(Archive) GOLD 15.2 October 2015

October 18, 2015

Member Facing

Setting the Stage for It’s Me 247 Bill Pay

By now you’ve heard about the changes coming to the way bill payment tools and services will be implemented in the future. Read more in the Kitchen and keep an eye on your email for announcements about the all-new It’s Me 247 Bill Pay, with its integrated user interface and transaction processing by Paymentus.

This release includes the first behind-the-scenes infrastructure changes, including something that all members will see right away.

“Pay My Bills” Is Now “Pay & Transfer”

Instead of accessing bill pay from “Pay My Bills,” members will now use the newly labeled “Pay & Transfer” access point.

From this section, members will be able to enroll in bill pay and access a single sign-on link to either EasyPay by iPay or EasyPay by Fiserv.

This also provides an easy access point for members who just want to transfer money or set up a scheduled automated funds transfer (AFT). Using the “Transfer Money” button, members will have easy access to the It’s Me 247 transfer page.

Other navigation changes in online banking: With the longer button label it was necessary to move the “Contact Us” button to the top line of the page. You will now see it next to the “Help” button. This was previously next to the “Go Mobile” button. (In an earlier release we had already changed the “MoneyDesktop” button to read “Personal Finance” instead.)

To coincide with other bill pay changes, later this year we will be updating our member-facing bill pay brochures to show the new "Pay & Transfer" button. Contact Marketing Services for more details. If your marketing materials specifically reference any of these buttons mentioned in this section, it may be time to review your marketing collateral as well.

Mobile Banking Enhancements – Members Can Now Log in for the First Time Using Their Phone

With the addition of the ability to change their username, check loan rates, and even apply for a loan online, the feature set of mobile banking has certainly expanded in the last year. But to get started in mobile banking, the member still needed to log into the full online banking site using a desktop computer.

This all changes with the 15.2 release. Now when you start a new member at your credit union, you can have them use their phone to complete their initial enrollment in It’s Me 247 mobile banking. New mobile banking features include the ability for members to:

Change their password
Set up or change security questions
Accept the Online Banking Use Agreement
Accept the default PIB (Personal Internet Branch) profile (if PIB is offered by your credit union)
Use the “I forgot my password” feature
View the Password Change History detail
Use the “Contact Us” feature to contact your credit union for assistance

While opening a membership in your lobby, why not also have your new member log into It’s Me 247 to change their password and set up their security questions and answers? They will automatically be directed to mobile banking if they select the It’s Me 247 logo while on their phone.
More information will be in the “Mobile Web Banking” booklet available under “M” on the It’s Me 247 Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.

Teller/Member Service

Log Your Cross-Sales Activity with Just One Click!

When your tellers or member service representatives talk to a member about one of your cross-sales promos, do they use a scrap pad to jot down a note then log the tasks later after the member leaves? This tool will let them log the work without missing a beat.

Activate the new Cross Sales Shortcuts and an member service representative can enter the Need Group #, Task # and Memo Type codes for a cross-sales task directly onto the Inquiry and Phone Operator main screens.

This is intentionally a no-frills shortcut. There are no lookups for these fields; just type the three codes and click Log! The system will automatically fill in the employee ID, date, and a generic block of text for the Tracker note. You can even log multiple tasks, one after the other, without ever leaving the screen.

We added the shortcut feature to the handy “last 10 accounts used” window, too. Now a single click on Log! selects a recently-used account, or you can log cross-sales activity for one or more of the members you just served.

Activate Cross Sales Shortcuts using Workflow Ctrls: Teller/Mbr Svc on the General Configuration 1 (MNCNFC) menu.
More information will be in the “Cross Sales and Next Suggested Product” booklet available under “C” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Updated Time-Out Window: Direct Access to Archived Images with Single Sign-On to idocVAULT

We’re adding yet another technique to emphasize the tight integration between CU*BASE and our Imaging Solutions tools. CU*BASE already has a feature to automatically log into ProDOC, and now employees will be able to use the CU*BASE Time-Out window to jump to the document vault (idocVAULT™) from any CU*BASE screen to view a previously stored image.

The Time-Out window, accessed by pressing the Escape key while on any CU*BASE screen, has been completely redesigned and streamlined.

Once you click the new Get A Document/Image From Vault button, a browser will be launched and you will automatically be logged into idocVAULT. No entry of username or password is needed. Just enter your search criteria. You will only be able to view images or documents you have permissions to view.

When an employee uses this new option, we create a basic user profile in idocVAULT. The naming convention for this profile uses the employee’s CU*BASE username, “_cua,” and your credit union number. (John Smith using our test library would be johns_cua860.) If your credit union has already created profiles for an employee, you may need to adjust the permissions of this new profile.

For assistance with this feature, in-house Imaging Solutions clients and clients with a vendor other than eDOC Innovations should contact CU*Answers Imaging Solutions at imaging@cuanswers.com.

R & T Number Now Displayed on Additional Transaction Information Window

This project was implemented on July 21, 2015.

For check clearings only, the Additional Transaction Information window (accessed by clicking Phone Operator, then History, and then Additional Transaction Information) now displays the R & T number along with the MICR account. This information is only displayed when required by the check item-processing vendor and allows a credit union to view the specific routing and transit numbers for a check transaction.

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

“Smarter Links Between CU*BASE and Imaging Vaults”

New Configuration to Support Multiple Vaults and Vendors

This release includes a brand-new infrastructure to control how the and buttons, which appear on 50+ screens throughout CU*BASE, work to access your credit union’s imaging vault. Although most of the changes are behind the scenes, the new structure adds additional encryption techniques for securing images as they are generated by CU*BASE.

Most importantly, this new configuration gives us greater flexibility to support the growing number of clients with in-house vaults from multiple vendors and with vaults that do not use our standard configurations for tables. This means your credit union, no matter how your vault is set up, will be able to click a “View e-Document” button and CU*BASE will know exactly how to retrieve the image from your vault.

Online CU*Spy credit unions: The new configuration changes will be implemented for you free of charge with this release. No action is required by you to configure these changes.
In-house Imaging Solutions credit unions using CU*Answers Imaging Solutions Release Management services: Imaging Solutions will be contacting you once the release is implemented to make the needed configuration changes for your credit union vault configuration. This service is free of charge.
Are you an in-house Imaging Solutions credit union not using CU*Answers Imaging Solutions Release Management Services? Contact us at imaging@cuanswers.com for assistance to configure this for your credit union. A $500 fee will be charged for this service. Interested in learning more about CU*Answers Imaging Solutions Release Management? Contact us at imaging@cuanswers for more details.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For vendors other than eDOC Innovations, additional configuration will be required. Consult with your vendor and the Imaging Solutions team.

CEO/Management

Also refer to: Updated Time-Out Window Now Allows Access to View Any Archived Image with Single Sign-On to idocVAULT (Teller/Member Service), and CU*BASE Budgeting Take 2 (Accounting/Back Office).

Configurable ANR Fee Cap Allows Better Management of Member Fees

We recognize that ANR/Courtesy Pay fees can be an important source of income for credit unions. However, increased occurrences of member overdrafts, as well as increased scrutiny from consumer groups and legislators, have put the spotlight on these and other types of fees, causing financial institutions to search for the right balance

With this enhancement, we’ve provided an option to respond to member concerns while also protecting your important source of income, by setting daily (business day) maximums for the amount of ANR fees that a member could potentially pay. The fee cap configurations apply to ANR fees only and include check postings, in-house drafts, ACH, ATM/Debit (online) transactions, and bill pay transactions. Fees waived due to the cap will be logged for analysis in the CU*BASE Fee Income/Waiver/Refunds dashboard and report.

More information will be in the “Automated Non-Returns” booklet available under “A” on the CU*BASE Reference Page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Send Reports Direct to CU*Spy for PDF Presentation, Archival, and More

CEOs have been asking for a way to create PDFs of standard reports on the fly, instead of printing them directly to a printer. One of the main reasons was to include these reports in Board packets. With this release we are introducing an ingenious solution using software everyone is already used to: CU*Spy.

Once the 15.2 release is implemented, you will be able to choose INSTANTxx (where xx is your credit union CUID) as the printer name when printing any CU*BASE report. When the report is generated it will be sent directly to the new INSTANT OUTQ.

CU*Spy will regularly monitor for reports sent to this queue and within a few minutes, you’ll see the report under the “Instant Reports” tab in CU*Spy. Reports will be indexed with the name of the report.

NOTE: This feature is currently only available with the CU*Spy online vault.

Beyond the obvious benefits included in the PDF format, this solution also allows you to use other CU*Spy features, such as the ability to search reports, combine reports, and add notes. Plus, at end of day these reports will all be archived for future use!

A word of caution: Since the reports are archived, be aware that heavy use of this feature will result in a large amount of data being saved to the archive and to CD. So if you just want to take a quick look at a report and not store it long term, use the HOLDxx OUTQ as usual instead.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Run an Automated Report or Query on Any Day of the Month

Currently, you can use the Report and Query Scheduler to run reports and Queries automatically after beginning-of-day (BOD) on the first of the month. Credit unions like this feature so much that they have asked for a way to schedule reports on a different day of the month, such as after the general ledger has been closed for the month

The 15.2 release allows you schedule a report or query to run on any day of the month, and also lets you run reports on the current month’s data!

We are not adding a daily frequency. When you schedule a report using the monthly frequency (and when you schedule a Query), the CU*BASE screens will now ask for the day of the month (01-31). If you want to run a report two times during the month, such as once on the first and again on the 20th, you’ll create two automation records, one for day 01 and one for day 20.
If either of these days falls on a day when BOD is not run, such as a Sunday, the job will run on the next business day. (This is currently how the scheduler works and this process will not change.)
When the release is implemented, all monthly scheduled reports and Queries will be set to run on the first day of the month.

To schedule a report, use Save Settings (F24) from any report with this feature. For a listing of these reports, refer to the “Automated Reports and Queries” booklet. Reports and Queries can also be scheduled via the “Report Automation Tools” section of the Configuration Functions (MNCNFX) menu. The listings of reports and Queries in this section will now document the day of the month selected in the automation record.

More information will be in the “Automated Reports and Queries” booklet available under “A” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

New! Two New Options for Downloading Files from CU*BASE

If you’ve ever had to download files from CU*BASE, you may have thought, “I wish there were an easier way to do this!” By popular demand, we’re adding two new ways of downloading files to your computer with “Data On the Move.”

You will now be able to download files from CU*BASE to our “Data On the Move” server, and from there you can either use a web browser (best for small files) or secure FTP client (best for large files) to complete the file transfer. Both feature a simple drag-and-drop system for moving files to your PC.

For those of you who are more comfortable with the existing Client Access tool, there’s no need to worry; that feature will still be available in CU*BASE.

NOTE: Even if you currently have file download authority today, you will need to fill out a new form to request access to the “Data On the Move” file-download options. The form will be available on the CU*Answers Special Interest docs page. (An updated form will be posted with the release materials.)
More information will be in the “File Downloads” booklet available under “F” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Credit Union Can Now Define When ACH Debits and Credits Are Posted – Including New Mid-Day Posting Option

Currently, credit unions generally post ACH credits very early in the morning and then post debits in the evening. With the new ACH Posting Controls configuration on the General Configuration 1 menu (MNCNFC), you can now choose when your ACH transactions are processed.

For our online clients, we are also planning to expand the number of times per day that we pick up files from the Fed, including a new midday pull to occur at approximately 1:15 PM ET. If you wish, you can elect to post transactions (credits, debits, or both) after this midday file is received, or wait and have them posted as usual during the evening. (Whether you elect to post at midday or not, you will see additional PACHD reports being generated whenever a new file is pulled in.) Although same-day ACH items are still at least a year away, this sets up the infrastructure for when the Fed starts to send them.

CAUTION: Think carefully before making a change to your configuration. Posting debits in the morning can increase the number of exceptions and alter the timing for your daily ACH work. Learn more in CU*BASE online help. Refer to the Posting ACH Debits Credits – Important Considerations (Index Keywords: Posting ACH).
Important: If you are an Xtend SRS Bookkeeping client, please contact Xtend before making any changes to this configuration.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Credit Union Override of Effective Date for Individual ACH Company IDs

Part of the restructuring of the posting of ACH debits and credits, this change will allow your credit union to override effective date restrictions, which control when incoming credits can be posted. This allows you to automatically force-post ACH deposits prior to when they would normally hit the members’ accounts, as a special service for certain companies. For example, you might use this with a SEG so that Friday’s payroll transactions are automatically posted immediately when the transactions arrive in Thursday’s ACH file.

This optional feature must first be activated via the new ACH Posting Controls. Then you’ll need to set a new flag for each individual company ID to which the override should apply.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Meet Your New Query Best Friend – The Database Search Assistant

Have you ever tried to create a custom report in Report Builder, but just couldn’t put your finger on which file would best serve your purpose? As announced during the Data Investment Symposium in February, with this release we’re pleased to present a brand-new Database Search Assistant, available on the CU*BASE Report Builder 1 (MNQURY) menu. Like the current tool, the new Assistant helps you scan for the database tables (files) and columns (fields) that make up the CU*BASE data. But now you’ll see more details about what this data is and how it’s used.

This improvement is about making your data easier to access, understand, and utilize to get exactly what you need out of Report Builder and your CU*BASE data.

Note: The table (file) and column (field) details are a continuing work in process, and we’d love your feedback on places where additional explanations would be helpful in understanding how your data is organized. Contact a CSR with your ideas!

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.
Walk through navigating the new Database Search Assistant.

Additional Signer File Now Able to Join by SSN in Report Builder

When you want to get specific data from specific fields contained in specific files, Query/Report Builder can be a great tool to quickly add, match, and sort the information you need. Previously, the Additional Signer files (ADSL and ADSA) contained an alphanumeric SSN; with this enhancement, we’ve made the SSN field numeric to easily join with Membership or Non-Member files to get just the data you want, without the extra steps.

Mobile Text Banking, eNotice, and eAlert Now Can Be Counted as Services on Products and Services Dashboard

Now you can include text banking, eNotices and eAlerts in your Products Per Member (PPM) and Services Per Member (SPM) calculations. PPM and SPM statistics appear on the Products and Services dashboard, accessed via Products & Services Per Member on the “Know Your Member” Analysis Tools (MNMGMA) menu.

When the release goes in these services will not count toward the SPM and AVG SPM figures. To include them you’ll need to adjust your configuration via the Configure Products/Services Per Member Calculations screen in the Tiered Services configuration (accessed on the General Configuration 2 (MNCNFD) menu).
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Lending/Collections

Also refer to: Updated Time-Out Window Now Allows Access to View Any Archived Image with Single Sign-On to idocVault (Teller/Member Service), Run an Automated Query or Report on Any Day of the Month (CEO/Management), and Meet Your New Query Best Friend – The Database Search Assistant (CEO/Management).

Greater Flexibility to Define the Loan Application Experience

With this release we are adding several different types of configurable controls that will allow a credit union to further define the experience for a loan officer working member applications, even according to the type of loan being worked in the queue.

Loan Workflow Controls Expansion

There are several configuration settings your loan team can use to control how loan applications work for your teams. With this release we’ve moved all of these to the Loan Workflow/App Check Config on the Loan Products (MNCNFB) menu, so online credit unions can make adjustments without having to contact a CSR. Read more about these in the CU*BASE online help and the “Configuring Tools for Your Loan Team” booklet.

Loan App Workflow Styles: Control What CU*BASE Screens Are Required in the Loan Application

A normal CU*BASE loan application has 10 different screens, but not all of them are critical for every type of loan. The new “Loan App Workflow Styles” controls the automatic forward momentum through the CU*BASE Loan Application screens, bypassing pages that are not required by the particular loan product (such as skipping over the employment, income, and assets screens for a CD-secured loan).

Start by configuring workflow styles via Loan Workflow/App Check Config on the Loan Products (MNCNFB) menu, then attach the appropriate style to your loan products via Loan Product Config on the Loan Products (MNCNFB) menu.

More information will be in the “Configuring Tools for Your Loan Team” booklet available under “L” on the CU*BASE Reference Page. This booklet will be available with the release.

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Number of Available Delinquency Fine Codes Increased

Delinquency fine codes (configured using Loan Fines Configuration, located on the Collections Configuration (MNCNFF) menu) are attached to the loan account and are used to determine when and how fines should be assessed should the loan become delinquent. With the code being a one character field, currently credit unions can configure nine loan delinquency fines.

With this release, we are changing the Delinquency fine code field to be alphanumeric so you can configure more codes as needed. This change adds twenty-six more code options and will also accommodate credit unions who are merging in new partners who have existing fine configurations they don’t want to lose.

This enhancement speaks again to the architecture planning done to support future growth of our CUSO. While this may seem like a minor change, it is in fact one of the larger efforts of this release, impacting hundreds of CU*BASE programs. Even if you don’t need to create any new codes right now, we need everyone to pay close attention to delinquency activity during the first few weeks after the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Coming Soon in Beta: Tri-merge Credit Reports through CBCInnovis

With this release, we now support a new credit score pull type: tri-merge credit reports through CBCInnovis. Using this feature, credit unions can combine data from several credit report pulls into one average, merged score. (This score is generally used for mortgage loans.)

Interested credit unions will need a relationship with CBCInnovis to handle this processing. For assistance and configuration, contact Lender*VP at lendervp@cuanswers.com.

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help the week following the release.

Enhancements to Skip-Pay for Consumer Loans, Including New History Dashboard

Back in November 2014, we added the much-anticipated Skip-Pay for Consumer Loans feature with the promise of adding enhancements with a second phase. After getting some feedback, we’re happy to roll out some new features for configuring and managing your Skip-Pay programs.

New Skip-Pay History Inquiry and Report Enhancements

Available from the Collection Processing (MNCOLL) menu, the Skip-Pay History Dashboard gives you a powerful tool for slicing and dicing your Skip-Pay programs to determine how successful they’ve been, and when and where they’re being used the most.

In addition to being a detailed analysis tool, supplemented by Common Bonds, the Skip Payment History Analysis dashboard can also be used in conjunction with Member Connect, making it an effective marketing tool. Additionally, more filters have been added to the existing report to help you pull out the data you need.

Configuration and Enrollment Changes

You can now exclude members if an AFT, ACH, or payroll distribution exists on the loan, and exclude loans if the current balance is less than the configured amount, preventing skip payments on loans almost ready to pay off.

We’ve also added the ability to opt-in through Phone Operator, as well as view-only access to the Skip-Pay program configurations via the Sales Tools feature in Account Inquiry and Phone Operator.

More specific warning messages are given in CU*BASE when a member is not eligible for a Skip-Pay program, making it easier to understand and communicate that to the member.

More information will be in the “Skip Pay for Consumer Loans” booklet available under “S” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Manual Update of Co-Borrower Credit Report Data Now Available

Credit unions currently use the Credit bureau link selection, available via Miscellaneous Loan Maintenance on the Lending Functions (MNLOAN) menu, to update the primary member’s credit report information, but there is no way to manually update the information of a co-signer on a loan.

With the 15.2 release, you can use the Additional Signers selection, available via Miscellaneous Loan Maintenance on the Lending Functions (MNLOAN) menu, to update the co-signer’s information as well. Upon entry, the fields will be view only. Use Continue (Enter) to allow input in the Report date, Bureau, RISK score, and MDS score fields. Don’t forget to use the Update (F5) button to save your changes!

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Additional Collections Screens Updated to Report Delinquency in Days

There will now be more places in CU*BASE where delinquency is shown as a total number of days, based on updated NCUA requirements for reporting loan delinquency. Included in this release are the following updated collections screens:

Work Collections entry screen: Work Collections on the Collections Processing menu (MNCOLL) Filter in the delinquency section changed to “actual days”
The subsequent dashboard listing: Above, then Enter: Shows the delinquency in days with a header of “Actual Days”
Collections Summary dashboard: Collections Dashboard on the Collections Processing menu (MNCOLL): Shows the date ranges in days instead of months.
Member Delinquency Inquiry: Member Delinquency Inquiry on the Member Inquiry Functions menu (MNINQY): No longer has Months Delinquent column, only a Days Delinquent column.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Delinquency History Added to Mortgage Statements

This was implemented in August and is effective with the September 17th mortgage statements.

This Mortgage Statement change was implemented to remain in compliance with the delinquency portion of the Reg Z requirements. If a mortgage loan is more than 45 days past due, a new section containing delinquency information will appear at the end of the mortgage statement. The due date and unpaid balance for up to five prior periods will display. If the delinquency history section does not fit on the first page, then it will display on a second page.

NOTE: The unpaid balance is the overdue payment amount as of the statement date. Prior periods will only display if the overdue payment amount was greater than zero when the statement generated. Once the overdue payment is zero, the loan is considered paid-to-date. More information will be in the “Periodic Mortgage Statements” booklet available under “S” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

EFT

Also refer to: Updated Time-Out Window Allows Access to Archived Images with Single Sign-On to idocVAULT (Teller/Member Service), Run an Automated Report or Query on Any Day of the Month (CEO/Management), and Meet Your New Query Best Friend – The Database Search Assistant (CEO/Management).

ATM/Debit Cards Configurable to Purge from CU*BASE for Fiserv

In the world of ATM/debit cards, two distinct databases exist: the CU*BASE database of plastics (the PANCARD file) and the vendor database. Though we make every effort for those databases to mirror each other, nearly every EFT vendor that CU*Answers partners with engages internal rules and specifications for closed or inactive cards. These rules differ from the CU*BASE card record-retention practices, causing cards to remain on file. Due to this, vendors hold older cards, and credit unions continued to pay for them to remain in the database.

Years ago CU*BASE would periodically purge these cards. However, with changing regulations and internal processes improving, this practice was put on hold and CU*BASE continued to retain all cards in the PANCARD file indefinitely, regardless of status.

With this project, CU*BASE will re-implement a monthly ATM/debit card-purge process. This applies to Fiserv clients only at this time but will be implemented gradually for all vendors. You will, however, see the framework on your Vendor Features and Credit Union Features screens, regardless of vendor.

After you set your parameters for how long a card should be held without being used, or how long a closed card should remain on file, CU*BASE will automatically review the PANCARD file each month and create a purge record to delete the card from CU*BASE, as well as send a deletion request to the vendor, saving you time and money!

You’re able to review your purged cards via the maintenance report, as well as a monthly archived file in your FILEXX library containing the purge records.

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

CU*BASE Ready for EMV Card Identification, Ahead of October 1, 2015 Liability Shift

As the October 1, 2015 merchant liability shift is starting to gain media attention and more retailers are upgrading terminals to accept chip cards, financial institutions and vendors are also beginning to plan for their EMV switches.

Although no regulation deadlines have been announced to indicate exactly when credit unions must begin issuing chip cards exclusively, some CU*BASE credit unions have scheduled their conversions to begin issuing chip cards as their current magnetic-strip cards expire, or they have requested to perform mass reissues to only chip cards. To assist credit unions that have started this process, CU*BASE now can identify ATM, debit, and credit card BINs as EMV. As Co-Op and Visa DPS (MAPS) require specific indicators per card issued, configuring the BIN as EMV will send the indicator to the vendor in the nightly file.

As they receive additional information from Visa and MasterCard, the SettleMINT EFT team will keep you updated with continued newsletters and notifications. Contact the SettleMINT EFT team to reserve a spot for your EMV transition on their 2016 calendar, now booking into the fourth quarter!

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.
Read the latest EMV Newsletter (August) for more information on specific vendor plans.

Marketing/Sales

Also refer to: Updated Time-Out Window Allows Access to Archived Images with Single Sign-On to idocVAULT (Teller/Member Service), Run an Automated Report or Query on Any Day of the Month (CEO/Management), Meet Your New Query Best Friend – The Database Search Assistant (CEO/Management).

New! Configure Cross-Sales Incentives

The new Cross Sales Analysis dashboard, introduced with the 15.0 release in April, allows your credit union to calculate incentive amounts for your employees using any combination of Cross Sales Need Group, Task # (identifying the task), and Sales Tracker memo type (identifying the action taken). This is great for what-if calculations with different incentive amounts and for employees wanting to see a progress report of their monthly goals.

The one piece that was missing from that initial version of the dashboard was a way to configure standard incentive amounts for the dashboard to use. To accomplish this, we added a new Configure Cross Sales Incentives available in the Member Tracker Tools (MNTRAK) menu. Using this option, you can create incentives tied to a memo type (e.g. Approved), Need Group (e.g. Electronic Services), and Tasks (e.g. Bill Pay Enrollment).

Once the matrix has been configured, the Cross Sales Analysis dashboard will automatically include those incentive amounts in the calculation. The dashboard will retain the ability to temporarily override the configured incentive amount so managers can still perform “what if” experiments without having to change the configuration itself.

Staff Can Track Their Own Cross-Sales Status

We’ve also included a separate version of the Cross Sales Analysis dashboard that will automatically filter to show only the employee’s own activity, hiding the activity of other employees, as a motivational tool for employees to watch their progress towards their monthly incentive payments. The new My Cross Sales Status will be available on the CU*BASE Main Menu (MNMAST) as well as on the Member Tracker Tools menu (MNTRAK).

IMPORTANT: If your credit union is still running multiple copies of the Cross Sales report every month, make sure to check out the new dashboard! Employees can track their own usage and report any inconsistencies right away, so you can make the necessary adjustments without having to tie up the system (and maybe slow down your tellers!) by reprinting reports.
More information will be in the “Cross Sales and Next Suggested Product” booklet available under “C” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Accounting/Back Office

Also refer to: Updated Time-Out Window Allows Access to Archived Images with Single Sign-On to idocVAULT (Teller/Member Service), Run an Automated Report or Query on Any Day of the Month (CEO/Management), Meet Your New Query Best Friend – The Database Search Assistant (CEO/Management).

Fixed-Asset Subsidiaries and Reports Now Include Personal Property Tax Schedule

When creating or maintaining a fixed-asset subsidiary, CU*BASE now has a field to enter the personal property tax ID. This ID is required when filing the annual property tax paperwork on your fixed assets.

You can also use this field when creating a Query in Report Builder and when using Print Subsidiary TB Detail, available on the Subsidiaries (MNGLFA) menu, to create a detailed report of all fixed assets assigned to a specific ID or to sort all fixed assets that include a range of personal property tax schedule IDs.

For assistance completing your tax paperwork, you can export your report into Excel.

Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

CU*BASE Budgeting (Take 2)

Last fall’s rewrite of CU*BASE budgeting tools was quite a learning experience, and our teams have been hard at work all year preparing for take 2. This year’s projects include streamlining the new tools to remove some of the complexity as well as adding “show the math” features that should make the standard budgeting process easier to understand.

If you’ve been getting an early start on your 2016 budgeting, take note: When the software is implemented, we will be deleting all “working” budget records. Saved (finalized) budgets will not be affected, but if you have a working budget in process and have not yet finalized yet, make sure to do that before you get the release or your work will be lost!

Later in the year, we will also be introducing new tools that let you model the connection between your member savings and loan portfolios and your income statement. To learn more about what’s coming and how the tools will be rolled out over the next couple of months, sign up for the webinars to be held every Friday in October:

Budgeting Web Conference Sessions Hosted by Randy Karnes

Fridays from 2:30p – 4:00p ET

October 2

Getting Ready to Budget: Understanding how to prepare your G/L chart of accounts and budgeting configurations. This session will also cover uploading data into your CU*BASE budget. We’ll also review the timing for when the software changes are being implemented this fall.

October 9

Preparing Your Budgeting Assumptions: A deep dive into the dashboard tools and data that prepare you to work your budget based on where you’ve been

October 16

Using Classical Budgeting Tools: A deep dive into the changes we’ve made to the “Work with CU Budget” feature – everything except modeling

October 23

Using Modeling Tools: A deep dive into where CU*BASE is with modeling assets and liabilities to generate the offsetting income and expenses from member accounts

October 30

Analyzing Your Performance: Understanding the tools for printing and presenting budget variances, and how projected assets and liabilities vs. actual performance can be analyzed

More information will be in the “Budgeting with CU*BASE” booklet available under “B” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be updated with the release.

Auditing

Also refer to: Updated Time-Out Window Now Allows Access to View Any Archived Image with Single Sign-On to idocVAULT (Teller/Member Service) and Run an Automated Report or Query on Any Day of the Month (CEO/Management)

Easily Audit Your OFAC Scans on Non-Members

Credit unions have asked for an easier way to show auditors that OFAC scans have been run on co-borrowers who are not members. Until this release, there was no simple way to audit this, other than running a Query on the OFACNOTE file.

The new OFAC Non-Member Scan History feature on the Auditing Functions 1 (MNAUDT) menu shows scans run on non-members for the last 18 months, the range most commonly asked for by auditors, although you can choose any range you like. You can also look for a name, a SSN, or scan status. For example, this search would find failed OFAC scans for John Member or Mary Johnson:

NOTE: This history dashboard includes a LOT of data, so be patient as the list populates!
More information will be in the “Using the CU*BASE Data Match System for OFAC Compliance” booklet available under “O” on the CU*BASE Reference page. This booklet will be available with the release.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Special for Self-Processors: Introducing CU*BASE Operator Edition

Introducing a new edition of CU*BASE designed especially for our self-processing partners and their daily operations teams. CU*BASE Operator Edition provides a unique user interface for the tools a data processing center operator uses every day, from receiving and posting transmissions from third party vendors to managing your nightly and monthly processing cycles.

Making the OPER Menus Easy to Search and Navigate

In addition to the new look and feel, a redesigned menu reduces the learning curve for new operators:

New Search Tools – Enter a word into the Search box and Operator Edition will show you all OPER menus where that word appears.
Easier Navigation – Eliminate extra steps from your run sheets with new navigation shortcuts. Jump directly to any menu by clicking the name in the list.
Seamless Integration with CU*BASE GOLD – Buttons on every menu let you jump quickly back and forth between CU*BASE GOLD and CU*BASE Operator Edition.
Details for all related screens will be available via CU*BASE GOLD online help with the release.

Logging in to CU*BASE Operator Edition

Now when your Operators log in they can be taken directly to Operations Home. This will require a slight change to the desktop shortcut they use to launch CU*BASE. Watch your email for specific instructions after you get the release in November.