While I know year-end is a busy time at your credit union, it's also an important time for us to benchmark our progress and refocus our RM projects in the UK. Fortunately, credit union' efforts to upgrade their physical, alarm, and surveillance security has helped to lower the burglary and robbery losses last year. Unfortunately , financial institutions have become a target of the terrorists bent on disrupting our economy while funding their attacks through scams, fraud, and extortion of trusted employees.  The threat of a natural disaster, terrorist' attack, and pandemic guarantees our Credit Union Risk Managers will have much to do in 2007. Please join us as we plan our Risk Management strategy for the UK.    

We plan first to meet in Leeds and Dublin in December and encourage your Credit Union risk Manager to join us.  I've asked Rich Woldt, CUNA Mutual's Risk Management consultant to join us during the week of December 11 - 15, and I've attempted to schedule meetings at a convenient location . The agenda we're putting together will accomplish as much as possible in two hours leaving a third hour for an open forum discussion of international credit union risks. 

So we might prepare for your RM questions, I'm asking those planning to attend our sessions to complete a short survey. Click here to complete the survey. To make sure we have enough coffee and donuts, you're asked to pre-register by clicking here.  I look forward to our meetings this year and hope you'll take time to share your time with us!                                           

Thank you for your effort to attend one of these sessions.                          Steve Finnigan

TO: Our CUNA Mutual customers in the UK

FROM:  Rich Woldt  CUNA Mutual Risk Management Consultant

I look forward to our Risk Management sessions in December. Following is an outline of what we'll attempt to accomplish. I'll review the results of your surveys and come prepared to respond to any credit union Risk Management concerns.                             Rich Woldt 

• 15 minutes:  Introductions - We'll identify and focus on credit union risks that are most important to those in attendance.
• 45 minutes:  CUNA Mutual' RM Projects - We'll review our Risk Management projects and discuss the "level one" recommendations made during 2006. We'll discuss what RM methods worked and what didn't to control burglaries, robberies, forgery, fraudulent deposits, internal dishonesty, embezzlement, scams, etc. in the UK.  We'll discuss ways you can benefit more from investments in physical, alarm, surveillance and access control security.  And we'll offer tips to increase employee' retention after RM staff training.
• 30 minutes: We'll discuss credit union "best practices" during Hurricane Katrina and how they might be used by credit unions in the UK during the next disaster.
• 30 minutes: We'll provide an update on our CUNA Mutual' and your Credit Union Incident Command and Control System, the same system we deployed in the Caribbean during Hurricane Ivan and during the wildfires in the US. It's the same command and control system we'll deploy in the UK during the next major crisis.
• Hour # 3: An open RM forum:  During hour # 3 we'll discuss the role your credit union will play during a pandemic, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or order to house-in-place or evacuate. In 2007, credit unions will be encouraged to form public-to-private partnerships at the chapter level. If time permits, we'll discuss the role credit unions must play to support law enforcement, fire fighters, emergency governments, and first responders during a wide spread community crisis.