Skip to main content

It is that time of year! 6 Disaster Recovery Tips for Credit Unions


6 Disaster Recovery Tips for Credit Unions

BY TIM DAUGHERTY | MAY 15, 2019
Ahh, disaster recovery. For credit unions, it’s a must. Why? Well, imagine what would happen if lightning struck half your branches. What would you do?
Okay, maybe that’s not the best example. Lightning strikes—especially simultaneous lightning strikes—aren’t exactly common. Still, many things are common. Worse, some bad things are becoming increasingly common.
Have you ever worried about wildfires, tornadoes, or earthquakes? How about hurricanes, power outages, or chemical spills? We could go on, but by now, you’ve probably gotten the point: credit union disaster recovery is important.


It’s Not Just a Good Idea—It’s the Law!

Disaster recovery plans are important for being able to restore operations when things go wrong. Plus, the NCUA wants you to have a disaster recovery plan.
Your members will thank you, too. If you’re serious about meeting their needs, then you must plan for the worst. If you don’t, how can you help them when they need you most?
So, where do you get started?

1.    Test Your Core

Can your core handle a disaster? If not, then what’s the use in anything else working? If it’s your first time testing your disaster recovery, start with the core.
In any credit union disaster recovery scenario, you must ensure that you can continue operating. It’s a nice thought, being there for your members in an emergency. Being able to handle their banking needs is an even nicer thought.

2.    Test Your Connectivity

Okay, now that you’ve got your core figured out, it’s time to make sure you can use it. Can you connect to it? How’s your third-party connectivity?
Connectivity is another year-one concern. Don’t put this off!

3.    Test Supporting Systems

There’s no reason to test the core and connectivity over and over. At some point, you have to check on all your other systems.
Start by determining which of your supporting systems are most critical. Your most critical systems are the ones that you would need to bring up before your other peripheral systems.
Testing supporting systems is a year-two concern.

4.    Test Your Business Processes

Also in your second year, you should test your critical businesses processes. Make sure end-users are trained on how to handle your credit union’s disaster recovery plan.
You may want to try out testing in an offsite location, or even from home. You can’t be sure that you’ll have your usual facilities in the event of a disaster.
Testing businesses processes also falls under the business continuity planning (BCP) umbrella. That’s okay—there’s a little overlap.

5.    Test Third-Party Connectivity

The last major consideration for your second year of disaster recovery testing is third-party connectivity. Once you know your core is operational and connected, it’s time to see what else you can maintain access to.

6.    Full Production Test

By the third year, you’ll want to run a full production test. Fail over to your backup servers on a weekend. Make sure you can run production from that environment.
Then, let it run for a week. Make sure everything is running and that connections are solid.
When you’ve successfully completed this step, then you’ll know that your credit union is truly prepared for disaster recovery.

Comments

Post a Comment

Please no profanity or political 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 
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Sunday Reading - What is the Dow Jones?

    What is the Dow Jones? Created in 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is one of the world’s oldest and most widely recognized stock indexes—a measure tracking the stock performance of a selected group of companies ( see most recent data ). Originally designed to track America’s leading industrial firms, the Dow has evolved into a cultural and financial shorthand for the health of the US economy. As of 2025, it measures 30 major companies —like McDonald's, Boeing, and Nike—across sectors such as technology, healthcare, finance, and consumer goods.  Unlike most modern indexes, which are weighted by the total value of a company’s shares, the DJIA uses a price-weighted formula —meaning stocks with higher share prices exert more influence, regardless of company size. The DJIA has been updated 59 times since its creation to reflect changes in the US economy ( see ch...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

New from AutoLink

New from AutoLink
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Powell Rejects Any Plan for Fed to Intervene in Secondary Market to Bring Down Rates

  Frank Diekmann October 20, 2025 2:22 am No Comments PHILADELPHIA–Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there are no plans for the central bank to directly intervene in secondary mortgage markets in an attempt to help bring down mortgage rates, an idea some have proposed as a means of addressing the affordability crisis In housing. Jerome Powell Speaking at the  National Association for Business Economics  conference in Philadelphia, Powell spoke to the Fed’s progress with “quantitative tightening,” that is, its work to reduce the more than $6 trillion of securities it holds on its  balance sheet . Read more about the Balance Sheet HERE Those holdings include approximately $2 trillion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which are bundles of home loans that are packaged together and sold to investors, usually by middlemen  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , noted Realtor.com. Rolling Off Balance Sheet As the report noted, the Fed dramatically increased M...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

The Role and Hazards of an Interim Executive

  The Role and Hazards of an Interim Executive Leadership transitions are rarely smooth. A change at the top can trigger uncertainty, speculation, and anxiety. Staff worry about their jobs, members wonder about continuity, and boards feel the weight of stewarding the organization through uncertain change. The utilization of an interim executive director is meant to stabilize the organization and allow the board enough space and capacity to find the right successor leader. Here’s a catch: if an interim executive is also a candidate for the successor role, the very purpose of an interim engagement is compromised. With an Interim, there’s always a second wave of anxiety Every leadership transition comes with some anxiety. The staff sometimes don’t know what’s going on. The board is worried about continuity, and members may be worried about joining. One task of an interim is to absorb some of that anxiety and provide reassurance that things are moving forward. But there is al...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Your Credit Union CAN Use Public Fund Deposits To Fund Assets

By Corporate One Federal Credit Union Once largely thought of as taboo, the use of external funding is now widely accepted throughout the credit union industry. In fact, the NCUA has required all credit unions to seek multiple liquidity sources and document those sources in their liquidity policy. As the acceptance of external funding has improved, credit unions are increasingly sourcing funds from many channels, including the Federal Home Loan Bank System, the corporate credit union network, and several non-member deposit channels, such as public fund deposits. Yes, public fund deposits are being increasingly sourced to fund credit union assets. Increasing Growth, Benefits, And Uses Total member and non-member government deposits totaled $5.4 billion at year-end 2017. This is an increase of 27% since 2015. While this amount pales in comparison to total deposits and other liabilities, how important are these deposits to the nearly 500 credit unions who report them?...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

How Stablecoins Could Prove to Be Anything But Stable for CUs That Don’t Get Moving

LOST PINES, Texas–With the GENIUS Act enacted and the countdown on for NCUA and regulators to get rules in place for stablecoins, credit unions were told it’s “go time” to begin preparing for a new technology that could “eat the lunch” of interchange. The cautionary words came from  Dr. Lamont Black , an associate professor at the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University, where among other things he teaches a graduate course on cryptocurrency, and who is also a fellow in Filene’s Credit Union of the Future Center of Excellence, and who s well-known to many in credit unions for his work and insights.  After several years of speaking to credit unions on crypto, he told  Catalyst Corporate’s  Strategic Summit meeting he has pivoted now due to the rapid change taking place, and in addition to talking about AI (see separate reporting in the CU Daily), he has a warning for CUs when it comes to another emerging technology. Eating the Lunch of Payments “I believe st...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Fire Police City County Federal Credit Union to construct new Fort Wayne headquarters

Fire Police City County Federal Credit Union announced Wednesday plans to break ground next month on a headquarters at North Clinton Street and Penn Avenue. The project will cost about $13 million, a spokesman said through email. The new building will have about 22,000 square feet, including a full-service branch, to accommodate the credit union’s growth in recent years. The credit union has more than 11,300 members at six branches in Fort Wayne and New Haven and has experienced a 7% membership increase over the last five years, the news release said. The credit union’s assets have grown about 46%. “As our membership continues to grow, it’s essential that we grow with it,” Diane Scherer, president and CEO of the credit union, said. The new headquarters represents the credit union’s “ongoing commitment to providing exceptional service,” expanding its capabilities and investing in the future, she said. “We’re excited to build a space that reflects our values and enhances the experience f...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Zelle Says It Will Allow Users to Make International Payments Using Stablecoins

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz .–   Zelle  has announced plans to allow users to start making international payments using stablecoins. The move by Early Warning Services, which operates the P2P payments network Zelle and which is owned by a consortium of large banks, comes in the wake of the passage of the GENIUS Act, which is designed to usher stablecoins into the regulated financial system. Stablecoins are a digital currency that is pegged to a fiat currency such as the U.S. dollar. As the CU Daily reported  here , credit unions were strongly urged during an event last week to not just start paying attention to stablecoins but to begin taking action as interchange income is threatened. Similarly, analysts said the move by Zelle to help users move money across borders is a defensive move in response to what is expected to be the growing use of stablecoins by consumers and businesses. Early Warning Services did not indicate how it would work or when it would launch, according to sever...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

July 1 Was Effective Date for Tracking/Not Tracking Firearms Purchases

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—July 1 marked an important date for credit card companies when it comes to requirements related to recording firearms purchases. On July 1, California became the first state to require credit card companies to create the unique code for retailers to use. But on the same day the law took effect in California, laws banning such a code also went into effect in Tennessee, Georgia, Iowa and Wyoming, USA Today reported. The code, known as the merchant category code (MCC), tracks the type of business where a transaction was made to determine things like tax reporting or transaction fees. “It can also be used to track purchasing behavior, but MCCs do not note the specific items purchased,” USA Today said. The report noted Colorado pa...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»