Credit Union Rant

[ontour]

what people need to remember is that the people that you are giving out to / kicking up hell etc etc to are volunteers, I believe that writing to board of directors would be the thing to do as most of them would not know what is going on in the office from day to day and you would not have to wait up to a year for the AGM.

One of the big problems is that there is far too much ranting and kicking up hell which wastes a meeting and not enough constructive input that may actually guide the board towards some constructive change.

 

[ClubMan]

what people need to remember is that the people that you are giving out to / kicking up hell etc etc to are volunteers

Not in all cases. My own CU employs several full time staff. Some people would be of the opinion that being a volunteer with the best will in the world doesn't excuse misadvising customers into doing something that is not in their own best interests.

One of the big problems is that there is far too much ranting and kicking up hell which wastes a meeting and not enough constructive input that may actually guide the board towards some constructive change.

Can you give specific examples of this maybe?

 

[therave]

most of the people currently running these CU's are un-qualified and elected by cronies to do their dirty work for them...i am a member of 2 credit unions and i use them for short term loans and keep a few quid in just to keep the account open but if i am refused a loan i always tell them,the manager and the loan officer how unhappy i am with their service,this really gets them,and then i proceed to close the account,that is never allowed to happen.i am far from 65 but all the same ,these people in the CU movement forget that wthout the ordinary people in the community putting theri few quid away each week then they (the board and employees's) would have no place to act out their power trip..i think at every turn these people should be reminded that the CU belongs to the members and not to them and/or their ego's ...
and another thing that really annoys me is the fact they are awash with money so they go and spend it on new buildings..i know in Cork it's like a besting match between CU's as to who has the best office's..
pay more dividends.i don't care if i have to q up in a shed in Siberia.

 

[ontour]

Clubman, Most credit unions have paid staff, what the previous posters were referring to was going to the AGM which is where the board of directors, credit committee etc report to the members. These people are not paid. The only exception being that it is usual for the Treasurer to get a stipend.

I have been to AGMs of approx 12 different CUs and have been to ILCU agms and have been horrified by the rants that go on and interfere with moving the CU movement forward. At the AGM of the ILCU it was usual for the many motions not to be discussed or voted on because certain people wanted to speak... they had nothing useful to add but wanted to feel important. And then the meeting ran out of time..

I know I spend time defending the CUs but I do entirely recognise that there is nothing more dangerous than well intentioned fools and there are plenty of those involved in CUs. I do also know of lots of people who would have turned a bad situation in to a worse situation if not for the local credit union.

I have to agree with theRave about a shed in Siberia and focus on service, I heard of a CU in Kildare recently that are spending 12 million on a new office !! and their current office is no barna shed... it even has its own television station !!

 

[Riddler]

Just because a person is a volunteer is no excuse for poor governance & oversight. Nor does it excuse lower standards of consumer protection.

But the ILCU would have us believe that because of the volunteerism we should accept lower standards...I am reminded of a recent headline "Credit Union Chief hammers the Regulator" . I have read the Regulators speach (it's on the website) and have to agree with almost everything he had to say.

R