Custom Graphing: The Account Selection Screen

The Account Selection screen is a necessary evil in the creation of custom graphs. Here's a quick overview.

Graph Title: Ok, this one is obvious. It's the title on the graph.

Formula: This is where you type in account codes from the 5300 form credit unions report to NCUA as well as many "formula shortcuts" (eg. "assets", "loans", "shares". More on these shortly). I keep a print out of the 5300 on my desk, earmarked and highlighted. Don't have one? You can go to the help menu on Peer and print one out (including instructions). OR, you can use the binoculars, or "Formula Wizard". (I'll get to that at the end...I'm tackling the easy stuff in this post.)

Titles to Use: This is what will show on the legend or chart labels. If you just type in a simple account code like a703, Peer will automatically fill in a label for you (in this case "Total 1st Mortgage Loans Outstanding"). I usually retype them in shorter formats.

Format Type: This helps you format the output. Peer usually gets the format correct, but if not, you can change it yourself.

Arrows: Major upgrade from Peer 1--you can easily rearrange the items on your list using these arrows. Simply put your cursor on the item you want to move, and click up or down until it's in the right place.

Delete: Obvious--you can delete a row. Simply put your cursor on the item you want to delete.

Insert: By default, there is only space 15 items. You can add more by clicking Insert. It adds another row to the bottom.


These radio buttons dictate what comparisons will be shown on your table or graph. The output depends on the type of chart you selected, but in general: if you just want to see your primary & comparisons, leave the top option selected. If you want to look at the individual credit unions that comprise your peer group comparisons, go ahead and add the second button. If you don't want to see the Peer Group averages, uncheck the top option and only select the bottom one. This will remove the Peer Group averages from the display.

Binoculars/Formula Wizard: A bit of history: In Peer 1, rather than show a set of binoculars as the icon, it was a magic wand...thus the name "Formula Wizard". It really needs a new name like "Account Look-up Tool." In any case, this deserves a post of its own. Click here.