In this episode of the Extra Credit Podcast, we are joined by HUB International Senior Vice President, Lee Palms. Throughout our conversation, Lee uses his more than 30 years of expertise in the risk and insurance industry to explain the evolving pitfalls of the consumer finance industry, specifically within bank partnership agreements. There are critical gaps companies are overlooking that could end as a costly mistake. Lee helps dissect the fine print when it comes to signing indemnification clauses, expanding existing policies, and what that really means for your business.

Discover how a simple overview of contractual language can save your company from financial hardship and legal chaos. Read more about this topic here: https://afsaonline.org/2026/07/24/industry-expertise-the-exposure-gap-your-bank-partnership-agreeme…

Guest: Lee Palms, Senior Vice President, HUB International

In this special episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, Celia Winslow, President and CEO of AFSA sits down with the oldest and youngest generation of the family business at 1st Franklin Financial. While both go by Ben Cheek, one is a recent graduate of Auburn University and the newest generation of Cheek serving as a Project Coordinator in the family business. The other, his grandfather and the Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Ben Cheek III, who has just celebrated a remarkable 65 years of service at the company.

Discover a heartfelt conversation of how 1st Franklin Financial has grown over the decades and explore how the development of new technology, like AI, impacts the installment lending industry. Throughout the conversation, the Cheeks reflect on their generational differences but continuously return to a truth that represents the heart of the company; adapting to technology should never mean losing sight of human connection and customer service.

Guests:

Mr. Ben Cheek III, Chairman Emeritus, 1st Franklin Financial

Ben Cheek, Project Coordinator, 1st Franklin Financial

In this episode of the AFSA Extra Credit Podcast, we sit down with Eric Ellman, President at the National Consumer Reporting Association. Ellman has been in the consumer credit and reporting space for almost 30 years and walks us through the history of consumer credit and its interesting anecdotes.

Ellman takes us in a time machine back into the late 19th century to discover how merchant-based credit systems evolved into our modern national credit bureau, the role of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the significant challenges consumers have faced over the years.

Guest: Eric Ellman, President, National Consumer Reporting Association