WEEKLY UPDATE FROM MONTANA'S CREDIT UNIONS | April 10, 2026 | | |
Happy Friday! Sunday is National Licorice Day. Are you a red licorice or a black licorice fan? While researching this day, we learned that purists believe the only real licorice is black and anise-flavored; red licorice is just a candy. Whether you consider yourself a purist or not, we found this website with over 50 varieties of shoppable flavors of delicious licorice and "licorice." Happy snacking!
| | | Executive Roundtable — May 21: Stay an extra morning after Power Up for a new Executive Roundtable built for Montana credit union executives. Expect rapid-fire, peer-led hot topic discussions and practical takeaways you can apply immediately. We’re also seeking volunteer discussion leaders — a low‑prep, high-impact way to build your executive presence and broaden your network. Coffee will be ready at 8:45 a.m. Seats are limited, but the knowledge is not. RSVP and sign up to lead a discussion. | | | | |  | FUNdraisers for MCUCD: When registering for Power Up, May 19-20 in Helena, don’t forget to sign up for one of the FUNdraisers, which benefit MCUCD and its programs. Each is $200 per person and takes place on Tuesday, May 19. Check out the details on our website. Watch the video at left from the non-golf sponsor ASI/ESI to really get into the spirit! | | | Don't forget to secure your stay before the hotel room block deadline on April 17 at the BW Premier Helena Great Northern Hotel or April 27 at DoubleTree by Hilton Helena Downtown. | | | |
This Week's Blogs
Personal Finance Blog: Credit Union Youth Month is the perfect time to showcase your youth accounts, educate your younger members, and reminisce about all the really poor financial decisions... or learning opportunities... that you made when you were young, dumb, and broke. This week's personal finance blog offers tips and tools to save for every goal and positions credit unions as the perfect financial partner.
Bonus: It's a great opportunity to talk about financial vision boards with your young members because:
- Vision boards are so hot right now, so talking about them will make you seem cool
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You're 42% more likely to achieve a goal that you've written down, and you should totally share that fact with a kid in your life
A Direct Line: Each quarter, the NCUA releases call report data that offers a clear look at how credit unions are performing — and how they stack up against their peers. The latest year‑end 2025 data is out, and it reveals several notable trends worth a closer look. In this week’s blog, we dig into what the numbers are showing and how they compare to your credit union’s financials.
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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. Montana's Credit Unions events are in blue. 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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InfoSight360 Mortgage Loan Originator Training, virtually on April 21
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Grant Writing 101: From Readiness to Results on April 21 in Great Falls, with optional drafting lab and shared workspace on April 22
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What’s New is Old: Check Fraud & Loan Fraud, a TruStage webinar on April 22
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Protecting Members, Strengthening the Credit Union: Why Life Insurance Belongs in Every CU’s Financial Wellness Strategy, a complimentary TruStage webinar on April 30
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Power Up Conference & Expo on May 19-20, in Helena
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Executive Roundtable on May 21, in Helena
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Personify Leadership Training on June 10-11, in Great Falls
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Holy Cow! How to Create an Amazing Workplace that Steers Passion, Performance & Prosperity on June 16-18, in Billings, Butte (Fairmont Hot Springs), and Missoula
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Leadership Training in Great Falls: Are you ready to elevate your leadership skills and make a lasting impact in the credit union industry? There's still time to register for the Personify Leadership® training in Great Falls on June 10-11. This award-winning program is a fun, experiential, two-day class focusing on the eight core body-focused competencies of a leader.
What makes this opportunity truly unique for you is that it will be offered in a credit union-specific model facilitated by our certified league staff. Don't miss this opportunity to learn and grow as a leader in the credit union industry. Sign up before May 22.
| | | How AI Is Transforming Fraud Prevention: Fraud is evolving rapidly as criminals leverage AI to launch more sophisticated attacks — but the same technology is helping credit unions fight back. This article by MaryAnne Colucci, senior director of fraud & risk at Envisant, explores how AI-driven tools can detect emerging fraud patterns in real time, uncover subtle anomalies, and strengthen defenses when paired with human oversight. It also highlights the importance of industry collaboration, enabling credit unions to share intelligence and stay one step ahead of increasingly complex threats. | | | Marketing Solutions Built for Credit Unions: Looking to grow membership and better connect with your community? PRIME Marketing partners with credit unions to deliver data-driven strategies that attract qualified leads, strengthen your brand, and maximize your marketing budget. With deep industry expertise and a member-first approach, PRIME acts as an extension of your team, helping Montana credit unions expand their reach, engage new audiences, and achieve measurable growth. | | | 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. | | | THE CREDIT UNION DIFFERENCE | | |
Advocating for the Credit Union Difference is essential to ensuring policymakers understand the unique role credit unions play in our communities. With that in mind, Montana’s Credit Unions kicked off our first 2026 Lawmaker Luncheon in Great Falls, bringing legislators, candidates, and credit union leaders together to start building relationships ahead of the 2027 Legislative Session.
The story-telling focused on the Credit Union Difference — how member‑owned, not‑for‑profit credit unions support their communities — along with our legislative priorities and, just as importantly, hearing directly from those serving Montanans every day.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for helping showcase the #CUDifference. A special thank‑you to Montana Credit Union for hosting!
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Meet Dawn
Welcome to another edition of our MCU “Meet the Staff” podcast as we feature our newest team member, Dawn Schneider.
Here's an introduction: Dawn started at Montana’s Credit Unions in early 2026 and serves as the Accounting and Operations Manager, where she manages day-to-day financial activities and supports the organization’s operations. Dawn’s background includes a wealth of experience in managing data, planning events, and providing guidance and operational support to a variety of businesses throughout the community, while also running her own bookkeeping business.
Here’s what I appreciate about Dawn. She is a positive, can-do leader. She is known for her execution and teamwork. She learns quickly and is proactive in reaching out. In her short time at the league, she has jumped right into serving our credit unions and our team. She has already shared how much she loves the credit union industry and can see herself here for a long time!
Reach out and welcome Dawn to Montana’s Credit Unions!
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