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In the News

Business Lending Outpaces Other Loans

Member business lending is a solid component of the credit union loan portfolio. According to data from Callahan & Associates' FirstLook program, credit union member business loan balances stood at $30.5 billion in September. This is an increase of 9.1% from the previous year.

Credit unions added more than $2.5 billion in new business loans to the industry portfolio over the past 12 months. Business lending is at the forefront of credit union loan growth, as its rate of increase over the past year is greater than that of any other loan category. As MBL growth outpaces the other loan categories, it plays an increasingly important role in the overall loan portfolio. The concentration of member business loans has more than doubled over the past six years; however, at 5.4% it still represents a relatively small portion of credit union lending.

Does your credit union offer member business lending? How does your MBL growth compare to credit unions like yours and across the nation? How do your loan originations overall compare to your peers?

Open Peer to Peer now to run this crucial analysis. Loan growth is still an important issue in 3Q 2010. You can also read the full article on creditunions.com.

Getting Started

How to Understand and Access FirstLook Data

Each quarter Peer to Peer subscribers get access to FirstLook, which allows them access to quarterly data 2-3 weeks before the official NCUA release. Each quarter, FirstLook includes about 99% of industry assets, so Peer users can start their analyses early.

3Q 2010 final data isn't out yet (we expect it around Thanksgiving), but you can get ahead of the curve by starting your analysis today with FirstLook!

Important: Simply being on the latest version of Peer to Peer does not mean that you have FirstLook data available. Peer to Peer treats it differently than regular quarterly data, so you must proactively download the FirstLook data set in order to use it.

Follow these steps to download FirstLook data:

  1. Click on the File menu in the top menu bar. Scroll to Import and click FirstLook Data.
  2. A FirstLook window will appear. Click Download FirstLook.
  3. Peer to Peer will automatically search for the latest FirstLook data.
  4. A pop-up window will appear when the download is complete. Click OK.
    Note: If your primary credit union does not participate in FirstLook, you will need to reselect your primary.

Peer to Peer automatically creates a peer group consisting of all credit unions participating in FirstLook. Access
and use this peer group the same way you would any other standard or custom peer group.

Note: Peer to Peer will automatically remove FirstLook from the Cycle menu after you update to final quarterly data. There is no other way to remove it prior to the final release (but you can always choose to analyze another quarter's data with the Cycle drop-down menu).

Early access to the data helps you:

  • Promptly identify strategic industry trends, so you can react to them before your peers
  • Pinpoint leaders in the industry that have been successful during these times
  • Communicate with your Board and management team to chart a new path for growth and success

Download FirstLook data today and start your 3Q analysis!

Advanced Analysis

Update Your Peer Groups to Include FirstLook Data

To update your peer groups to FirstLook data, follow these steps:

1.) Clear your comparison set so your peer groups are inactive.

2.) Then go to the Peer Groups menu and select Manage.

3.) Select the peer groups you wish to update, and then click Save.

This simple process of resaving your peer groups when you are in a FirstLook cycle (even if you don't actually make any changes to them) will ensure graphs display data out to 3Q 2010.

It's important to note that not all account codes are available through FirstLook. The majority of missing account codes are specialized investment information and the number of loan and share accounts. If you frequently use custom displays, please consult this pdf to see what account codes are included in FirstLook.

Spotlight

Get Your Copy of the 2011 Credit Union Directory

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  1. Exclusive, first-person accounts from top performing credit unions about opportunities and challenges ahead
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  3. A 420+ page compendium of financial data compiled and synthesized for you
  4. Industry analysis from the best minds in the industry about key market trends
  5. Ability to benchmark your performance, peers in your local area or your state in real-time
  6. Centralized location for key industry players - don't waste time going to multiple places

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Press Releases

Review archived press releases that showcase how Peer to Peer has helped credit unions analyze their data effectively, act swiftly on strategic opportunities, and showcase their successes using Callahan & Associates' proprietary scoring systems.