Credit Union Times Magazine December-24, 2008

FDIC Raises Premiums

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- Banks, which have already been hurt by the recession, will have to pay more to insure their deposits.

CUs, Slighted by Treasury on TARP Funds, Generated In-House Support

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- Credit unions were given access to government assistance to help deal with the effects of the economic downturn, but it took a different form than the Bush administration promised.

CUs Should Harness Technology That Permits Member Overdraft Notices

By Lindsey Siegriest

WASHINGTON -- The recently released results of the FDIC's study on bank overdraft programs highlights key issues credit unions should examine when it comes to their own overdraft programs.

Florida/Alabama League Merger Wins Formal Director OK

By Jim Rubenstein

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After months in talks, the boards of the Florida and Alabama credit union formally endorsed a merger plan and settled on a proposed name,

Accounting Firms Merge

By Lindsey Siegriest

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- The accounting firms of DeLeon & Stang and Berger & Hillman announced a merger that will go into effect at the end of the month.

BrightStar Returns to its Educational Roots With CU@School

By Myriam DiGiovanni

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- For BrightStar Credit Union, the way to best serve its members during these economic times is to go back to the basics of financial education.

Becker Reflects and Predicts on State of Economy and Credit Unions

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- As president/CEO of NAFCU, Fred Becker has had a prime seat to view the current financial crisis. CU Times recently sat down with him to discuss his views on the past year and what lies ahead for credit unions.

American Heritage Makes Holidays Shine

PHILADELPHIA -- Nearly 3,500 people packed American Heritage Federal Credit Union's headquarters to celebrate the holiday season.

Governor Applauds Rhode Island CUs for Small Biz Stimulus Aid

By Michelle A. Samaad

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A small business stimulus package that will invest $165 million into small and mid-sized businesses over the next two years has received financial support from several Rhode Island credit unions and banks.

Adding Debit Rewards Boosts Member Satisfaction and ROI

In today's challenging economy there is a growing consumer shift from credit cards to debit cards. Consumers may be weaning themselves from credit as a budgetary constraint or because they have reached their credit limit and want to avoid more debt.

NASCUS' Fortney Discusses Challenges and Opportunities for State Regulators

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- One of the cornerstones of credit union governance has been the dual-chartering system.

KV Members Opposed to Charter Change, Merger Begin to Organize

By David Morrison

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Members of the $51 million KV Federal Credit Union who oppose their credit union's proposed charter change and merger with a local bank have begun to organize.

NCUA Announces Illinois CU Will Purchase California CU's Assets

By Heather Anderson

PEORIA, Ill. -- Members of San Jose, Calif.-based Valley Credit Union might have scratched their heads last week when they receive letters from the NCUA informing them that the agency had selected the $3.6 billion Citizens Equity First Credit Union

Better Card Performance Is Leading Some CUs Back to Issuing

By David Morrison

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Despite a slowing economy and possibility of increasing delinquency rates, some credit unions that previously sold their credit card

Impact of $50 Billion Investment Ponzi Scheme on CUs Is Unclear

By Michelle A. Samaad

WASHINGTON -- It is still not clear whether any credit unions were among the victims of what the Securities and Exchange Commission is calling a $50 billion Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

CUNA Requests UBIT Meeting With Treasury and IRS

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- Credit unions, which have already taken their fight against the unrelated business income tax

Foreclosures Soared as Values Sunk, but CUs Able to Gain Market Share

By Heather Anderson

WASHINGTON -- The word of the year in 2008 could have easily been foreclosures, as homeowners' inability to repay their loans trickled upward and translated into staggering losses for Wall Street and foreign investors, thanks to the practice of selling,

ShareBuilder Is Rethinking CU Partnerships After ING Acquisition

By Michelle A. Samaad

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- ShareBuilder Corp., an online brokerage company that built its presence from alliances with credit unions, is having to rethink its co-branded partnerships after being bought by ING DIRECT in November 2007.

Triad Anticipates More Demand For Manufactured Home Loans

By Heather Anderson

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Triad Financial Service's credit union clients are reaping the rewards of overcoming negative social stereotypes, enjoying an average 7.75% return on manufactured home loans that are completely guaranteed.

Bankruptcy Filings Skyrocket by 30% as Economy Tanks

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- Bankruptcy filings increased by 30% during the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2008, according to data compiled by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

FSI Updates Software

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Fuhr Software Inc. recently released an update for its member queuing and tracking software.

TruMark Financial Holds Workshop for Underserved

TREVOSE, Pa. -- TruMark Financial Credit Union held a money management workshop for an underserved community where the credit union will be opening a branch next year.

Connexus CU Goes Back to School

WAUSAU, Wis. -- Connexus Credit Union has opened a new, high-tech branch within Northcentral Technical College.

Rogue Wins on Philosophy in Action

LOS ANGELES -- Rogue Federal Credit Union has earned accolades for the Money Mammals Saving Money Is Fun Kids Club.

Carnac's Answer: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times The Question: What Will Be CUs' Fate in 2009?

By Sarah Snell Cooke

Reviewing the predictions I made for 2008 in my first column for Credit Union Times, I realized two things. First, some predictions were accurate, while others were not. Second, I needed to be a bit less cautious and more explicit.

Staking Out the Stats

ARLINGTON, Va. -- According to a NAFCU Macro Data Flash, total vehicle sales for November reflect the worst performance since the early 1980s.

CUNA CEO Dan Mica Discusses State of Economy and Credit Unions

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- As head of the largest credit union trade association, CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica has a great perch to observe credit unions during the recent economic and political events. Credit Union Times recently talked to him in his Washington office.

PEOPLE

Firstmark Credit Union, San Antonio, announced the addition of Andrew Apple as chief financial officer.

CU-to-Bank Charter Changes Dwindled as 2008 Came to a Close

By David Morrison

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Even though it started with a bang, credit unions converting to bank charters ended 2008 with a whimper.

Corporates Managed Investment Losses, Downgrades and Rumors

By Heather Anderson

WASHINGTON -- The corporate balance sheet saga remained alive and well in December following two big NCUA announcements affecting the aggregate credit union system.

Year Witnessed an Uptick in Federally Insured CU Failures

By Heather Anderson

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- At press time the NCUA was expected to announce the purchase and assumption of Valley Credit Union by Peoria, Ill.-based CEFCU, capping off a year that saw 16 federally insured credit unions fail, four more than last year.

CUs Hope Political Successes Translate Into Policy Wins

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- Credit unions flexed their muscles at the ballot box last year and their next challenge is to reap rewards for their efforts in Congress.

Legal Actions Linger as Texans Aims for Efficiency, New Service Balance

By Michelle A. Samaad

RICHARDSON, Texas -- It has been a tumultuous year for Texans Credit Union on several fronts.

Decline and Fall of Banking Icons Rocked Markets to the Core

By Michelle A. Samaad

NEW YORK -- At the end of 2008, the fallout from the collapse of some of the industry's iconic financial institutions including Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch continued to echo around the world.

2008: The Credit Card Odyssey to Better Management Begins to Pay Off

By David Morrison

ARLINGTON, Va. -- In 2008, the slowly growing industry trend to better card management began to bear fruit, representing a shift in credit union attitudes toward credit cards over the last few years.

Ike Devastation, Iowa Floods Provided Harsh Tests of CUs' Mission

By Jim Rubenstein

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- From the June floods wreaking havoc on river cities in Iowa to the devastation brought by Hurricane Ike on Galveston, Texas, and the entire southeast Texas coast,

As Airlines Failed, CUs Responded With Image Overhauls, Member Relief

By Michelle A. Samaad

HONOLULU -- Rising fuel costs would ultimately topple a handful of air carriers this year, forcing at least one to reconfigure its brand and image in a quest to survive beyond its fallen sponsor.

National Payday Lending Debate Moved To New Phase in 2008

By David Morrison

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Nationwide, the payday lending industry generally remained on the defensive in 2008 as different states and localities moved to cap payday loan rates.

Industry Mulls Impact of XCU's Fall

By Michelle A. Samaad

SAN DIEGO -- Many in the industry learned for the first time this year of the demise of credit union-owned broker-dealer XCU Capital Corp., which had served nearly 30 clients for 20 years.

Alliances Continue as CUs Gear Up For Small Business Activity Uptick

By Michelle A. Samaad

WASHINGTON -- This year marked the fifth anniversary that the Small Business Administration expanded its loan programs to all credit unions regardless of their charter.

Marketers Tapped Creativity to Keep Message Fresh in 2008

By Myriam DiGiovanni

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- This year credit union marketers upped the creativity factor to showcase the credit union difference and deepening relationships with members.

Safety and Soundness, National Branding Occupied CEOs, Marketers

By Jim Rubenstein

SEATTLE -- The economic crisis and the cascading bank meltdowns of 2008 kept most credit union marketing departments-along with a host of trade groups-

Credit Union Times pays tribute to those leaders and pioneers who passed away in 2008. Please note this listing is not exhaustive. We respectfully regret any oversights.

Former NCUA Board Member Robert Swan passed away from stroke complications. Serving from 1990-1996, Swan was the first credit union CEO elected to the NCUA Board and became known for listening to the "credit union side" on industry regulations.

'Tis Thy Name That Is My Enemy

In a bid to be more inclusive Pittsburgh Teachers Credit Union became Riverset Credit Union.

Holiday Donations & Events

Genisys Credit Union, Auburn Hills, Mich., was a presenting sponsor for the 2008 Holiday Extravaganza held by the Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Waterford and White Lake communities. The event started with a tree lighting ceremony that was followed by caroling.