Talking Credit Unions from Swoboda Research Centre – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Purpose without delivery doesn’t move the needle. This podcast explores some of the key themes emerging from the Swoboda Research Centre - Autumn Conference in Liverpool.

The podcast includes the recording of a conference session featuring Vicky Zuiderent, Jen Lothian and Joss Tasker, who unpacked how credit unions can innovate with confidence, cut through change fatigue, and build products members actually want. 

Jen shares a field-tested approach to risk that turns fear into decisions: break it into impact and probability, separate good risks from bad ones, and run reversible tests in sandboxes before scaling. 

Joss takes us inside a mission-led start-up mindset, where product–market fit is a moving target and distribution matters as much as features. Together, they show how leadership sets the tone—give teams air cover, define exactly what success looks like with the “red wine test,” and cut the project list so people have time and energy to deliver.

We also explore when AI helps and when it harms, and how credit unions can trial modern tech stacks, APIs, and sandboxes, coordinating with peers and vendors.

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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Swoboda Research Centre's recent paper on credit unions VS community banks explores whether the ads and marketing slogans make banks and credit unions indistinguishable from each other.

We sit down with marketing strategist Daniella Russo from MP&Co Marketing Strategists to unpack the everyday language problem: how do you cut through misconceptions and make the benefits obvious? Daniela shares where values help and where they get in the way, why digital design equals brand trust, and how an audit-first approach avoids costly missteps. 

Then, we go inside a full rebrand with Kathryn Fogg, whose team transformed Pennine Community Credit Union into Northern Community Bank. Kathryn explains why they changed “members” to “account holders,” replaced jargon like “shares” and “common bond,” and introduced interest-based savings to improve clarity. The payoff: more enquiries, bigger deposits, and people who finally understand what they do.

From Ireland, Helen Carbery, the CEO of CUDA, outlines a different path: a widely trusted brand that embraces standardised mortgages and shared infrastructure to expand services without abandoning the credit union name. 

And researcher Dr Paul Jones brings the long view—credit unions as part of the co-operative banking family—arguing that labels matter less than delivering competitive products through robust, digital-first experiences. Along the way, we explore collaboration as the real force multiplier, from mortgage CUSOs to shared platforms that make current accounts, payments, and lending feel seamless.

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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The past two years has been the ultimate stress test for the financial, operational, competitive, and cultural resiliency of credit unions. Leaders have greater depth of insight into the risks facing their credit union and can now better plan for and address those risks, allowing the organisation to focus primarily on longer-term opportunities.

Some credit unions are only now emerging from the lockdown to seek new members in a tremendously competitive and digital world. The economic challenges of the past two years have amplified the essential role credit unions can play in the lives of their members and communities. This environment presents the opportunity for credit unions to re-think not only their operating norms but also how to position the organisation to make an even greater impact on employees, members, and communities.

Listen to the views of:

• Dave McAuley, CEO Donore Credit Union, Dublin, Ireland donorecu.ie
• Dermott O'Neill, CEO Scottish League of Credit Unions  scottishcu.org
• Robert Kelly, CEO Association of British Credit Unions Ltd.  abcul.coop
• Anthony Morrow, Founder of OpenMoney  open-money.co.uk

Send your feedback to Chris Smith at smithowls@gmail.com 

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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This summer saw the publication 'Gambling, Vulnerability and FCA Compliance'  (How financial services firms can achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable customers who gamble), by Sharon Collard and Katie Cross at the Bristol University Personal Finance Research Centre.
 
Credit unions are seeing increased levels of gambling activity on members accounts, especially since the pandemic. Many credit unions can conduct more forensic assessment of members accounts following the uptake in use of 'open banking'. This has contributed to a rising concern that gambling is causing harm to members and their families. Should the credit unions intervene, or should they mind their own business? Listen to the excellent points of view from industry leaders on this podcast.

Sharon Collard states, at a conservative estimate, at least one in ten adults in Britain (and I guess similar numbers in Ireland too) experience harmful gambling, either because of their own gambling or someone else’s. Gambling-related vulnerability can present a unique set of challenges because of its complexity, the fact is that the member may not be fully in control of their decisions or actions, and the fact is that it may not always be clear what a credit union can do to ensure the fair treatment of customers in this situation.
 
Do credit unions intervene, or not seems to be the conundrum? I think what we have heard, on this podcast, demonstrates that credit unions are well-placed to address the financial harms linked to gambling-related vulnerability. Some, credit unions are embarking on being quite interventionist and perhaps others less so. Perhaps credit unions can demonstrate their differences, from their competitors, by showing a more caring and concerned response to this growing problem in society. Or maybe our governments will curb the gambling companies and restrict the proliferation of their advertising; but I wouldn't bet on it.

Listen to the contributors to this podcast:

1. Sharon Collard, Bristol University
2. Karen Bennett CBE,  CEO Enterprise Credit Union, Merseyside
3. Sheenagh Young, CEO South Manchester Credit Union
4. Alex Hodson, Loans Officer, Metro Money Wise Credit Union, Rochdale
5.  Lorraine Moran, Loans Officer, St Anthony’s & Claddagh Credit Union, Galway
6. Barry Grant, Project Manager, Extern Problem Gambling Project, Dublin

Gambling-vulnerability-FCA-compliance-report.pdf (bristol.ac.uk)http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/geography/pfrc/Gambling-vulnerability-FCA-compliance-report.pdf

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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The Save and Sound project is now looking further afield for more credit union memories. The project  wants to make sure that the efforts of people who worked to set up and run credit unions in the early days of the movement are not forgotten.  The history of British credit unions is a diverse and inspiring one and the project wants to hear from anyone who was involved with a credit union in whatever way.  Anyone with any information about early credit unions is encouraged to get in touch. 

By collecting and sharing the unique personal memories of a diverse range of credit union pioneers, Save and Sound will help many more people learn about the history and heritage of British credit unions.

Save and Sound was originally funded to collect 40 oral history interviews across the north of England, but now the project expands across Britain.  The project has already recruited volunteers that have been trained as oral history interviewers or to assist in the development of a new website. 

For more information, please visit https://www.creditunionfoundation.org.uk/projects/save-and-sound or contact Abbie Shelton at abbie.shelton@creditunionfoundation.org.uk

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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The purpose of credit unions is obvious, isn’t it? Well, isn’t it?

One of the perceptions about credit unions is that they ‘alleviate poverty’ and I guess many within the Irish & UK credit union movement will accept that perception. I suspect that banks are not perceived as alleviating poverty, by the general public or even bank workers. 

So, do credit unions alleviate poverty?

I spoke to three well known experienced credit union people; Paul Jones, Eileen Halligan & Des Morrisey and put this question to them. I started with Dr Paul A. Jones, Director of Research at CFCFE, who is also Reader in the Social Economy at Liverpool John Moores University, where he heads up the Research Unit for Financial Inclusion. 

I then spoke with Eileen Halligan, CEO & Secretary at Central Liverpool Credit Union.  A well established credit union with over 16,000 members with three branches.

Finally, I got the views of Des Morrisey, the former, CEO of Tallaght Credit Union in Ireland. A 35 year old credit union with 17, 000 members, with over EU65m in assets. 

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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This is podcast is where I look at another mobile 'app' being currently used by some credit unions.

In this edition I talk with the enthusiastic Karen Bennett, CEO of the Merseyside based Enterprise  Credit Union, about its fairly recent take up member mobile ‘app’ CUApps. 

Firstly, I spoke with the two young Scots tech entrepreneurs, Declan McGallagy and Jack Alison who founded CU Apps over eight years ago. They tell me how they specialise in premium mobile app and chatbot development, working closely with credit unions and their core banking providers to offer bespoke apps that help credit unions reduce costs and engage new and existing members through expert mobile and chat offerings.

We cannot yet know whether people’s new digital communication patterns will continue once stay-at-home, distancing, and lockdown measures are lifted, and people are able to meet more easily, in person again. However, given the major impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on people’s increase in digital communication behaviours, clearly credit unions are increasingly considering how the pandemic is shaping their entire digital future.

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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I’ve decided to have a closer look at the world of credit union ‘apps’ or Fintech, as some call it. Many of you are aware that a tsunami of helpful apps has arrived at the door of credit unions in the last few years and in many cases transformed how members interact or communicate with their credit union. Some credit unions have willingly adopted the apps available, and some are still considering. Perhaps there is still a little suspicion of earlier tech failures in the Irish & British credit union movements over the years that holds some credit unions back? I don’t know….but I’ve put together a few stories of some of the ‘apps’ in use, and some in development.

In this edition I will be talking to Matt Bland, CEO of the Manchester based Co-op Credit Union, about its first year of taking on the member ‘app’ NIVO. 

Launched in late 2018 as an early-stage spin-out from Barclays Bank, Nivo is already working with large banks, lending brokers, lenders, professional services companies and credit unions who use the platform to significantly improve member sign-ups and service efficiency.

NHS Credit Union state that the NIVO app doubled their member ‘onboarding’ and enabled loan applications to soar to 87% of loans being processed within one day. An impressive list of users have taken up the app.

Listen to the founder, and CEO of NIVO, Michael Common . 

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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I've always been amazed at the passion and support for this unique form of credit union education that has seen  over 4,500 credit union employees, volunteers, directors and supporters attending over the years. The EU version has been running several years, with events usually based in the UK. The US version, of the DE event, has been around for almost 40 years.
 
The main purpose of the DE programmes is to "..... is to help established and emerging leaders within the credit union movement understand and leverage credit unions’ unique business model to serve members and communities in new and better ways".

Listen to Lois Kitsch, the former National Programme Director for the National Credit Union Foundation (USA) responsible for the Development Education Programme, explain the impact of this type of immersive education.

Listen to  Marlene Shiels, CEO Capital Credit Union (Scotland), explain the power of the events so far and the successes with many individuals.

Andy Davey, Operations Manager, Co-op Credit Union(UK), describes his DE journey, as a graduate, with both the EU and USA DE programmes.

For information about the EU DE events contact Carole Philbin:  Carol.Phibin@partnerscreditunion.co.uk 

and for the USA events contact Maggie Wolff, Development Education Manager

mwolff@ncuf.coop

Website:  The Development Education (DE) Program (ncuf.coop)

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.

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This is an interviewed with Sir Douglas Flint who is chair of Standard Life Aberdeen, IP Group, the Corporate board of Cancer Research UK and is a trustee of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. He was previously Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings and he has held other roles, notably as a non-executive director of BP.

Clearly, Sir Douglas has many years of experience of board rooms of successful businesses and his Chairmanship of the Just Finance Foundation has placed him in close proximity to credit unions. So, along with his insights into successful board rooms,  I was firstly interested in asking him about his Chairmanship of the Just Finance Foundation.

Then I asked him what changes would you make to boardrooms to make them more effective?
"Boards need to spend more time on what’s important rather that what’s urgent".  He added, There are 5 key questions that we need to think about:

1. Where do we think our industry is going to be in 5 or 10-years’ time?
2. What do we need to do to put ourselves in a position for that change?
3. What resources do we need, human, financial, and technology?
4. What do we think our competitors are doing to position themselves?
5. What do we think people who aren’t our competitors today but do have the capability to be our competitors in the future are doing?

https://www.justfinancefoundation.org.uk/
The Just Finance Foundation runs a project called LifeSavers. This is an innovative, values-based financial education programme for primary schools, teaching children how to manage money wisely. Offering a whole school approach, LifeSavers provides: 

1.  Resources and training for teachers
2.  Savings Clubs: giving children practical experience of handling and saving money
3.  A whole community approach, including parents, credit unions and other community groups 

Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.