Skip to main content

Firefighters First Credit Union President & CEO Mike Mastro - 35 years of legendary service

MikeMastroBlogImg"We would like to congratulate and thank Firefighters First Credit Union President & CEO Mike Mastro for providing 35 years of legendary service and leadership to the Credit Union and its members! 

 Mike joined the Fire Family in 1980 as an accounting and investment controller and quickly worked his way up to President/CEO. 

 Today, Firefighters First exclusively serves full-time, paid, active and retired professional firefighters and their families throughout the State of California, and has over 32,000 members and assets of $1 billion

Firefighters First Credit Union
Board of Directors and Staff(https://www.firefightersfirstcu.org)"

Comments

Post a Comment

Please no profanity or political comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Cutting Through The Stablecoin Noise—What Credit Unions Actually Need To Know Now

By Ray Birch DOVER, Del.—By any measure, stablecoins have quickly become one of the most talked-about—and least understood—topics in credit union boardrooms. The pressure to “do something” is building, fueled by headlines, fintech momentum and a growing fear of being left behind. But according to InvestiFi CEO Kian Sarreshteh, that urgency may be misplaced. “There’s a lot of FOMO right now,” Sarreshteh said. “If I don’t adopt a stablecoin solution this year, I’m going to be left behind. I would argue pretty strongly that’s very far from the truth.” Instead of rushing to sign up for a Stablecoin pilot, Sarreshteh said credit unions should begin with a more fundamental question: what problem are you actually trying to solve? While stablecoins are often discussed as a potential challenger to traditional payment rails dominated by Visa and Mastercard, he believes that kind of mass-market disruption remains years away—especially in the U.S., where consumers already have fast, convenient opt...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Senate Banking To Vote Thursday On Landmark Digital Assets Bill

“NCOFCU appreciates the Senate Banking Committee’s continued work during next week’s markup hearing to establish a clear and responsible regulatory framework for digital assets,” said the National Council of Fire Fighter Credit Unions (NCOFCU) leadership. “As lawmakers consider this legislation, it is essential that first responder credit unions are recognized as a vital part of the financial services ecosystem and are not overlooked in the evolving digital asset landscape. Credit unions serving police, fire, EMS, and other emergency personnel must have equitable access to innovation, regulatory clarity, and the tools necessary to continue supporting the financial readiness and resilience of America’s first responders.” Grant Sheehan CEO WASHINGTON—The Senate Banking Committee will vote on the long-awaited CLARITY Act this Thursday, Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) announced Friday. Tim Scott The announcement marks a potentially major step forward for legislation that would establis...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Meeting Portals - Why Choose MyBoardPacket.com

MyBoardPacket is known as the simplest, most secure, and affordable online board packet solution. A low monthly fee, with no setup fee, no annual contracts, free customer support and unlimited users! We use MyBoardPacket.com here at NCOFCU, and we love it! Exclusive discount of 25% for NCOFCU Members! Additional discounts are granted for small asset size credit unions! Why choose MyBoardPacket over other meeting portals? The Facts: MyBoardPacket was the first secure board portal on the market, starting in 2001. So easy to use that no training is required! However, for your peace of mind, you have unlimited support and training with your very own Trainer, which any Admin can schedule whenever needed. Unlimited users , committees, and meetings from anywhere! On MyBoardPacket everyone is on the same page . Month-to-month subscription – our customers are with MyBoardPacket because they love it, not because they are locked into a lengthy contract! MyBoar...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Just Out! - NCUA Stablecoin Plan Opens Door To Credit Union-Backed Digital Dollar Issuers

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A sweeping new NCUA proposal to implement the GENIUS Act could open the door for credit union-backed stablecoin issuance, but only through separately licensed subsidiaries operating under an extensive new federal regulatory framework that limits risks to the Share Insurance Fund. The 269-page supplemental proposed rule issued Friday lays out how “permitted payment stablecoin issuers” affiliated with federally insured credit unions would be supervised, examined and regulated by the NCUA, while also establishing rules covering reserves, liquidity, custody, operational risk, cybersecurity, anti-money laundering compliance and disclosure standards. The proposal supplements an earlier February 2026 proposal by the agency focused primarily on licensing and investments in stablecoin issuers. Federally insured credit unions themselves would still be prohibited from directly issuing payment stablecoins under the GENIUS Act. Instead, issuance would have to occur through a separa...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

The Most Overlooked Growth Opportunity in First Responder Credit Unions

Credit unions spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and marketing dollars trying to acquire new members. But many institutions — especially sponsor-based first responder credit unions — are sitting on one of the most valuable growth opportunities already inside their existing membership base. The joint owner population. Every day, firefighters, police officers, EMTs, dispatchers, and other first responders join credit unions through sponsor relationships. During account opening, spouses or partners are often added as joint owners for convenience. They help manage the household finances. They use the debit card. They log into online banking. They interact with the credit union regularly. Yet in many cases, they never actually become full member-owners of the cooperative. They are connected to the institution — but not fully part of it. And that creates a major strategic opportunity. Why Joint Owner Conversion Matters For sponsor-based credit unions, converting joint owners into full m...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

How to Comply in the New World of Complaints

NASHVILLE–It’s not enough anymore to receive a member complaint and to respond with just an apology. Not surprisingly, with Washington now much more involved, member complaints have become a formal process with penalties involved when those complaints aren’t addressed and resolved.  That has required credit unions to create complaint tracking systems and one CU that has done so shared some of its processes and lessons learned during the NAFCU annual meeting here. One thing that was clear: complaints are not just what a teller might hear. Complaints can come via numerous channels, including regulators, and can be related to everything from credit reports to RESPA letters to mortgage rules and much more.  “Complaints run the gamut, but the key is complaint management,” said Mitchell B. Klein, an attorney who is also the chief risk officer with Citadel FCU. “All of these types of complaints need to be managed in some fashion and in a timely way. You don’t want to get in ...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

7 Secrets For Merger Success | Credit Unions

These best practices will ensure your next merger won’t be your last. By Aaron Pugh  With six mergers completed since 2009 and three more on the immediate horizon, Credit Union of Southern California ($781.8M, Whittier, CA) — commonly referred to as CU SoCal — attributes just over half of its branch footprint and about 70% of growth achieved in the past five years to merger activity. On the opposite side of the country, The Summit Federal Credit Union ($723.7M, Rochester, NY) averaged close to one merger a year between 2003 and 2011, increasing its assets by more than $445 million and adding 12 branches in three regional markets beyond its original Rochester and Seneca Falls footprint. Despite the prevalence of this activity, neither of these institutions has ever actively sought out any merger partner. Instead, they’ve been responding to increased demand from small-to-mid-sized credit unions for cooperative alliances, both for survival and for the enhanced economies of scale ...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Ransomware: 'It's A Growing Issue'

MADISON, Wis.—Ransomware attacks, already a quiet concern that has been growing among credit unions, are expected to dramatically increase this year—with one analyst saying there is “no silver bullet” to prevent the threat. Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system or PC until a sum of money is paid. In the case of a financial institution, crooks first use the malware to encrypt the contents of the FI’s data and then extract a ransom in exchange for decrypting the information and allowing the victim to regain access. It’s an issue, according to one regulator source who asked for anonymity that has been growing within credit unions, many of which have paid ransoms to regain access to their data and have chosen not to speaking publicly about the crime. “This has become a huge problem,” said Ken Otsuka, senior consultant in CUNA Mutual Group’s risk management department, adding that CUNA Mutual Group’s cyber liability coverage data d...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

NCUA - How Many NCUA Staff are Leaving, & What Are They Taking With Them? Here are 3 Viewpoints

ALEXANDRIA, Va.–NCUA may have already reached its target of reducing staff by 20% as the Trump administration pressures regulatory agencies to reduce headcount, although the agency has not confirmed what several people said they are hearing. Thos same individuals have also expressed their concerns that a lot of “institutional memory” may be headed out the door. During a podcast hosted by Mark Treichel, who during his 33-year career worked his way up from examiner to executive director, John McKechnie, an advocate for credit unions on Capitol Hill who spent five years at NCUA as director of public and congressional affairs, and Geoff Bacino, who now leads an association management firm and who served on the NCUA board, shared what they have heard from inside NCUA regarding the staff reductions. Mark Treichel Updates & Board Meetings The NCUA board was to hear an update on that issue during its April board meeting, but after board members Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka were fired by Pr...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

The Role of the Board Chair

Tim Harrington, CPA   CEO, TEAM Resources The Role of the Board Chair Recently I had the chance to spend some time with a great group of board members . One of the things we talked about was the role of the board chair. I thought this well worth putting down on *paper* as it were. The role of the chairperson is multi-faceted, complex, and often changing within the context of the organization’s dynamic. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect set of “rules.” But there are some guidelines. Here are our “tips” on navigating the position successfully: Roles Facilitator  – The board chair must draw together the individual directors into a team, working together on behalf of the membership and the credit union. To do that, s/he must wrangle individual personalities, draw out conversation from some, and rein it in from others. Having a solid understanding of the personalities of each director … and the CEO helps the chair keep things on track, moving forward, and civil. ...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»