Skip to main content

NCOFCU 2015 Nashville, TN. Conference Recap

The National Coalition of Firefighters Credit Unions Inc (NCOFCU) just concluded its 2015 conference. It was attended by a record breaking 240 firefighters, staff and guests.

Wednesday night’s Welcome Reception was a hit with our special (look alike) guest Dolly Parton. She welcomed everyone to Nashville, posed for pictures and sang a few songs, great time welcoming old friends and meeting new ones.

The conference was opened by NCOFCU Board Chairman Michael R. Tobler, CEO Albany Firemens FCU, who introduced Bonnie Sensing CEO Nashville Firefighters CU, host credit union. She then introduced retired Chief, Charles M. Vance for the invocation followed by Fire Chief Rick White and Fred Robinson President Tennessee CUL.

Chairman Michael Tobler then presented a “Thank You” plaque to Bonnie Sensing for hosting the conference. Francis Reed CEO of Firefighters CU received “Letter of Appreciation” for being a founding board member. Clint Hartmann retiring CEO Houston Texas Fire fighters FCU received NCOFCU’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his outstanding service to NCOFCU and the credit union industry.  

Tim Harrington, CPA spoke on Enlightened Leadership followed by a very notable line up of speakers over the next 2 days, Michael Lozoff ESQ, Shutts & Bowen, Murray Halperin President, Biz-Lending, Prescott Ford Managing Director, First Empire, Steven Rick Chief Economist, CUNA Mutual Group, Myra Toeppe Director D-3, NCUA, Jeff Carpenter CUNA, and Leo Vaulin CEO, CU-South.

Thursday afternoon exhibitors had their opportunity to meet and great the attendees and award prizes for visiting their booths.

Our Friday night closing dinner at the Wildhorse Saloon gave everyone a chance to feel the Nashville vibe. Attendees danced, ate and drank the night away while wild horses ran across the ceiling.

This year we went country next year we are going West to Denver, CO! Reserve the dates September 28th – October 1st, 2016 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NCOFCU Newsletter

The Bucket Coach is a financial advice book designed by Fire Services Credit Union, Tronto, Canada. and written exclusively for Fire Fighters It's a practical guide for household financial management, including investments, credit and mortgages, and retirement. Developed with contributions from Fire Fighters," NCOFCU Newsletter : " Kevin Connolly Chief Executive Officer    Fire Services Credit Union Phone: 416-440-1294 ext 301  Toll Free: 1-866-833-3285 E-mail:  kevin@firecreditunion.ca 1997 Avenue Rd Toronto, ON M5M 4A3 

Vought: ‘We’re Closing Down The CFPB’ — White House Budget Chief Says Agency Will Shut Down Within Months

  10/16/2025 09:03 am         WASHINGTON—White House Budget Director Russell Vought said Wednesday he plans to shut down the CFPB, PYMNTS reported. Russell Vought Speaking on  The Charlie Kirk Show , Vought said only a handful of employees remain at the CFPB’s Washington headquarters “while we close down the agency,” adding that he expects the process to be completed “within the next two or three months.” Vought’s remarks come amid a series of legal challenges targeting the Administration’s attempts to scale back or dismantle the CFPB. The Administration is currently facing lawsuits from a CFPB labor union and consumer advocacy groups, which argue that Trump lacks the authority to dismiss most of the Bureau’s staff or eliminate the agency altogether. On Wednesday, Vought repeated long-standing Republican criticisms that the CFPB has exceeded its authority and imposed unfair burdens on smaller financial institutions, PYMNTS noted. “All they want to do is wea...

AI Meets Retail: Walmart Lets Shoppers Buy Directly Through ChatGPT Using Sparky Instant Checkout

  10/15/2025 07:10 pm         BENTONVILLE, Ark.— Walmart is teaming up with OpenAI to introduce Sparky AI-driven shopping experiences that let customers and Sam’s Club members complete purchases directly through ChatGPT using its new Instant Checkout feature, PYMNTS reported. The collaboration broadens Walmart’s use of artificial intelligence across its retail ecosystem and underscores a wider industry move toward conversational, predictive commerce. Through the integration, shoppers can plan meals, restock household essentials, or discover new products simply by chatting with ChatGPT—while Walmart manages the entire transaction process seamlessly in the background, PYMNTS explained. “For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., stated in the PYMNTS report. “That is about to change. There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media...

Understanding the Fed’s Balance Sheet

Chair Jerome H. Powell Monetary policy is more effective when the public understands what the Federal Reserve does and why. With that in mind, I hope to enhance understanding of one of the more arcane and technical aspects of monetary policy: the Federal Reserve's balance sheet. A colleague recently compared this topic to a trip to the dentist, but that comparison may be unfair—to dentists. 1 Today, I will discuss the essential role our balance sheet played during the pandemic, along with some lessons learned. I will then review our ample reserves implementation framework and the progress we have made toward normalizing the size of our balance sheet. I will conclude with some brief remarks on the economic outlook. Background on the Fed's Balance Sheet One of the primary purposes of a central bank is to provide the monetary foundation for the financial system and the broader economy. This foundation is made of central bank liabilities. On the Fed's balance sheet, the liabili...

For Banks and Credit Unions, AI Can Be Risky. But What’s Riskier? Falling Behind.

By Nicole Volpe,  Contributor at The Financial Brand For many bank and credit union leaders, Generative AI is mostly generating… anxiety. On one side is the fear of getting it wrong: exposing sensitive data, triggering a compliance breakdown, or wasting money on experiments that never scale. On the other looms something even more stress-inducing: watching competitors that have mastered AI serve their customers faster, cheaper, and with more personalization, while gaining market share in the process. Small and mid-sized financial institutions have long worked to offset competitive disadvantages versus larger and more-digital competitors, but AI threatens to widen the gap. Global and national players have the budgets and talent to embed AI deeply within their operations. Fintechs can pivot quickly and launch new digital experiences with fewer legacy constraints. Meanwhile, a majority of banks and credit unions sit in between — too small to match the giants’ scale, yet too complex and...