Office of Credit Unions hosts
South Korean credit union official

MADISON – The Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and its Office of Credit Unions hosted an international visitor on May 22. Kevin Heo is the international program officer for the National Credit Union Federation of Korea. Heo was in Wisconsin to attend a workshop sponsored by the Madison-based World Council of Credit Unions. A focus of Heo’s visit to DFI was to learn more about mergers, especially of smaller credit unions.
    Pictured, from left to right, are Karen Mack, Financial Examiner Supervisor, Office of Credit Unions; Kim Santos, Director, Office of Credit Unions; Femi Ibitoye; Financial Examiner Supervisor, Office of Credit Unions; Catherine Haberland, Vice President, World Council of Credit Unions; and Kevin Heo.

DFI Secretary elected to board
of national banking organization

MADISON – Peter Bildsten, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS). Bildsten will serve a one-year term on the CSBS board as an at-large member. CSBS, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s leading advocate for the state banking system, and the only national organization dedicated to advancing the state banking system.

    Prior to being named DFI Secretary by Governor Scott Walker, Bildsten spent more than 30 years in the financial services industry, including two decades in leadership roles at banks and credit unions in the Milwaukee, Madison and Baraboo markets.

DFI staff member elected
president of international association

MADISON – Jenny Acker, Corporations Bureau Director for the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), will serve the next year as president of the International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA). Acker (at podium in photo above) was elected May 16 at the organization’s annual meeting in Boston.
    Wisconsin will serve as host for IACA’s 2014 annual conference, which will be held May 18-22, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee. IACA is a professional association for government administrators of business organization and secured transaction record systems at the state, provincial, territorial and national level.

DFI's financial literacy director
participates in CFPB national conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. – David Mancl, Director of DFI’s Office of Financial Literacy, was a panelist at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's national conference, "Investing in our Future: A National Conference on Financial Capability for Children and Youth," in Washington, D.C., on April 30. The Conference highlighted promising practices, critical challenges, and opportunities in promoting the financial capability of children and youth populations. More than 120 experts in the field in K-12 financial education attended this invitation-only event.

• Integrating financial education in K-12 schools.
• The role of innovation and hands-on learning in promoting financial capability of children and youth.
• Critical research and evaluation needs for making the policy case for school based financial capability initiatives.

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in 2010 to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans. The Bureau works to fulfill this mission by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives.

1st-quarter net income rises 7.6%
for Wisconsin credit unions

MADISON – Wisconsin credit unions grew net income by 7.6% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the prior year, according to data released today by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Net income was $53.1 million, compared to $49.4 million in 2012.

The full press release may be found at www.wdfi.org/Newsroom/Press.