. Today, we serve all of the Antelope Valley, which is nicknamed Aerospace Valley because, in addition to the Air Force base, other major manufacturers are here like Lockheed, Northup Grumman and The Spaceship Company. We are proud to say that Edwards is the only locally born and raised credit union that’s still headquartered in the Antelope Valley.
How did you come to work at Edwards FCU?
I became the CEO of Edwards in May of 2016. Previously, I was with First Entertainment Credit Union for 25 years. This was my first CEO gig and I knew what I was walking into. I was handed a financial statement showing a $120K loss and 7.2% capital the first month. I immediately initiated a freeze on just about everything. By mid-year we were running at an annual loss of about $200K. By year-end, with a significant expense reduction and with the financial benefits of a PSCU conversion, we reduced our year-end loss to just $5,900.
I felt a missed opportunity existed, one that many credit unions encounter when they convert to a community charter – founding segments are ignored. In this case, it was the air base. I told the board that if they hired me, we would go back to our core, get our house in order, and then when we’re a little healthier we’ll go back to the community in a very disciplined way.
Continue reading Better, Faster, Cheaper. How One CU Got All Three With a Core Conversion
