“We worked recently with Ceto and Associates on a very successful Market View initiative. Historically, we have been cautious about engaging third party vendors to assist in finding ways to become more efficient and profitable.Often, the greatest challenge is allotting sufficient time and resources from our staff, because significant effort is generally required to complete these types of projects. But, as promised, Ceto
accomplished most of the heavy lifting during the course of the project. Ceto was extremely flexible in working with us and accommodating our busy schedules. When the project was completed, we were pleased with the financial benefits that we achieved relative to the minimal time and effort required of our staff. This was a great experience for us, and we would definitely recommend this program to other institutions that are looking for ways to generate revenue and maximize product profitability.”
Todd DeVoogd
Senior Vice President of Finance & Administration
Schools Financial Credit Union
Sacramento, CA
Total Assets: $1.9 Billion
“We had a very good experience with Ceto and Associates during the Market View engagement. They conducted a survey of fees and charges in our local market and suggested numerous ways that we might increase revenue while remaining fair to our members. There was never any pressure to adopt all of their recommendations and we selected those items which we thought appropriate to our market and members. Additionally, the data collection process was relatively painless. And most importantly, we achieved significantly improved non-interest income as a result of implementing their recommendations. I would suggest that anyone looking to improve their bottom line talk to Ceto and Associates.”
Steve Branstetter
Chief Financial Officer
People’s Trust Federal Credit Union
Houston, TX
Total Assets: $513 Million
“We had a great experience with Ceto and Associates during the Market View engagement. We were impressed with their program, which included a thorough review of product characteristics and pricing relative to our competitors and market conditions. Moreover, they considered the culture and strategy of our organization when performing the analysis and making any recommendations. The information was very informative, and the quality of their work was outstanding. We recognized some rather substantial benefits from the engagement. Overall, it was just a great exercise for us and we would urge other financial institutions that are interested in increasing revenue to contact Ceto and Associates about their program.”
Renee Lucas
Vice President of Operations
Clearview Federal Credit Union
Moon Township, PA
Total Assets: $1.1 Billion
“Numerica engaged Ceto for the Market View program, and we were extremely satisfied with the results of the entire process. Prior to moving forward with the engagement, we did evaluate other outside vendors to assist our organization with income generation. After extensive due diligence, we chose Ceto. They were the best choice for us, given the
extensive scope of their program and their flexibility with the professional arrangements. Their program is risk free, and the revenue sharing arrangement was very attractive to our executive team. Ceto was there for us every step of the way, assisting in the implementation and monitoring the
phases. They also ensured that we realized the new revenues, which were originally projected in the report of findings. We are very happy that we chose Ceto as the vendor and partner for Numerica’s revenue enhancement and product pricing initiatives. We had a very successful experience, and
we would certainly recommend Ceto to other financial institutions.”
Jana Erny
Senior Vice President of Retail, Lending & Operations
Numerica Credit Union
Spokane, WA
Total Assets: $2.1 Billion
“The Market View engagement with Ceto and Associates put us in a position to be more competitive in our markets, while also maximizing revenue in some specific product areas that we thought might already be sufficient through our own internal efforts. In addition, they brought to our attention other ideas and opportunities to enhance product profitability with their comprehensive local market research and competitor analysis. The amount of work that went into this process and the amount of information that Ceto and Associates provided about our markets, competitors, and products has been invaluable and something that would have been difficult to accomplish on our own considering our limited time and internal resources. I would strongly encourage other financial institutions to consider Ceto and Associates for this type of engagement.”
Bonnie Kimmey
Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Georgia’s Own Credit Union
Atlanta, GA
Total Assets: $2.2 Billion
“We were very pleased with Ceto and Associates’ Market View program. The project was completely risk-free to our organization, since our payments to Ceto and Associates were based on actual benefits. The scope of the program was extensive and included a review of hundreds of different areas, with the objective of maximizing profitability within our product mix. Their staff was highly professional and easy to work with. Ceto and Associates also helped with the implementation and monitoring of all management approved recommendations. We realized a significant increase in revenues, and so, the engagement was a big success.”
Karen Church
President & Chief Executive Officer
ELGA Credit Union
Burton, MI
Total Assets: $551 Million
“We worked with Ceto and Associates on a Market View project. We were very pleased with the comprehensive scope of the engagement. They evaluated all of our products, services, rates, and fees on both sides of our balance sheet, and performed an extensive review of our local market and competition. Based on their analysis, they were able to make some prudent recommendations for our product portfolio. We realized a significant increase in revenues from the project, and would recommend Ceto and Associates’ Market View program to other financial institutions.”
Brian Laufenberg
President & Chief Executive Officer
I.H. Mississippi Valley Credit Union
Moline, IL
Total Assets: $1.2 Billion
“We were very pleased with the results of the Market View engagement that we completed with the guidance of the team at Ceto and Associates. They completed a full review of our products and services relative to our local market. They were onsite for a just a few short days throughout the entire project and were professional, courteous and accommodating to our staff’s schedules during the interviews and data gathering portion. We felt no pressure to implement any recommendations that we didn’t think were right for our organization and members. Once we approved the recommendations that were right for us, Ceto and Associates was instrumental in assisting with the process of implementing and monitoring the recommendations to assure that we met the benefits that they had projected.”
Jim Phillips
Chief Financial Officer
The Southern Credit Union
Fayetteville, GA
Total Assets: $382 Million
“We had the opportunity to work with the professionals at Ceto and Associates on a project of reviewing and updating our non-interest income. We found their processes to be very flexible, and their staff members to be very intuitive as we worked through the process. They performed a thorough market study of our local competition, made very well thought out recommendations, and provided us significant flexibility in tailoring the choices we made to ensure greater market acceptance. They placed no pressure on our decision making process, and their system of monitoring our results was fair and easily measured. We would be pleased to recommend Ceto and Associates’ services to any financial institution looking to improve their operating results.”
Butch Osborne
President and Chief Executive Officer
Fairmont Federal Credit Union
Fairmont, WV
Total Assets: $340 Million
“We were very happy with the results of Ceto’s Market View solution. The engagement was risk-free from the outset, and we realized the initial benefits within a short time after beginning the project. We were very delighted with their experienced team of consultants, professionalism and methodology throughout the process. They introduced many new ideas and recommendations that were insightful and meaningful for our organization. We implemented and monitored several of the recommendations with the guidance of Ceto. If we had known the benefits would have been as significant, we would have moved on this much more quickly. Suffice to say, we recognized an increase in revenue and the project was a success.”
Alan Watson
President & Chief Executive Officer
Catholic Federal Credit Union
Saginaw, MI
Total Assets: $350 Million
“We have conducted similar reviews of our products in the past, but they were not as extensive and thorough as the Market View project we conducted with Ceto and Associates. Their in-depth review not only yielded significant new revenue ideas but also spurred meaningful conversation among our management team regarding many areas of our organization. The recommendations that we ultimately approved and implemented fit the right balance between both the philosophical and financial objectives of our organization. While similar reviews are possible with internal resources, we recommend Ceto and Associates because of their insight and the expertise that they brought to the table, in addition to the risk-free nature of the engagement.”
Rex Hochstedler
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Interra Credit Union
Goshen, IN
Total Assets: $960 Million
“Ceto and Associates recently engaged our organization with their Market View program. We were very impressed with the depth of their research into our local markets and competitors. They also demonstrated a very thorough understanding of our product and services and our philosophical approach with our business and members. The review was exhaustive and included many areas throughout all of our product lines. They took into account the appropriate balance that is necessary to service the needs of our members, while also identifying significant opportunities to increase overall revenue. The recommendations were very straightforward and relatively easy to implement. We are very happy with our relationship and partnership with Ceto and Associates.”
Vance Reinbold
Chief Financial Officer
Capital Credit Union
Bismarck, ND
Total Assets: $458 Million
“We worked closely with Ceto and Associates on a recent Market view engagement and we have been very pleased with the outcomes. The engagement was virtually risk free and allowed us to implement only those recommendations and ideas that we felt were in the best interest of our credit union and our member base. The final report that we received was comprehensive and included the local market research and competitive intelligence so that we could better support the business case behind each recommendation selected. After a relatively painless implementation, we started to realize a revenue boost from those recommendations.”
Chris Bowman
Vice President of Accounting
Security Credit Union
Holly, MI
Total Assets: $434 Million
“Considering a consulting firm to assist with product pricing and profitability is a delicate process, but Ceto and Associates made the decision easy and we have been very happy with the partnership on the recent Market View initiative. They were with us every step of the way throughout the project, providing invaluable guidance and ensuring that we maximized every recommendation and opportunity. They were very professional and their expertise in the banking industry is very evident. The engagement has been a big success; we were able to identify revenue opportunities while also ensuring we continue to deliver competitive value to our members. We have really enjoyed working with Ceto and team and would definitely recommend them to other credit unions who are looking for ways to maximize product profitability and revenue.”
Jason Werts
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Unitus Community Credit Union
Portland, OR
Total Assets: $1.3 Billion
“We were optimistic going into our Market View venture with Ceto and Associates and they certainly delivered. With so many challenges confronting the banking industry today and with the markets changing rapidly, employing Ceto’s expertise was very advantageous, as it allowed our management team to quickly and efficiently implement the changes required to compete in our markets, while also taking advantage of the local pricing environment. Their team was great to work with and they were very proficient with their short time onsite. Our personnel were not bogged down by this project and we were very satisfied with the rather substantial increase in income.”
Davin Garlick
Vice President and Controller
Westmark Credit Union
Idaho Falls, ID
Total Assets: $819 Million
