Credit unions who want good audit results might consider audit automation software. But what are their options?
The way we see it, there are essentially three different options for credit union audit software. All of them can achieve great audit results.
For some credit unions, audits are an occasional nuisance. For others, they’re seemingly constant, all-hands-on-deck affairs.
Regardless of whether your credit union’s audit cycle is frequent and consuming or sporadic and inconvenient, one thing’s for certain:
You probably don’t want to get stuck in one for too long.
Audit software for credit unions can provide significant value throughout the entire course of each audit. Each automated task contributes value. The same goes for stored communication, archived audit materials, automatically-generated audit trails, and simplified delivery systems.
But those are individual tasks. Certainly, each of them provides value. But how much value?
So, one thing I’ve learned is that when you explain a joke, it generally stops being funny. But this is about credit union audit software, what it costs, and what it provides for that cost. So please, bear with me.
Many factors impact your audit process and, consequently, your audit results. Still, the responsibility of ensuring great deliverables lies with your audit team.
There are two characteristics shared among sound, experienced audit teams. Can you guess what those characteristics are?
There’s a lot to worry about when preparing for credit union exams. Usually, they go smoothly. Often, exams just confirm what you and your credit union already knew: that you’re on the right path.
But the stress is real.
A poorly-run exam increases your credit union’s risk of findings, documents of resolution (the dreaded DORs), and regulatory action.
Depending on who your auditors are—or what type of audit they’re conducting—your auditors could be looking for any number of things.
One thing they’re always looking for? Consistency.
For years, the NCUA has burdened credit unions with frequent, tedious exams. The cycles call for audits every 12 months, but an audit could land at any point within that period. Unfortunately, the unpredictability of the current exam cycle creates stress and unduly disrupts operations.
Fortunately, the NCUA has proposed new changes to the exam cycle. We hope they make these changes effective immediately.
One of the things we talk about a lot in this blog, whether explicitly or not, is the credit union audit process. In fact, improving the audit process is what we’re all about.
But what does it mean to have an effective audit process? What all does it entail?
If you’re looking to better understand what makes a credit union’s audit process effective—or if you want to see if your audit process passes muster—then read on!
Audits must be performed frequently to ensure proper operational practices and compliance. Most upper-level credit union employees are familiar with audits. After all, upper-level employees are the experts, and leveraging experts is a critical component to successful audits.
Then, of course, there are internal audit teams. They’ve made a living off of their audit expertise.
So, with so many experienced experts on any given audit team, what do you get?
You get sound credit union audit programs and, one would hope, great audit results.
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