The Story Behind CUiSolutions

CUiSolutions, LLC is a Credit Union Service Organization created as a collaborative effort between CheckAlt Payment Solutions, Credit Union Management Advisory Services, Vcorp, and Bator Training and Consulting, Inc. The combined vision of Shai Stern, Co-Chair and CEO of CheckALT and Vcorp, Michael Hales, principal of CUMAS, and Ken Bator, President of BTC, is to provide leading edge services of value for both Credit Unions and credit union business members.

There are approximately 26 million small businesses in the United States, and more than 90% have financial services needs that are “too small” to capture the attention of commercial banks. Credit Unions have a historic opportunity to grow membership and increase revenue by providing services that will level the playing field with commercial banks. From increasing the velocity of financial transactions at reduced costs to reaping the benefits of responsible social media, our mission is to enable our credit union clients to lead the financial services industry through the 21st Century.

Whether your priorities are growth and increased Return on Assets or reduction of operating expenses, CUiSolutions has the answer.

Meet the Management Team

Shai Stern: Chairman and Co-Founder

Shai Stern is also Co-Chairman + CEO of CheckAlt Payment Solutions and Vcorp and he is a driven entrepreneur with a passion for providing niche services to the legal and financial communities. Mr. Stern also serves as CEO and Co-Chairman of Vintage Filings, a New York based EDGAR filing firm which he co-founded with Seth Farbman in 2002 and sold to PR Newswire in 2007. In addition he is the Co-Chairman of Vcorp Services, which assists new and current business owners with entity formations, business filings, trademark applications, compliance services, and more. Mr. Stern was formerly a Vice President at American Stock Transfer Company where he initiated business relationships and was responsible for outstanding share balances of over 2,000 publicly held companies. He was instrumental in the growth of AST Stock Plan, which administered stock options and stock benefit plans to 500 publicly traded companies prior to its purchase by Citibank.

Michael Hales: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder

Michael Hales, a former commercial banking Executive, is the Founder of Credit Union Management Advisory Services and a veteran Credit Union industry Consultant with nearly two decades of experience in providing sustainable solutions to credit unions throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. As President of Counter Intelligence Associates and a Partner with The Rochdale Group, Mr. Hales has served the profitability and growth needs of hundreds of Credit Unions through the design and implementation of profitable small business loan and deposit services. He has created 16 multiple credit union-owned CUSOs. He is an expert in financial institution cultural, operational, and strategic alignment and in the development of networked business models and back office collaborative solutions. Mr. Hales' credentials include:

• Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO)
• Chairman, NACUSO Business Services Advisory Board
• Chairman, NACUSO Governance Committee
• Graduate, ABA School of Bank Marketing Management and Strategic Planning, University of Georgia
• Certification, NACUSO/Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management Joint curriculum in Designing and Implementing Collaboration and Business Networks
• JD, Lincoln University School of Law (San Francisco)

Kenneth C. Bator: President

Kenneth C. Bator, President of Bator Training & Consulting, has over two decades of experience in management, marketing, and sales in the financial-services category. The vast majority of this experience has been as an Executive of two corporate Credit Unions in the Midwest – both over $1 billion in assets – as well as a natural-person community Credit Union in California with over $500 million in assets and 11 branches. Mr. Bator has facilitated several training and strategic planning sessions for Credit Unions and Small Businesses across the country. He is also a co-founder of the Police Officers’ Credit Union Conference. Bator has earned a BS in Finance and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from DePaul University as well as a Certificate in Integrated Marketing from the University of Chicago. His articles have appeared in The Credit Union Journal, ABA Bank Marketing, and the Michigan Credit Union League Gazette. Mr. Bator is the author of The Strategic Planning Workbook and Guide for Financial Institutions and The Pocket Guide to Strategic Planning: The 90-Day Quick Fix for the Business Owner or Manager.