So far, credit unions participating in FileneResearch Institute's accessible financial services incubator will test products to help lower income credit unionmembers obtain auto loans and save money as they borrow money.

Working with a $700,000 grant from the Ford Foundation, Filene will distribute the products amongcredit unions who agree to test them with their members for 18months beginning in January.

The goal is develop the products for use in mainstream financialinstitutions, both credit unions and banks, according to KateLawton, brand manager with the institute in Madison, Wis.

Lawton said Filene will have five products ready to test by thestart of January, but has only released four so far.

Those include a program to help credit unions better price andmanage auto loans to lower-income members, working with theNational Credit Union Foundation; a program called Borrow and Savefrom the National Federation of Conmmunity Development CreditUnions which helps credit unions make low-dollar loans with asavings component to lower-income members; a program called PayYourself Back from the organization Innovations in Poverty Actionwhich helps lower-income borrowers shift payments made to repay aloan to become payments made into a savings account once the loanis repaid; and a program to help credit unions create asmall-dollar loan program in cooperation with credit unionSEGs.

Lawton said more than 40 credit unions have signed up to be testsites for at least one of the test products and that Filene willannounce the list before the program starts in January.