Collaboration is key to the future of credit unions, according to Andrew Downin, managing director of research at the Filene Research Institute.

That’s one of the biggest takeaways he tries to give credit union leaders when they’re doing strategic planning, he tells the CUNA News Podcast.

Prior to his current role with the credit union think tank, Downin oversaw the group’s i3 program, which works with credit union leaders to tackle some of the industry’s most flummoxing problems.

One of the industry’s current problems, according to Filene research, is consumer anxiety about debt and taking out new loans. Downin writes about this debt anxiety in the CUNA Environmental Scan Report, a strategic planning resource for credit union leaders.

Prior to joining Filene, Downin led product development at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and was vice president of marketing at Partners Federal Credit Union.

Downin received his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Arizona and his MBA from Pepperdine University, where he graduated first in his class. He is also a certified public accountant.

In the podcast, Downin discusses the research and how credit unions should position themselves in the evolving financial services landscape.

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