WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – When it comes to auto insurance, credit unions may be missing a golden opportunity to help members, according to NACUSO President Bob Dorsa. "Credit unions live and die by car loans, so if the bulk of members are already doing business with credit unions then what better place to look for their insurance policy," said Dorsa. Of the 700 CUSOs, approximately 20% or 120 of them offer some form of property/casualty insurance yet only 2% of members are taking advantage of those products and services. According to Dorsa, the primary factor for the lackluster performance is a lack of interaction between the credit union staff and the CUSO in how it markets its insurances products and services. An integrated model is the key to success. "If a fairly large CU is making auto loans then 20-30 policies is not that difficult, but even in those cases we still don't see that synergy," said Dorsa. "It's got to come from the credit union side because CUSOs can't force CUs to get on board. CUSOs and CUs can then work together to make an effort to train CU employees so that they understand the benefits otherwise they won't go out of their way to introduce the insurance products." With attracting younger members as one of the greatest challenges faced by the movement, Dorsa sees insurance as a way to develop that relationship over the next 20-30 years. "In professional baseball the team leans on the hitter to get on base," said Dorsa. "Now, if car loans are not getting new members then maybe auto insurance could be the hook." [email protected]