checking accounts

This month, we’re seeing double with two guests and two episodes! Joining Craig and Josh are Karen Andres (Director of Policy and Market Solutions and Project Director of the Retirement Savings Initiative at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program) and Josh Sledge (Senior Director of Incubation at the Filene Research Institute, a “think and do tank” in the credit union space). In part one, Karen and Josh S. explore how the approach to financial inclusion has evolved over the decade — specifically regarding the role of financial institutions. Karen discusses the Aspen Institute’s recent call for the Biden administration to establish a presidential council on financial inclusion, and Josh S. talks about Filene’s recent focus on providing credit unions with tools to improve members’ financial health. Plus, our hosts try to stump Karen and Josh S. with Michiganian trivia, and everyone gets derailed talking about subscriptions from Taco Bell. — For questions or to suggest an episode topic, please email ExtraCredit@transunion.com. The information discussed in this podcast constitutes the opinion of TransUnion, and TransUnion shall have no liablity for any actions taken based upon the content of this podcast.

Jason Mikula is on the podcast this month! Having spent more than decade building and scaling consumer finance businesses — including Enova, LendUp and Goldman Sachs — Jason is now the publisher of the Fintech Business Weekly newsletter and an advisor for early stage startups. In this episode, Jason shares the FinTech trends he believes are overhyped, and argues that creditors and lenders aren’t paying enough attention to the rapidly changing payments universe. He offers his perspective on cryptocurrency and the US regulatory environment, and he, Craig and Josh discuss measures lenders can take as the credit card market becomes increasingly saturated. Plus, Jason talks about living in Amsterdam; Craig and Josh quiz him on Dutch trivia; and Craig is particularly disappointed to find out Jason doesn’t own a single pair of wooden clogs. — For questions or to suggest an episode topic, please email ExtraCredit@transunion.com. The information discussed in this podcast constitutes the opinion of TransUnion, and TransUnion shall have no liablity for any actions taken based upon the content of this podcast.

Susan Ehrlich joins Craig and Josh on the podcast this month, drawing on a wealth of industry experience at incumbent banks, neobanks, large credit card lenders, and more — including running Amazon’s global credit card program, serving as CEO of Earnest, and now sitting on the boards for BECU, Petal and Arrived Homes. In the episode, Susan shares her excitement for how companies are expanding access to consumers across the credit spectrum. They discuss the legacy tech challenges traditional FIs and credit card lenders are facing, implications of the banking industry moving to the cloud, and what credit unions and smaller banks can do to differentiate from FinTechs. Susan also reveals her favorite golf course, the round that still haunts her today, what it was like playing with Rory McIlroy in a pro-am — and her love of volunteering in San Francisco’s election polls. For questions or to suggest an episode topic, please email ExtraCredit@transunion.com. The information discussed in this podcast constitutes the opinion of TransUnion, and TransUnion shall have no liablity for any actions taken based upon the content of this podcast.

This month, Craig and Josh are joined by Jim Block, COO and Executive VP at BCU — a large, Chicago-based credit union serving members across the US. After asking Jim to weigh in on their prediction around trended credit scores, Craig and Josh inquire about how BCU leverages and balances trended credit data, as well as the credit union’s focus on financial inclusion. Craig and Josh then quiz Jim on some credit union history, and Jim shares an update on the giant foam wedge that once lived in his basement. — For questions or to suggest an episode topic, please email ExtraCredit@transunion.com. The information discussed in this podcast constitutes the opinion of TransUnion, and TransUnion shall have no liablity for any actions taken based upon the content of this podcast.

Looking ahead in 2022, TransUnion’s Craig and Josh discuss the trends and developments within four key areas of card and banking: Consumer economic health and behavior Significant government and regulatory trends Competitive developments External influences 5. From there, they make their predictions — covering everything from inflation levels and origination numbers to credit unions and reengineered checking accounts. They even commit the cardinal sin of mentioning religion and politics… but Craig was too busy thinking about Scotch to notice. — For questions or to suggest an episode topic, email ExtraCredit@transunion.com. The information discussed in this podcast constitutes the opinion of TransUnion, and TransUnion shall have no liablity for any actions taken based upon the content of this podcast.