Win a $50 Gift Card

Complete the Hunt to be eligible for 

1 of 4 $50 Gift Cards

Visit NCOFCU and try to complete the following tasks. Log in with your e-mail and password. If you have forgotten your password, and we all do now and then,  CLICK HERE.   

            

• Find which credit unions are members of NCOFCU and their sponsorship's
• Find NCOFCU's Vision and Mission
• Locate the Members Directory
• Find NCOFCU's 2016 Conference photos and presentations
• Locate in Members Benefits, the Associate Directors Position policy
• Find NCOFCU's Disaster and Scholarship Funds
• Locate NCOFCU's financial reports
• Find how many Associate Directors  NCOFCU has?
  
  Let the search begin!

When you are finished with the scavenger hunt, click the "I'm Done" below to register your completion with the correct answer. You will be entered to win one (1) of four (4) $50 gift cards.
* NCOFCU Volunteers and staff not eligible. 

I'm Done

Hunt will end 7/31/17

See you in Charlotte, NC 10/4-7/2017

"Great things happen when credit unions serving firefighters and first responders come together. Our Face-to-face interaction is the platform where collaboration begins, relationships are forged, and ideas are generated." 

Only in Charlotte

See you in Charlotte
NCOFCU's  Annual Conference!October 4-7, 2017

Mortgage Rates Decline Despite Fed's Increases

WASHINGTON–The Fed may be pushing rates up, but the 30-year mortgage rate average has declined to new lows for 2017.
According to Freddie Mac data:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.88% with an average 0.5 point for the week ending June 29, 2017, down from one week earlier when it averaged 3.90%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.48%

• 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.17% with an average 0.5 point, the same as one week earlier. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.78%

• Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.17% as of June 29, with an average 0.5 point, up from one week earlier when it averaged 3.14%. A year ago at the same time, the five-year ARM averaged 2.70%

"The 30-year mortgage rate fell two basis points to 3.88% this week," says Sean Becketti, chief economist, Freddie Mac, in a statement. "However, the majority of our survey was conducted prior to Tuesday's sell-off in the bond market, which drove Treasury yields higher. Mortgage rates may increase in next week's survey if Treasury yields continue to rise.

McWatters Officially Designated as Chairman of NCUA

ALEXANDRIA, Va. –Acting NCUA Chairman J. Mark McWatters has been officially designated as Chairman of NCUA by President Trump. McWatters becomes the 10^th chairman of the NCUA board.

“I thank President Trump for this honor and the trust he has placed in me,” McWatters said in a statement. “As chairman of the NCUA, I remain committed to providing regulatory relief for the credit union community, in compliance with the Federal Credit Union Act, and to streamlining the operations of NCUA as a prudential regulator.

“We best fulfill our obligation to protect America’s $1.3 trillion credit union community and its 108 million, largely middle-class, members, and the safety and soundness of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund by promoting a strong and vibrant system and by making the NCUA even more efficient, effective, transparent and fully accountable,” McWatters said.

McWatters was nominated to the NCUA Board by then-President Barack Obama on Jan. 7, 2014. Following Senate confirmation, he took office as an NCUA Board Member on Aug. 26, 2014. McWatters has served as Acting Board Chairman since Jan. 23.

“I am very pleased that Mr. McWatters has officially been designated as the Chairman of the NCUA by the President,” Board Member Rick Metsger said in a statement. “This recognizes his hard work and dedication to the mission of the agency and I look forward to our continued work together to provide access and financial safety to the over 100 million Americans who are part of the nation’s credit union system.”

Prior to joining NCUA’s Board, McWatters served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs and as a Professor of Practice at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and as Adjunct Professor at the university’s Cox School of Business. He also served on the Governing Board of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and on the Advisory Committee of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.

McWatters served as a member of the Troubled Asset Relief Program Congressional Oversight Panel and as counsel to Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). He also practiced law as a partner in three large cross-border law firms and as counsel to an international hedge and private equity firm, where he specialized in taxation, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. He began his career as a judicial clerk to the Hon. Walter Ely of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

McWatters is licensed to practice law in Texas and New York and as a Certified Public Accountant in Texas. He holds a J.D. degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and an LL.M degree from each of Columbia University School of Law and New York University School of Law.

Some Great Ideas

Member appreciation Day Luncheon

Akron Firefighters has a  annual appreciation day luncheon in the Local Hall. they market this to the members as an appreciation day with lots of food, door prizes and special treats for the kids.

For information on what it takes and how successful it has been call or e-mail CEO Linda Williams

330-798-1994 - akfirecu@aol.com

Shred Event

BRFFCU will be hosting a shred event at our main office. Members are welcome to drop off any paper documents they would like shredded. (Paper documents only. No
magazines, cardboard or folders please.)
Wondering what kinds of documents should go through the shredder? Here are some examples:
Tax returns, Photo IDs, Bank statements, Voided checks Credit card information Copies of sales receipts, Documents containing sensitive information such as name, address, phone number or email, Employment records
For information on what it takes and how successful it has been call CEO Dawn Heath: (225) 274-8383 - dawn@brfdfcu.com

Scholarships

BFCU will be awarding (2) $5,000 College Scholarships and (2) $1,000 High School Scholarships for the 2017. For information on what it takes and how successful it has been contact CEO Bernie Winne 617-288-2420 - bwinne@bosfirecu.com

2017 Annual Conference Charlotte NC 10/4-7/2017

“Great things happen when credit unions serving firefighters and first responders come together. Our Face-to-face interaction is the platform where collaboration begins, relationships are forged, and ideas are generated.” Conference Information

Job Opening Firefighters First Credit Union

Branch Managers Position

Firefighters First Credit Union is expanding and we want you to be a part of it! For over 80 years we have exclusively served California firefighters and their families and now we are expanding into Arizona. We are actively seeking a Regional Branch Manager in the Tempe, Arizona area to help grow our organization. To be considered for this exciting and rewarding career please review the job description below and submit your completed application.

Position Summary:

The primary function of this position is to provide and exhibit outstanding service and department leadership, managing the Branch to ensure high-level quality service to internal and external Credit Union members. This leadership position is responsible for ensuring all Regional Office staff execute on stated goals, including new member, sales, and deposit goals established for the Regional Office.

Benefits Offered
Dental, 401K, Vision, Medical, Life

Employment Type
Full-Time

For more information and to apply; Firefighters First Credit Union

Don’t miss out on the Early Bird pricing! (Early Bird Pricing Ends July 1st.)

Don’t miss out on the Early Bird pricing! (Early Bird Pricing Ends July 1st.)

To check out our line up of great speakers and to get more information about the conference or to register on-line click HERE, or contact your credit union.  

Mail in registrations available  HERE

If you need more time or information, let us know at ceo@ncofcu.org or contact us directly at 305-951-3306

Corporate Sponsors can  review sponsorship's and register HERE

Grant J. Sheehan CEO
National Council of Firefighter Credit Unions Inc.
3741 De Garmo Lane, Coconut Grove, FL. 33133
ceo@ncofcu.org
305-951-3306
www.ncofcu.org

Dennis Dollar on Field of Membership

By Dennis Dollar

The question is often asked if field of membership still matters to credit unions today.

After all, some say, credit unions have already pushed FOM to the limits.  Between community charters, associational SEGs and underserved areas, those same folks say that every credit union already has all the FOM potential they will ever need.

In reality, the need for FOM growth will cease when the need for credit union capital, earnings and financial stability ends.

You cannot separate a viable FOM from safety and soundness.  If a credit union cannot grow through its FOM to achieve the diversification of business and the economy of scale necessary to be competitive in an incredibly challenging marketplace, it cannot maintain its long-term safety and soundness.

Capital comes from earnings.  Earnings come from the spread on products and services offered by a credit union to its members.  The members come from potential members.  Potential members come from a credit union’s field of membership.

To compete effectively, growth is crucial.  Diversification is essential.  FOM drives both.

Some Positive Options

The new NCUA field of membership rules that went into effect February 2017 offer some positive options for federal credit unions to consider as they evaluate FOM growth potential for their strategic future.  Many states have followed suit through their parity provisions and some even go further than NCUA in their FOM flexibility.

The ability to expand community charters beyond a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) into a combined statistical area (CSA) as long as the additional counties are contiguous and the total population does not exceed 2.5 million is a very good option for community chartered federal credit unions to consider.

The improved process for defining and serving underserved areas and the ability to serve SEGs of entire office, retail or industrial complexes (rather than signing up the individual businesses within them one by one) are very progressive steps for SEG-based multiple common bond federal credit unions.

The approval to serve honorably discharged veterans for any federal credit union that has an established military component to its existing FOM is another improvement in the rules that benefits both credit unions and those who served our nation.

Long Overdue

The NCUA Board, with just two members who unanimously acted in a bipartisan manner to approve this rule, deserves commendation for this long overdue modernization.

Could they have gone further within the law?  No question.  There were no population caps or concentration of facilities matrixes on underserved areas from 1999 to 2010.  So, since this rule maintains those provisions, the changes are more modest than they could have been.
But credit unions cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.  And this is a good FOM rule with some very position provisions for federal credit unions and the state credit unions in those states with parity or beyond.

As long as strategic diversification and managed growth are important to credit unions as they always will be, enhanced FOM opportunities are vital.

The new NCUA FOM rules are a progressive step toward regulatory modernization as it relates to credit union growth.  More members from all walks of life will be positively impacted and more communities will be strengthened through the expansion of credit union service that these new rules provide.

Dennis Dollar served on the NCUA Board from 1997-2004 and as NCUA Chairman from 2001-2004.  He can be reached at ddollar@dollarassociates.com. 

Just how important is that mobile number?

WASHINGTON—Most U.S. homes no longer have a landline phone service and instead rely on cell phones.

Which number do you have in your member database? When was the last time you updated your membership contact information?

According to a new report from the US Health Department, 50.8% of American households are now wireless only when it comes to phone service, The Verge reported.

Among those remaining households, 39.4% had both a wireless phone and a landline. Only 6.5% of homes are landline only, while 3.2% remain phone-free.

The figures, based on a telephone poll of nearly 20,000 households, show just how quickly Americans have abandoned landlines, The Verge noted. Just 10 years ago, only about 15% of households were wireless only, with the rapid rise of smartphone use leading to the shift.

CEO Michael R. Tobler steps down (retires) as CEO of Albany Firemen's FCU, and his daughter Renee Tobler Cowan steps up!

Congratulations to Michael R. Tobler on his retirement, 46 years of hard work and dedication with Albany Firemen's Federal Credit Union. 


Michael, a retired Battalion Chief of Albany Fire Dept., assumed the position of CEO of the credit union after his father retired in 1987. He had been a loan officer and assistant manager since 1976. Michael also serves as an elected director of the New York State Credit Union Association (NYCUA) where he has been serving since 2007 and has been a member of the NYCUA Capital District Chapter since 1990 where he serves as President. Michael is also a founding board member of the National Council of Firefighters Credit Unions where he has served as Chairman since 2010, he is also the founding Chairman of the Albany Firefighters Museum which was organized in 2014. He will continue to serve as Treasure of AFFCU through the CEO transition.  


He and his wife Dale hope to now be spending more time at their Florida home away from those Albany winters!





Renee Tobler Cowan, has a Bachelor degree in Business and Accounting from Siena College and has worked at the credit union since 2002. She has held the position of  Operations Manager (COO) since 2010 and will now follow her father's footsteps as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Renee also holds the position of Vice President of the Capital District Chapter of the NYCUA.