Chip Filson
The Seated Boxer, an iconic ancient Greek work of art, shows a grizzled veteran of the ring, equal parts resigned and ready to spring into action.
What I like is a sense of respite from competition, the powerful athletic physique and the tiredness that surrounds his humanity. Is he a winner this day? Are there more fights to go? How will his efforts be remembered?
These are questions that all of us encounter, in literal or figurative ways, in our daily efforts.
. . .Simply put, tariff and immigration policies threaten to both increase inflation and slow growth, a combination thatcomplicates the challenge facing the Federal Reserve. It will take several months to see how this plays out, but the tariff shock will soon be in the rear-view mirror and its inflation impact will fade towards the end of the year.
That should enable the Fed to focus more on the risks to growth and the job market, setting the stage for a series of rate cuts. The economy as well as the financial markets have been remarkably resilient so far despite policy induced heightened uncertainty. Once the tumult over tariffs is removed, the economic landscape should look much brighter.
Source: August 20-25 Economic and Fancial Digest from Louisiana Corporate.
(Following are excerpts from exchanges between several CEO’s and a person, quoted below, interested in NCUA board openings)
Yesterday I was reminded about the fever of the small business entrepreneur to state their case in the wrong way that is, the market capitalization (valuation) of their firm.
Their need is to be seen as an initiative or startup with the vision of selling the firm. The goal of inflating the value not for the motivation of living the journey forward, but for being accepted by an audience handicapping their firm’s success and relevance to attract outside observers.
This is not a good look for cooperatives. Their “worth” was never meant as one ready to be traded, abandoned, or evaluated for observers who have no role building the firm.
Once our industry started to be valued through the eyes of outsiders as a financial marketplace commodity, we were on the path to attracting all the trappings (inside and out) of those who think like commodity brokers. These market driven criteria have a hard time with the ideals of community ownership (virtual) where acting and living the purpose is far different from cashing in.
We sold out the magic of financial cooperatives not for the sake of being understood for our contribution and confidence in people acting together. Rather the goal became putting a number on who we are. Cash in, pay me, liquidation values, what was the other guy worth? We strived to be evaluated and on par with ideals that are not the drivers of our member-owners’ success.
This transformation in outcomes is overseen by an out of touch NCUA and professional agents using criteria and motivation that will distort cooperative advantage for decades to come.
We need to hone the collective lens through which we set our vision for a new generation of leaders and oversight which will inspire cooperative entrepreneurs and the vesting and enthusiasm of American citizen owners.
1.a Separate the deposit insurance fund from government regulation and supervisory oversight.
2 a. Support a public initiative to prioritize league/trade organizational formats to return to advocacy and away from prostituting for commissions!
Start something worth calling a MOVEMENT again.
– rescues (with specific criteria)
– mergers for operational gain
Your thoughts? Ideas that certainly fit the times, not the status quo.
When was the last time you saw an entire community kneel in respect? Or prayer? Or love? Or shared grief?
There is little to add to this moment, but much to learn.
Relatives and community members react as they kneel before the funeral procession of 12 Ukrainian servicemembers and prisoners of war (POWs) who died in Russian captivity, during a ceremony in Lviv, Ukraine on July 25, 2025. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)
Community is where we fulfill purpose and make our lives whole.
This Frost poem below uses a realistic scene as a metaphor to portray the tension between individual ambition and social need.
This challenge is at the core of excesses now very visible in the credit union system.
In academia, this is called the principal-agent problem. When member owners delegate their tasks to an agent (the board of directors-CEO) but cannot directly monitor the agent’s actions, this leads to conflicts of interest. At the extreme this turns into self-dealing as the agent pursues their own goals at the expense of the member-shareholder.
by Robert Frost
Out of the mud two strangers came And caught me splitting wood in the yard, And one of them put me off my aim By hailing cheerily "Hit them hard!" I knew pretty well why he had dropped behindndhind And let the other go on a way. I knew pretty well what he had in mind: He wanted to take my job for pay. Good blocks of oak it was I split, As large around as the chopping block; And every piece I squarely hit Fell splinterless as a cloven rock. The blows that a life of self-control Spares to strike for the common good, That day, giving a loose my soul, I spent on the unimportant wood. . .
The time when most I loved my task The two must make me love it more By coming with what they came to ask. You'd think I never had felt before The weight of an ax-head poised aloft, The grip of earth on outspread feet, The life of muscles rocking soft And smooth and moist in vernal heat. Out of the wood two hulking tramps (From sleeping God knows where last night, But not long since in the lumber camps). They thought all chopping was theirs of righthtght. Men of the woods and lumberjacks, They judged me by their appropriate tool. Except as a fellow handled an ax They had no way of knowing a fool. Nothing on either side was said. They knew they had but to stay their stay And all their logic would fill my head: As that I had no right to play With what was another man's work for gain. My right might be love but theirs was need. And where the two exist in twain Theirs was the better right--agreed. But yield who will to their separation, My object in living is to unite My avocation and my vocation As my two eyes make one in sight. Only where love and need are one, And the work is play for mortal stakes, Is the deed ever really done For Heaven and the future's sakes.
Last week I attended a BigTrain summer college league baseball game. The Bethesda entry is named after Walter Johnson the Washington Senator’s hall of fame pitcher who lived here.
The experience was fun. We sat right behind home plate. That meant every pitch had our attention.
The stands were on a human scale, parking 20 yards away and plentiful food with no lines. It was a very different experience from the cavernous National’s Park with its crowds, parking challenges, and high prices. We were able to just enjoy the game. Until the end of the third inning when a summer rain storm arrived.
Growing up in Illinois, I became a Chicago Cubs fan. My ambition was was to be a baseball player. Then I learned in high school that I was no good as a hitter and a mediocre infielder. But I still followed Ernie Banks, Hank Sauer and all the Cub legends on radio.
When I returned to Chicago in 1977 after a three year assignment as a banker for First Chicago in Australia, I went job hunting. My first choice was to be the marketing manager for the Cubs. I set up an interview. I think the fact I worked at the largest bank in Illinois got their interest.
But before that event I had a conversation with two people who were reorganizing the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) for the State of Illinois under new Governor Jim Thompson. The two were Edgar Callahan and Bucky Sebastian.
As we explored what role might be appropriate, we talked about the job of Credit Union Supervisor. It was a position that would use my analysis of corporate and interbank credit lines I had helped underwrite.
When Bucky and Ed asked what other options I was considering, I mentioned my Cub’s appointment. Bucky jumped in and said if I took the job as Supervisor, he would guarantee tickets should the Cubs make the World Series. At that time in early July the Cubs were in or near first place in the National League. It seemed possible.
I took the job starting in August of 1977. The Cubs did not get to the World Series for another three or four decades. But Bucky followed through on his promise in a different way.
In the summer of 1978 he arranged for us to have lunch in the radio announcer’s press box and then go down to the field and take pictures with the players.
Here’s the record of that day when the Cubs faced the Phillies. All the Cub’s games were during the day, starting time 1:15. Attendance would be low, most people still working. But the fans were right next to the action. Just like at the Big Train game. Pure fun with players, families and youngsters all being part of the major league scene. Bucky was true to his word.
Bucky, Chip, Jose Carndinal of the Phillies and announcer Vince Loyd.
Chip, Loyd, Bill Buckner (First basman), Bucky
An observation on American business practice- I have lost the source. Is the issue relevant for credit unions?
During the past 30 to 40 years, the compensation of CEO’s has dramatically increased, relative to that of the average employee. Is the CEO’s proportionate contribution 100 or 1000 times greater than that of the average employee?
Many large American corporations are using distributive compensation process that reflect an employee’s relative power rather than an objective and ethical analysis of their relative contributions. Even Boards are unwilling to discuss this topic.
When announcing the three agenda items for July’s solo board meeting, Chairman Hauptman closed with this affirmation: As always our mission is to protect the safety and soundness of the credit union system and we are best equipped to do this when we understand how credit unions interact with new technology and products.”
While “new technology and products” may make interesting topics, the key to knowing if the agency is best equipped would be updates on the following issues:
This update would also be an opportunity to discuss the recent increase in liquidations including the abrupt closure of Unilever FCU on April 30. Why is this occurring versus mergers or workouts?
The NCUA’s three topics are briefings on the Central Liquidity Fund, NCUA’s Ombudsman, and artificial intelligence. The first two would seem to be remote from any current issues.
The CLF has not made a loan since 2009. In the liquidity challenges caused by the Fed rate runup in 2023-2024, all credit union borrowing went elsewhere. The CLF continues to pay a below market rate to shareholders and to add to its retained earnings even though it has no risk.
The key to any future role is not a change by Congressional legislation (a repeated board excuse for inactivity) but rather the CLF’s willingness to work with its credit union shareholders on projects for member benefit.
As for the ombudsman briefing, I don’t recall this ever being a board agenda item. Is this just to demonstrate an activity that DOGE missed?
Artificial Intelligence is a wide open topic. Many credit unions are using bots for chat. Some are using AI applications for internal edits and communication efficiency. Several credit unions have announced investments in fintech AI initiatives.
It might be helpful to know how NCUA has used AI with specific cases and its effectiveness. If the board topic is just a general presentation, that approach can be found at any credit union conference today by experts in the field.
Public NCUA board meetings are an opportunity for accountability, agency management priorities and presenting a vision for how the agency and credit unions can work together.
It feels somewhat incongruous for a single chair, who is supposed to be overseeing the staff, to lead a dialogue to present different ways of thinking on topics that would arise from a full board.
In this time of government downsizing, unresolved NCUA Board status, and continuing economic uncertainty, a dialogue on the state of the Agency would be helpful and encouraging.
Will these topics meet that goal? If the meeting falls short of this task, it might be helpful to ask credit unions about their issues for future meetings.
The Chairman recently took this approach on crypto custody via LinkedIn post. It might be a way to stay relevant and supportive in NCUA’s mission of protecting credit union safety and soundness.
Anerica has a housing shortage. Many different solutions are being offered. During my initial assignment to the Navy Supply School in Athens, GA, the only available housing on arrival was a trailer home.
My wife who was seven months pregnant and I lived there for several months until base housing became available. Little did we know that we occupied, albeit briefly, an example of America’s housing creativity from WWII as explained in An Unexpected Idea for Preserving America’s Mobile Homes.
This ability of trailers to quickly mobilize wherever and whenever needed was again on display following the passage of the GI Bill. Look at aerial photos of postwar college campuses; chances are you’ll see rows and rows of trailers nearby, providing on-demand housing to new students and their families.
Today there are over 21 million manufactured housing homes. Some are temporary, but most are permanent residences.
Recently the digital journal Next City posted a long article about how manufactured housing/mobile homes could become an integral part of solving America’s housing shortage. Here are the opening paragraphs:
Punctuating the country is an unknown world of mobile home parks that are often seen but rarely recognized. These communities are everywhere: scattered along highways, in urban crannies in California, Florida, and the Sunbelt, on exurban territory from the Northeast to the Pacific Northwest, next to factories, farmland, mines and military bases. Blink and you’ll miss them. The National Register of Historic Places certainly has.
There is not a single mobile home or mobile home park in the National Register — a glaring omission that, if addressed, challenges the preservation field to join the fight for affordable housing.
Over the last hundred years, mobile homes have housed millions as and where needed. Today, they are home to 21 million people, or about one in every 16 Americans. They are legitimate and permanent parts of the American landscape. Even so, city officials, historians and preservation professionals have largely disregarded mobile homes, and their residents, as aberrations.
The article provides the history of the transitiion from “trailer” to mobile homes to manufactured housing and notes:
The truth is, mobile homes are not very different from the average suburban home. The vast majority do not move once they are sited, nor do their residents. Some 71% of mobile home residents own their homes, higher than the national homeownership rate for all forms of housing. The biggest difference is their affordability: On average, a new site-built home costs four times as much as a new “manufactured” home.
These manufactured home estates have become an attractive investment for private equity:
In recent years, some of the largest private equity firms, including Blackstone, Apollo Global Management, and The Carlyle Group, are making big “recession-proof” bets on mobile home parks. Between 2014 to 2022, investors purchased 800,000 lots, representing nearly 20% of all mobile homes — double the rate of private equity ownership of apartment units.
Some credit unions have been active in leding to this sector for years. Credit Human in San Antonio developed a national speciality with manufactured housing sellers for financing these purchases. They report holding 22,329 loans totaling $1.459 billlion at yearend 2024. These loans however, are different from the standard site-built, stand alone residence..
What is unique to mobile homes is that they are still classified as “chattel,” or moveable personal property — such as a car — rather than real estate. This means that not only do mobile homes decrease in value over time, but that residents, even those who own their home outright, must still pay rent on the land underneath.
And the private equity trend has brought new problems besides the traditional challenges of zoning and site ownership:
By increasing both lending and rental rates, investment firms are squeezing the vulnerable at every turn. As private equity moves in, costs and delayed repairs pile up. Parks purchased by investors have seen rents and fees balloon. Evictions have increased, as has wholesale destruction to make room for redevelopment. . .
One solution the article referenced is cooperative ownership. However, the Next City article proposes putting long term mobile home locations on the National Register of Historical Places. The idea in brief:
To potentially be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, properties must meet certain criteria, including historic significance to a time at least 50 years in the past. Given their contributions to mid-century American history, the argument for the significance of older mobile home parks is easy to make.
But the designation is not easy to achieve. In the meantime credit unions can help sustain this housing option by financing and supporting the traditional buying and selling process that underwrites all home ownership.
The immediate opportunity would be to visit the mobile home sites in your community, talk with local dealers (if any) and become familiar with the financial needs of the residents. It is a national need with local markets-a perfect fit for credit union solutions.
I’d be interested in examples from credit unions that have experience serving these members and their communities.
Click on the link below to tune into the live hearing of the Texas Commission which oversees the Credit Union Department (CUD) and its approximately 160 state charters. Here’s why.
The CUD’s website is filled with information about its policies, rules, employment as well as records of the Commission’s meetings. Several observations:
The Credit Union Department Commission Meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM (central time zone)
The Agenda (link)
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 234 324 784 323 7
Passcode: Tr2qH72w
Dial in by phone
+1 936-213-5778 United States, Waller
Phone conference ID: 773 558 893#
I’m looking forward to see how this public policy and oversight meeting is conducted for a state that has been a leader of the credit union movement.
Much public discussion today debates whether the disruption led by the Trump administration is a turning point in history or just part of a cycle.
Many established institutions are confronting new financial and political realities. Large legal firms, major universities, public and private media have seen long held assumptions about their operations and purpose open to political and monetary challenge.
Credit unions are having “modest” internal debates about the propriety of mergers with million dollar payoffs to the initiators, increasing acquisitions of tax paying banks, and whether there should be any limits at all on financial services. I say “modest” because most effort has focused on saving the tax exempt status even as future issues remain unaddressed.
A CEO at the World Credit Union Council meeting asks if it’s time to question where credit unions are going (as reported by Frank Diekmann):
‘I’m here, in part, to make an appeal to all of us as cooperatives and as credit unions that it’s time for us to stand up again. For many of you, your credit union was rooted in a time where your community needed change, it needed support and it needed help. That might even be very recently.
But for many of our credit unions that have become more mature, we have perhaps become a little bit complacent about how we’re seeing ourselves play a role in supporting our communities. Once again, they’re needing us and the call to action is here,’ Wellington Holbrook, CEO of Vancity Credit Union World Council of Credit Unions
Tomorrow the Texas Credit Union Commission will hold one of its required public meetings beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Department’s office. (see login information at end)
The Commission is the policy making body for Credit Union Department-CUD. The Commission is a board of five public members and four credit union executives appointed by and responsible to the Governor of Texas.
The mission of this politically appointed group is to safeguard the public interest, protect the interests of credit union members and promote public confidence in credit unions.
Its members incude both credit union professionals and private citizens: Jim Minge, Chair; Becky L. Ames; Elizabeth L. “Liz” Bayless; David Bleazard; Karyn C. Brownlee; Beckie Stockstill; Cobb Cody; R. Huggins; David F. Shurtz and Kay Rankin-Swan.
Tomorrow’s meeting will be one of the few public opportunities for credit unions to hear how their appointed policy leaders assess current trends and events under their purview.
They have an important role not just in Texas, but nationally. NCUA’s solo board leadership considers public meetings as “only when needed” preferring to keep the industry updated on his views via social media posts.
Texas not only has a thriving and large state chartered credit union system. It also has prime examples of two unsettling credit union trends: buying banks and self-serving mergers.
The Commission has a front row seat to both these events. How does the recent Space City-TDECU merger conform to their mission to protect the interests of credit union members?
This was an event marked by egregious self-dealing ($6.750 million bonus to CEO and two senior staff), conflicts of interests, $850,000 in payments by TDECU to the two principals of Space City and misleading information including use of its brand name. (link)
At the very time this merger was completed, TDECU was on a downward financial spiral. It was denied, or withdrew its application to by the Many, La.-based $1.2 billion Sabine Bank (link) announced in April 2024.
There is no evidence in the Space City merger that the CUD in the words of mission acted: to safeguard the public interest, protect the interests of credit union members and promote public confidence in credit unions.
In September 17 and 18, 2024 Houston Business Journal interviews, TDECU CEO Johnson was clear about his ambitions for the credit union and the coop system’s future:
TDECU — soon to be Space City Financial following its merger with Space City Credit Union — wants to become a top-20 credit union in the U.S. by 2034, President and CEO Isaac Johnson said. . .Iowa-based GreenState Credit Union is currently the 20th-largest credit union with $11.1 billion in assets, according to U.S. News & World Report.
To reach its goal, Johnson said the credit union needs to continue focusing on inorganic growth and “take some leaps.” . .“To get to $11 billion within the next 10 years, it’s possible to do it through just organic growth, but upon studying those top credit unions, most of them got there through acquisitions, mergers and organic growth,” Johnson told the Houston Business Journal. “We cannot double down and just do it organically.”. . .
“The merger with Space City Credit Union is a signal to other credit unions that TDECU is open to additional mergers and acquisitions,” Johnson said. “The credit union industry is consolidating as regulatory burdens and other costs increase, a trend Johnson expects to accelerate. TDECU plans to be active in that environment,” he said. . .
“For Space City Credit Union, the merger is ideal from a succession-planning perspective as President and CEO Craig Rohden prepares to retire after leading the organization for 30 years. It also allows both credit unions to grow and scale at a time when regulatory burdens and the costs to compete with other financial institutions are increasing,” Johnson said. . .
“TDECU will focus on closing its merger with Space City Credit Union and acquisition of Sabine State Bank & Trust before making any more deals, Johnson added.
“As the credit union industry continues to shrink — and generally the banking industry continues to consolidate — we want to be that beacon to say, ‘We would like to partner with you. . .” Johnson said. . .
“Credit unions have historically focused on consumer lending, so having “credit union” in the brand implies a limited scope of what the organization may be able to do. With the word “financial,” it more accurately represents the full range of products and services TDECU offers,” Johnson said. . . .
“We must grow. If we do not grow, we will become one of those credit unions that are consumed or have decreasing membership,” Johnson said. “What we’re doing now is ensuring that we have an ongoing credit union for the next 100 years.”
CEO Johnson’s point of view is certainly one of several animating credit union leaders today. What will the commission say about this overt institutional goal devoid of any reference to members or their best interests. Just institutional glory, dominance and national growth. It should be noted that TDECU has its third board chair in the last four years.
Tomorrow’s Commission meeting will give Texas credit unions insight into the policy of their state regulator. Will Johnson’s philosophy of grow or die be addressed? Or will the commission embrace the words of CEO Holbrook , “it’s time for us to stand up again.”
Information to join the meeting:
The Credit Union Department Commission Meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM (central time zone)
The Agenda (link)
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 234 324 784 323 7
Passcode: Tr2qH72w
Dial in by phone
+1 936-213-5778 United States, Waller
Phone conference ID: 773 558 893#