There’s a credit union president/CEO who has lived a credit union life full of successes, challenges and who has a perspective on this industry many of us envy. Kevin Brauer, president/CEO of New Jersey’s largest credit union, Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Affinity Federal Credit Union ($4.1 billion in assets, 231,022 members) joins us on the latest "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast to share his thoughts on the shifting ground credit unions have existed on since he began in the industry in 1990.
Brauer said he’s seen a shift in how credit unions were much more cooperative with each other 30 years ago compared to now. And he attributes some of that change to the increased competition or “coopertition” happening in this financial industry.
“Now as you have various credit unions in various communities, trying to seek out the same group of members, it makes for competition and a little less sharing because you don’t want to give away what you’re working on or what you’re having success with,” said Brauer.
We discuss leadership changes, digital challenges, member retention issues and a growing concern over regulatory pressures.
Brauer’s lovable New York accent is something we could listen to all day. Listen for yourselves!
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
