Three credit unions were among the national leaders in openingnew credit card accounts in 2011 with colleges or universities withwhich they have card-issuing agreements, a new report says.

According to an annual report prepared for Congress by theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau and released last month, theleader among both credit union and non-credit union affinity cardissuers was the 43,000-member, $276 million University of Illinois Employees Credit Union, which opened3,452 new card accounts in its affinity program with the Universityof Illinois Alumni Association in 2011.

The credit union had opened 779 new accounts under the agreementin 2010, when it was ranked 5^th in the nation in openingnew accounts under affinity deals with colleges.

The 62,000 -member, $746 million Purdue Federal Credit Union held the spot currently occupied byUIECU last year, but fell to third this year, opening 2,877accounts under its affinity agreement with the Purdue AlumniAssociation.

Last year, PFCU opened 2,642 card accounts under the deal.

Michigan State University Federal Credit Union came in fifth onthe list, opening 1,115 new card accounts under its contract withMichigan State University. Last year it was ranked24^th and opened 302 accounts, the report said.

The annual report was mandated by the Credit Card AccountabilityResponsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 and had been formerlyassembled by the Federal Reserve.