ALBANY, N.Y./TALLHASSEE, Fla.—The League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates and the New York Credit Union Association announced that they have amicably agreed to suspend their collaborative partnership.
The two associations had signed a letter of intent in October 2015 to combine many of their operations into a jointly owned subsidiary that would house all of their backoffice functions and other functions that are not state specific, with the goal of being fully integrated by Jan. 1, 2017. League Consolidated Services (LCS) would have been jointly owned and managed by both leagues.
At the conclusion of their joint LSCU/NYCUA board planning retreat last week in New Paltz, N.Y., it was the consensus of both association boards that alignment could not be achieved at this time and to suspend further integration, according to a statement released by the two organizations.
“The leadership and staff of both organizations have worked extremely hard during the last year to make this vision a reality” said LSCU & Affiliates President/CEO Patrick La Pine. “Unfortunately, culture trumps strategy, and we were not able to move the project forward. I still believe strongly in the collaborative LCS model. While disappointed, my respect for the NYCUA and my admiration for its President/CEO Bill Mellin have not changed.”
“We’re all disappointed that this partnership did not come to fruition, but the opportunity to work through the process will make us much more prepared for future partnerships and collaborations,” said NYCUA Mellin. “LSCU is a strong organization, which is reflective of their strong leadership. I wish Patrick and his leadership team every future success.”