Copyright © 2022 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

These past few years, all of us in the industry have been doing a lot of pivoting, professionally and personally (in some cases, it’s been more like pirouetting – the ballet term for a series of 360-degree spins performed while balancing on the toes of one foot).

For me personally, I’m living a much more quiet life than the one I envisioned for myself in 2019, which would have included a lot of traveling, in-person networking and visiting at least one new country each year. But instead of dwelling on what could have been, I’ve tried to focus on the things I’ve been able to do that would not have been possible had I led a more hectic, on-the-go lifestyle. I’ve become a much better cook than ever before, read 85 books in the past two years, and become obsessed with something that began as a pandemic hobby: Full-coverage counted cross stitch. For those of you who don’t know (which is probably all of you), this involves taking anywhere from 50 to 200 different colors of thread, and a large piece of fabric covered in small holes created by the spaces in between the fabric’s woven fibers. The holes form a grid of tiny squares – sometimes nearly 1,000 per square inch, depending on the tightness of the fabric’s weaving – and, following a paper or electronic chart where each thread color is represented by a different symbol, the stitcher fills the fabric’s squares with thousands of little hand-stitched x’s. You can find cross stitch charts online that allow for the replication of virtually any photo or work of art with thread as the medium, and the finished result can be art exhibit-worthy.

Already have an account? Sign In Now

Natasha Chilingerian has worked in the credit union space for over a decade. She joined CU Times as managing editor in 2015 and was promoted to executive editor in 2019. Before that, she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union) in Los Angeles from 2013-2015, and as a CU Times freelancer from 2011-2013. She has been a professional writer and editor for more than 17 years, specializing in news and lifestyle journalism as well as marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space.

PenFed Sells $460 Million in Securities Backed by Auto Loans

Dakota Credit Union Association CEO Blasts NCUA

NCUA to Return $395 Million to Credit Unions Next Month

7 CU Professionals Receive New Roles, Promotions & Awards

As some organizations unfortunately profit off of dangerous ideologs, the goodness of credit unions is not going unnoticed.

The NCUA's oversight of CU cryptocurrency services can be compared to a leery father monitoring his kids on the playground.

When it comes to fraud, we're rolling up our windows and locking up, but still leaving the car parked on the street overnight.

Case Study: How a Digitally-Savvy Credit Union Grew Loans and Members with AI

Download this case study to learn how Sharonview Federal Credit Union was able to obtain 1,500 new members who meet their credit risk requirements while delivering a best-in-class, all-digital experience.

Moving Beyond CVSS for Vulnerability Management in Cybersecurity

The United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has stated that simply using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is inadequate in assessing the severity of a vulnerability and overall risk to an organization. Learn how your cybersecurity team can move beyond CVSS to prioritize vulnerabilities with modern, contextual, risk-based frameworks.

This eBook provides a glimpse into Backbase’s newly released book “The Engagement Banking Revolution,” which brings together the leading minds in engagement banking and provides the tools, frameworks and insights you need to lead the change at your credit union.

Copyright © 2022 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.