Agawam, MA — At this year’s NACUSO Annual Conference, Insuritas CEO Jeff Chesky delivered a provocative call to action during the CEO Breakfast, urging credit union leaders to harness the untapped power of their Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs) as the strategic force behind future-ready innovation.

“Innovation isn’t hard because we lack intelligence or vision,” Chesky said. “It’s hard because credit unions and banks were built for trust, stability, and consistency — the very qualities that also breed resistance to change.”

Speaking to a room of industry executives, Chesky acknowledged the operational and cultural constraints that credit unions face: legacy systems, compliance burdens, and a deeply ingrained mindset of “what’s always worked.” Yet, as fintech startups move at the speed of curiosity, he challenged credit unions to adapt without compromising their values.

CUSOs: The Untapped Innovation Engine

Chesky argued that CUSOs are uniquely positioned to disrupt from within. “We’re already watching CUSOs emerge as innovation labs for the industry,” he said, highlighting trailblazers like attorney Brian Lauer, who is deploying CUSO holding companies to accelerate innovation, and Ed Bronnenberg at RBFCU, who is mining member data within their CUSOs to drive new revenue streams and wallet share.

“CUSOs can do what traditional banking teams can’t — innovate without compromising compliance or trust,” said Chesky. “They are your secret sauce.”

By the Numbers: The Missed Opportunity

Chesky pointed to key data points that underscore the innovation gap:

• Fewer than 3% of credit union members will buy a mortgage, auto or commercial loan in 2025.
• At the same time, CUs will fail to monetize the millions of online engagements they get monthly – at no cost. There is no online “shopping cart” for members to shop for ancillary products like insurance or warranty products.
• Vast stores of member data remain under-leveraged for personalization and revenue generation.

“We see a payment to Chewy.com — why aren’t we offering pet insurance in that moment?” Chesky asked. “Your CUSOs can be the ones delivering that insight and action.”

A Call to Action for CEOs

Chesky closed with a bold challenge to credit union CEOs: “Empower your CUSOs. Let them lead. Add innovation to your ALCO and board agendas. Make your CUSO executives accountable for building the next generation of financial results.”

Insuritas is helping CUSOs take this step by showcasing its turnkey, embedded insurance agency model — giving away a fully operational, credit union-owned insurance agency valued at $250,000 during the NACUSO event.

“We’re not just talking about innovation — we’re handing you the blueprint,” Chesky said. “Let’s make NACUSO the launchpad for the next generation of CUSO-driven transformation.”

About Insuritas

Insuritas’ mission is to connect people to the insurance products they need through a seamless, transparent shopping experience in which carriers compete to provide them with the right coverage at the right price. Leveraging proprietary data-mining techniques and integrations through its BUNDLE brand, Insuritas offers a vast network of solutions to empower partners to operate their own private labeled, full-service insurance agency. With Insuritas’ data solutions, partners can generate expanded wallet share, increased retention, and recurring non-interest revenue. For more information, visit www.insuritas.com.