Five key factors will determine navigating successful marketing initiatives in today’s modern, mobile marketplace, according to one industry expert.

Each year since the mid-1980s, the AFSA Education Foundation offers two important enrichment programs for employees of member companies. The first program is THE EDGE, an acronym for Education, Development, Growth, and Enrichment. Designed for branch managers and team leaders, this initiative features layered modules of learning and offers essential courses taught by industry experts.

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced changes to its policy regarding Civil Investigation Demands (CIDs). The changes are intended to provide more information to the subject of the CID.AFSA has long advocated that the Bureau’s CIDs be more specific. Last April, in response to one of the Bureau’s several requests for information, AFSA submitted comments emphasizing that CIDs should be reasonable. We are pleased that the Bureau has adopted an approach that is consistent with the association's recommendations.

At the conclusion of AFSA’s 2019 AFSA Annual Independents Conference & Exposition, Stan Butler, President & CEO of Heights Finance, began his term as chair of the association’s Independents Section Board. Butler succeeds Brad Noel, Executive Vice President of Branch Operations for Republic Finance.

The American Financial Services Association (AFSA) held its 36th annual Independents Conference & Expo this week in Austin, Texas, at the brand new Fairmont Hotel.

In a speech yesterday outlining her vision for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Director Kathy Kraninger emphasized the importance of “… empowering consumers to help themselves, protect their own interests, and choose the financial products and services that best fit their needs…” The full text of the speech is here.Director Kraninger said that the CFPB’s tools to carry out its mission include education, regulation, supervision, and enforcement. Below are highlights on how the CFPB intends to use these tools.

Virginia C. “Ginger” Herring, President of Georgia-based 1st Franklin Financial Corporation, received AFSA’s Outstanding Independent Award on April 17 during AFSA’s 2019 Independents Conference & Exposition in Austin, Texas.

Join AFSA May 9, 2019 at 2 p.m. ET for PCI Compliance & Your Call Center presented by PayNearMe. Panelists will discuss the most common ways to accept payments in your call center and what your business needs to consider with each. Walk away with insight to help you chose a method that delivers the best customer experience as well as less risk for you and/or customers.

Financial Literacy Month (April) is well underway and the AFSA Education Foundation continues to actively promote its premier personal finance education offering, MoneySKILL®. A free online course, MoneySKILL was designed by experts and is endorsed by educators. It is used in all 50 states and over 40 foreign countries.

AFSA is presenting three top flight speakers at next week’s Independents Conference & Expo in Austin, Texas.