How FPI partners with our customer associations

• Strategic planning. The FPI board and management work together on our strategic planning efforts that culminate in each year's FPI corporate plan. The FPI planning process addresses a wide range of service issues, such as FPI's current mix of products and services; future technology requirements for associations; and growth opportunities for both associations and FPI. Our business plan avoids "going for the grand slam" in favor of "hitting singles." We set reasonable, achievable and measurable objectives and put a lot of runs on the score board.
  
  
• The Credit Standards Work Group. This group features senior credit, financial and operation officers from each FPI association. These individuals are close to the day-to-day activities of their associations, and help shape FPI's direction and service mix. The credit standards work group and FPI management jointly shape and monitor FPI work plans.
  
• EmPOWER steering group. This group of representatives from each association addresses the nuts-and-bolts
  challenges that affect day–to–day servicing of association loan portfolios. These issues relate to loan origination, document preparation, credit underwriting, loan accounting,
  reporting and customer communications, and any other matters that require attention in each association's
  service region.
  
• Association committees. FPI and its associations also form other committees as they are needed, such as the financial services work group, the technology work group and the marketing communications work group. At FPI, we recognize the potential for "paralysis by committee." Committees are organized for the short term and for specific projects. FPI committees are empowered to make decisions.
  
• "Sweeps for success." Recognizing the value of continually testing processes, FPI offers to complete "efficiency sweeps" for partner associations. Cross-functional teams from FPI conduct these consulting visits. They watch people work and focus on areas where association policies, procedures and business practices may be at odds with their technology. The goal of an efficiency sweep is to identify areas where management may find potential efficiencies. We offer our suggestions and ideas in a neutral, non-audit environment and in the spirit of a true partnership.

How FPI partners with other Farm Credit associations

When FPI management was in the process of planning a new online banking capability, we noticed that Northwest Farm Credit Services already had an online banking system in the works - one that would meet our needs very well. So FPI and its associations bought into Northwest's Online Banking system and FPI incorporated it into our associations' Web sites.

In fact, our alliance with Northwest Farm Credit is ongoing, with Northwest formalizing its long relationship with FPI into ownership as a natural step.

Today, FPI's affiliated associations are developing our next generation of credit business software in partnership. FPI staff developed the new software with input from participating associations — the organizations that use the technology on a day-to-day basis.

Allowing Farm Credit organizations to share resources in this manner saves hundreds of thousands of dollars in development and consulting costs for associations.