PODCAST: Serving our nation's finest

Several parallels exist between Keith Stone and Wendy Tariff. They both live on the East Coast, have a passion for small credit unions, and lead institutions chartered to serve police departments.

These 2022 Credit Union Rock Stars joined the CUNA News Podcast to discuss their careers, challenges their credit unions face, the importance of finding a niche, and their belief in providing law enforcement officers with financial education and service.

Stone, president/CEO at The Finest Federal Credit Union, opens the episode by discussing the creation of the $24 million asset institution in New York City. Tariff, president/CEO at $40 million asset Police Credit Union of Connecticut in Hartford, follows by sharing her background, as well as her idea of creating a statewide law enforcement credit union.

The episode is the second in a three-part series of conversations with 2022 Rock Stars, sponsored by Fiserv.

You can listen to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple’s iTunes Store, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio.

In this episode:

1:58: Finest Federal Credit Union’s charter process

3:52 Keith Stone’s credit union history

5:02: Personalized service

5:48: Serving the law enforcement community

6:36: Finest Federal’s early days

7:30: Recruit orientation 

9:29: Financial education and police-centered service

13:05: Stone’s leadership style

16:30: Advantages of small credit unions

19:00: How smaller credit unions can thrive

21:41: An introduction to Wendy Tariff

22:32: Tariff’s credit union CEO path

25:00: What is Police Credit Union of Connecticut?

25:44: The uniqueness of serving police departments

26:25: The potential for a statewide law enforcement credit union

29:20: Financial challenges facing law enforcement officers

32:15: Merging work life and home life

33:31: Credit union advocacy