Knowledge
When Members Win, Credit Unions Win
As you now well know, credit unions have the upper hand over larger financial institutions in the most impactful of ways. Given their lower fees, better savings rates, superior customer service and greater personalization with financial products, the benefits are...
How Credit Unions Benefit from Cannabis Real Estate Lending
With the current economic volatility and interest rates rising, it’s important credit unions monitor the risk levels of their lending portfolios and prioritize diversification of their assets. There are many ways CUs can diversify their portfolios, but one in...
Real Estate Stocks: Best REITs to Invest In
Any seasoned commercial real estate investor understands the power of diversifying their portfolios with real estate stocks. This is especially true as we head into a potentially volatile and unknown economic environment and real estate market. As a result, many...
The Best Sources for Credit Union News
Here’s a Look at the Top Credit Union Publications & Sources for CU News & Industry Updates Credit union leaders and employees do their best to serve their communities and leverage their expertise to provide fair and equitable financial services to their...
CRE Lending Risk Management: 5 Helpful Steps
October 17-21 is Risk Awareness Week, so there’s no better time for credit unions to reflect on their risk assessment practices for commercial real estate (CRE) lending. This includes what their risk appetite is given the current financial climate. Brianna Vaughan,...
SBA Disaster Loan: Hurricane Ian Relief for Small Businesses
Following the devastation of Hurricane Ian, thousands of small businesses and commercial real estate investors are scrambling to get back to normal and restore operations. The good news is that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has a program to provide disaster...
AVANA CUSO Loans Help Commercial Investors Plan for the Future
October is Financial Planning Month, making it the perfect time for commercial real estate investors to assess their portfolios and identify areas for growth. No matter the portfolio, there are likely areas to diversity, and right now commercial real estate is the hot...
How NCUA & CUNA Support Credit Unions
For credit union leaders and professionals who are looking to sharpen their skills and better serve their members, there are a number of organizations out there that can help. Including legislative advocacy, member protection regulations and industry-leading...
Credit Union Conferences 2022: Exciting Events Still to Come
Here’s a Look at the Top 5 Credit Union Conferences to Close Out 2022 As summer winds down and we look ahead to Q4, there is still an incredible amount of value that credit union professionals can gain by attending the CU conferences being held the rest of the year....
Top 5 School Credit Unions for Teachers
As a new school year commences, it’s the perfect time to focus on how educators are appreciated and supported. School credit unions are specialized financial institutions that do both in truly value-added ways. By joining one of these credit unions, teachers gain...
Recent SBA 504 Program Updates Give Lenders More Opportunity
The Small Business Administration has recently made some changes to their SBA 504 program that allows financial institutions, such as AVANA CUSO and credit unions, to expand their lending solutions to more small businesses. Recently, the federal government has made...
Good News for Lenders: Continued Increases in Commercial & Multi-Family Loans
Borrowing in the Space is up +19% YOY in Q2 Despite widespread economic headwind, the commercial and multi-family lending business has shown incredible resiliency. Loan originations in the space were up 19% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to this time last...
In the Know: SBA 504 Loan
Small business owners who are looking to make a large equipment or real estate purchase can find affordable financing options with SBA 504 loans.The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a number of different loan programs. SBA 504 loans are unique given their...
Pet Fire Safety: Tips for CRE Owners
Nearly 40,000 pets die every year in house fires. For commercial real estate owners with pet-owning tenants, it’s always a good time to review the recommendations for keeping building inhabitants (both pet and human) safe and the risk of fires low. What are the Risks...
Green Investments: Combining Planet Protection & Profits
Renewable Energy Investments Provide an Opportunity to Turn a Profit & Save the Earth As the climate crisis continues to spark devastation across the globe, all living beings experience life-altering consequences ranging from rising temperatures, environmental...
Types of Renewable Energy Grants
Every year, organizations are showing greater interest in the research and development of renewable energy sources. Between rural small businesses launching proprietary clean energy technologies and established enterprises looking to make a greater impact with their...
Commercial Construction Loans: a Helpful Overview
Whether a new business is looking to construct its first physical location or an existing company has plans to expand operations, there comes a time for many enterprises when real estate construction or upgrades become a part of their growth strategy. Commercial...
Comparing 7a vs 504 Loans for Small Businesses
Small business loans are important in supporting not only small business growth but also economic development and job creation across the United States. Two common loan options for small enterprises today include SBA 7 a loans and 504 loans, which are both backed by...
The Importance of a Commercial Real Estate Lawyer
For any commercial real estate investor, there are few things more exciting than seeing the value of a portfolio grow and the number of properties expand. So, it can be of the utmost importance for investors to hire a commercial real estate lawyer who can help protect...
The Top Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Management Software
This Portfolio Management Software can Boost Profits & Efficiency Commercial real estate portfolio management software can be a lifesaver for commercial real estate investors who have more than two properties. But it’s important to find the most compatible option...
Commercial Building Safety Requirements for CRE Investors – Making Dollars & Sense
4 Investor Tips For Fire Safety Requirements for Buildings, Construction Safety and More One of a commercial real estate (CRE) investor’s main responsibilities is ensuring their investment property is safe. There are two main reasons for this. First, tenants expect...
The Tax Benefits of Owning Commercial Real Estate
Can You Deduct Commercial Property Taxes? Here’s the Answer, Plus the Other Tax Advantages of Owning Commercial Real Estate. Strategically and wisely investing in real estate can be a surefire way to build wealth. But working to build that wealth doesn’t stop with...
Why Lease Management Software is an Essential Business Tool
Save Time, Maintain Compliance and Reduce Errors with the Right Lease Management Software As a commercial real estate investor, your responsibilities include managing lease agreements for tenants. No matter the size of your commercial real estate investment...
Making ESG Investing More Inclusive
By Sundip Patel, co-founder and chief executive officer, AVANA Companies The past few years have seen institutional investors increasingly aware of the benefits – both to their finances and to their reputations — of putting more...
Financial Stress Management for Investors
Plan Ahead to Avoid Financial Issues & Money Anxiety Financial issues are one of the most common causes of stress. According to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America survey, stress about money is the highest recorded since 2015, with more than...
Top 5 Credit Union Books
These Popular Credit Union Books Cater to Credit Union Management and Board Members As credit unions across the nation continue to compete with big banks and other financial institutions, there remains the need to quickly adapt services and solutions to the world...
Top 4 Ways to Passively Invest in Commercial Real Estate
How to Grow Your Money with Passive Commercial Real Estate Investments What if you could invest money in commercial real estate property, watch that investment grow and contribute little time to managing it? It’s possible via passive real estate investing. A passive...
Community Solar: Why It’s Growing in Popularity
US Government Ramps Up Community Solar Program to Meet Ambitious Clean Energy Goals As the US Government and Department of Energy (DOE) target aspiring renewable energy goals in the coming years, community solar programs are accelerating and expanding. Renters, small...
How Will Inflation Affect Commercial Real Estate?
Current Inflation Struggles Signal Importance of Long-Term Investments Such as Commercial Real Estate It’s no secret that in recent months, Americans have noticed an incredible surge in prices of goods and services, from gas to groceries to construction. The impacts...
How to Check Your Business Credit Score
Here’s Everything You Need to Know to Understand Your Business Credit Score & Even Improve It There’s no better time than National Credit Education Month to educate yourself on the importance of your business credit scores. So, we’re here to outline for you how to...
“AVANA CUSO has provided FAST CU with great LP opportunities which in turn allows us to strategize our balance sheet to best serve our members.”
FAST Federal Credit Union