Credit Union Growth Strategies to Jumpstart 2027 - with FHLB Des Moines

Brad Spears

Member Relationships Director

Brad Spears is, Member Relationships Director for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines. Mr. Spears is responsible for supervising a field staff of 10 relationship managers covering 13 states and over 1,300 members and has been at the bank since 2005.

Brad came to the FHLB of Des Moines from his position as a VP/Senior Portfolio Strategist at CNBS, LLC, a regional broker dealer located in Overland Park, Ks. He had worked at CNBS since February 1997. While at CNBS, he was directly responsible for managing client fixed income portfolios on a non-discretionary basis. He developed investment policies, formulated strategies, determined appropriate asset allocation and monitored client portfolios. Brad also conducted both economic and market research and presented the results to clients through original articles for publication and presentation to various audiences.

Brad earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Ks. Mr. Spears also previously held NASD series 7 and 66 registrations, which have since expired.

Frank Farone

Managing Director

Darling Consulting Group

Frank consults nationwide with CEOs and CFOs of financial institutions to increase earnings through the proactive management of capital, liquidity/funding risk, and interest rate risk. He is a frequent speaker and author on topics such as industry issues and trends, funding solutions, regulatory issues, interest rate risk management, capital management, and derivatives hedging techniques.

Frank was designated a “top-rated” speaker by FMS and is well known for his popular seminar “Turbo Charging Your ALCO Process” having helped thousands of bankers across the country.

Joe Kennerson

Managing Director

Darling Consulting Group

Joe is a Managing Director at Darling Consulting Group. In this capacity, he works directly with financial institutions by providing solutions for their asset liability management process in the areas of interest rate risk, liquidity risk management, ALM modeling, regulatory compliance and executive-level education. He is a frequent speaker and author and directly advises clients in all aspects of ALM.

The sudden reversal in Fed fund rate expectations has led to higher longer-term rates and steeper yield curve creating a nirvana scenario for the credit union industry for those who capitalize on the opportunity.

Take advantage of the market dynamics to manage the tsunami of assets repricing over the next 24 months and be prepared for aggressive deposit competition, lagging loan rates and ultimately a slowing economy and potentially lower long-term rates, if history rhymes.

5 Strategic ALCO items to address Now:

Loan growth challenges ahead will impact pricing, spreads and volumes. What’s the right price and the trade-off of growth versus profitability?
Deposit pricing and cost of funds are heading higher, so what’s the game plan? Learn what billions of historical data suggest will happen with balances, shifts and costs.
Wholesale funding will become increasingly important in 2027 and beyond, learn why and how to effectively manage cost of funds, growth, and bottom-line results.
6%+ yields on government guaranteed investments are here again, at discounts! Pre-investing 2027 cash flow now locks in yield, spread, and earnings immediately without “hoping” for growth to materialize. No need to take credit risk or reach for yield; let the yield curve do the heavy lifting and keep it simple!
What could go wrong and what are we missing? Learn the common mistakes ALCO’s make every rate cycle and how to avoid them this time around.

Learn what strategies to consider now by looking around the corner to see what others won’t see!