WEEKLY UPDATE FROM MONTANA'S CREDIT UNIONS | February 13, 2026 | | |
Happy Friday! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and American consumers are anticipated to spend over $29 billion this year, about $200 per person. Interestingly, a record $2.1 billion will be spent showering pets in love. That's paws-atively wild!
If you like this credit union Valentine šā”ļø, you'll love the six printable Valentines we created for you.
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Credit Union Leaders ā Donāt Miss This Opportunity! Get ready to connect, learn, and grow at the EDGE Small Credit Union Workshop. This hands-on workshop is designed to tackle the real challenges you face, with practical tools, peer collaboration, and networking you can use to strengthen your credit unionās future.
ļ»æThis event is only for leaders of credit unions under $150M in assets. Join fellow credit union professionals and boost your knowledge, network, and impact!
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This Week's Blogs
A Direct Line: Not every project is a win, and how your board responds to those setbacks can strengthen or strain your relationship. This week's blog explores why creating space for your CEO to admit failure is essential to innovation and healthy governance. If your board wants to foster trust, encourage smart riskātaking, and handle ālessāthanāperfectā news better, this is a mustāread.
Personal Finance Blog: The athlete backstories during the Olympics may bring you to tears, but if you're shedding more than a few when it comes to your finances, it's time to know why. This week's personal finance blog offers three reasons why money is so stinkin' emotional ā and five practical ways to reduce the emotional charge. Sadly, neither impulse purchasing nor this editor's "treat yo'self" productivity method made the list.
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Save the Dates for Future Important Events
We've compiled a list of events happening next week so you don't have to. MCU events are in blue, and all events are mountain time unless noted otherwise.
| | | Looking (A Bit Farther) Ahead | | | |
Save the dates (MCU events are in blue)...
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Did You Know? Over the next several weeks, we'll share highlights and features expanding on our 2025 Impact Report. We'll include things you may not know about the league and ways you and your teams can get more engaged.
Like you, we're dedicated to "financial well-being for all." In 2025, we expanded our personal finance blog to 200+ blog posts. On our refreshed "Personal Finance" page, you'll find them sorted by six categories.
Accompanying each category is an information sheet that you can download and share with your members during meetings, in your lobbies, or at reality fairs. You can also download the information sheets by clicking on a category below:
Be sure to check out our full 2025 Impact Report.
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Congratulations! Velera has once again earned national recognition, landing on Forbesā Americaās Best Midsize Employers 2026 list ā for the fourth year in a row. Ranked seventh in Banking and Financial Services and among the top 65 employers overall, this honor reflects Veleraās ongoing commitment to creating a supportive, inclusive workplace where employees can do meaningful work and grow their careers. Congratulations to the Velera team on this well-deserved achievement! Sign up to join them at VeleraLIVE 2026 on April 13-15, in Orlando.
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Unlock Faster Onboarding & Better Performance with ScreenSteps: Struggling with scattered procedures, slow training, or too many questions from your team? ScreenSteps is the "Knowledge Operations" platform that helps you capture complex procedures, turn them into step-by-step guides, and deliver trusted answers right when your employees need them. With ScreenSteps, you can reduce errors, speed up onboarding, and empower your team to work confidently and consistently.
Ready to dive deeper? Watch this demo video and experience how ScreenSteps streamlines training and performance support for teams of all sizes.
| | | Webinars for Everyone on your Team: Learn from the comfort of your own office from these webinar partners. Click on each to view a list of upcoming webinars. | | | |
Through its Operation Hope supply drive, Black Hills FCU is gathering essential personal care items at all branches to support veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and individuals experiencing housing insecurity.
This effort is a clear expression of the cooperative principle of "Care for Community," showing how Black Hills FCU and its members come together to meet real needs, uplift neighbors facing hardship, and strengthen the communities they call home. It's the #CUDifference
p.s. Want to contribute to the campaign monetarily? Visit givebutter.com/bhfcuCAT. You have until the end of February to contribute to the campaign.
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2025 Impact Report
Weāre excited to share our statewide impact in 2025! While this overview highlights several key accomplishments, I encourage you to explore the full 2025 Impact Report to see the complete picture of what we achieved together. Iām incredibly proud of our team and of the committed leaders across Montanaās credit unions who work every day to support your members and communities.
We will always focus on our three pillars ā advocate, educate, and collaborate ā and youāll see each of these areas reflected throughout the report. From meaningful advocacy wins and expanded professionalādevelopment opportunities to stronger riskāmanagement resources and enhanced memberāsupport programs, 2025 was a year of growth and momentum for our entire credit union system. These successes matter deeply to credit union boards: they strengthen the environment you govern in, support the CEOs and teams you oversee, and help ensure longāterm stability and service for Montanans.
Please join me in celebrating our collective progress and shared impact. We have big plans for 2026, building on the strong foundation we created together in 2025.
Weāll continue sharing highlights from the report in the coming weeks, but I encourage you to reach out if you have any questions.
Have a wonderful weekend. Cooperatively, Gerry
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