Electro Savings Blog

To the layperson, words like "compliance" and "audit" might seem a little intimidating (and a lot like legal jargon to avoid). For Lisa Ellison, however, compliance isn't just important—it's actually pretty cool. As Electro's Compliance Officer, she plays a pivotal role in keeping the credit union, and its members, safe and sound.

"The three major components of what I do include compliance, Bank Secrecy Act regulations, and internal auditing," explains Lisa. "And what that really means is I make sure the credit union and its employees are doing what they should be doing otherwise, members could really lose out. I'm the members' protector."

As the protector of members, Lisa doesn't wear a cape or carry a shield to work, but she does bring 26 years of banking experience to the credit union.

"I started as a teller at a bank, and then moved to a credit union," says Lisa. "I worked my way through the credit union, learning everything I could." 

Lisa then took all the knowledge she gained to an accounting firm, where she did internal auditing for financial institutions. "I decided my heart was really in credit unions, so when the Compliance Officer position opened up at Electro last year, I was really excited to jump back in," says Lisa.

Lisa's role demands her to wear many hats, which means her typical day is anything from ordinary. She monitors for high-risk activity, making sure nothing suspicious is going on behind the scenes. What exactly is high-risk activity? Anything from fraud to high-dollar or frequent transactions—really anything that could potentially cause losses and affect members.

"I'm also constantly scouring for any updates as far as regulations go," says Lisa. "Because if the credit union isn't on top of that, we could be fined heavily, which costs our members since they are our owners."

And while keeping a watchful eye on all aspects of the credit union is a big responsibility, Lisa loves her role and appreciates how every employee at the credit union really plays a part in what she does.

"What I come in and do every day, I feel, brings a lot of value to the credit union and the members," says Lisa. "Making sure the credit union is doing everything right in turn protects members' money--and that's all really exciting."

When she's not at the credit union, Lisa enjoys traveling with her family, being outside, and going all out for holidays—Halloween and Christmas are her favorites. And, when she has some downtime to herself, Lisa also likes to paint.