Credit Union Times Magazine November-05, 2008
News
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Elan to Offer High-End Visa to CUs
MINNEAPOLIS -- Elan Financial Services, a subsidiary of US Bancorp, will offer agent issuing credit union partners the opportunity to issue the Visa Signature card.
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Attorneys File Action Against Texans CUSO for Violating Arbitration Ruling
DALLAS -- Texans Insurance Group was served with a new legal action on Oct. 22 for violating an arbitration ruling to reinstate the CUSO's former president, Kevin M. Curley, and award him additional compensation and benefits.
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Business Deposits Are Among Current New Growth Opportunities
SAN DIEGO -- Adding business deposits as a potential lower cost of funds option may be one way credit unions can take advantage of growing their member business services programs as the financial landscape continues to morph.
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Falling Rates and Vying for Liquidity Are Fueling CU CD Programs
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A falling interest rate environment and competition for liquidity sources have resulted in a run on CDs and a surge in business for certificate programs that cater to credit unions.
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NCUA's Hyland Optimistic About Future of Credit Unions
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- NCUA Board Member Gigi Hyland is half way through her six-year tenure at the regulatory agency. She is the panel's only woman, Democrat and member with experience in the credit union movement. Before she joined board, she was senior vice president/general counsel for Empire Corporate Federal Credit...
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U.S. First Credit Union Ads Advance Blunt Blandishment: We Are Not a Bank
SAN MATEO, Calif. -- Sometimes the best way for a credit union to stand out is to state the obvious with a simple declaration: We are not a bank.
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CUs and Gen Y Can Connect Through Social Responsibility
Since I've started writing this column, I've heard that I'm selfish, lazy, fickle and a whole slew of other negative characteristics that don't exactly line up with the credit union people helping people philosophy.
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Journey to the Past Reveals Contributions of African-American CU Pioneers
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Steeped in grassroots and hope, the stories of African-American credit union pioneers are ones of quiet yet bold efforts to help grow a young movement.
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Helping With Tax Returns Proves Challenging for Some Illinois CUs
NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Illinois Credit Union League is encouraging more of the state's credit unions to get involved with a federal program that can put relatively large lump sums of money in the hands of lower income credit union members.
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NAFCU Offers Statement Inserts On Credit Report Information
WASHINGTON -- NAFCU is providing statement inserts so that credit unions can help inform their members about the availability of free credit reports and the dangers of identify theft--described by some as one of the fastest growing crimes in America.
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Southeast Corporate FCU Takes Fall Forum on the Road This Year
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In response to increased convention competition and a desire to include more members, Southeast Corporate FCU scrapped its 2008 annual convention in favor of a reception and business meeting this past spring and a series of fall forums in eight markets.
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Short-Term Selling May Be Fueled by Retail Data, Financial Rescue
MADISON, Wis. -- An increase in short-term selling could be driven by government measures to get national and worldwide financial systems back on track coupled with the stock market flip flops.
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Elusive Search for ROI in the CU Online Channel Continues
BOSTON -- Much ballyhooed but rarely quantified, online banking is now seen as essential component to both individual and business credit union members.
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Suncoast Schools Simplifies Safe Deposit Box System With Software
TAMPA, Fla. -- At Florida's larget credit union, software has replaced what has traditionally been one of the most manual of processes--managing safe deposit boxes.
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Co-Opetition Is Now Coming to Global and Regional Big Banks
CAMBRDIGE, Mass. -- A standard operating procedure for credit unions for decades, collaborative competition--or co-opetition--is finding a new home in a perhaps unexpected arena: big banks.
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Ike-Affected Employees Sign On for Adopt a Family Online Service
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas -- The first group of employees who suffered property losses during Hurricane Ike began signing up last week for the Texas Credit Union League's Adopt a Family online service.
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Credit Union Card Balances and Charge-Offs Are Both Rise
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Credit union card balances and the rate of charge-offs have both been rising over the past year in the U.S, according to NCUA data, but not in the same states.
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Experts Outline What the New Freddie and Fannie Could Look Like
WASHINGTON -- Industry observers think that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, now in conservatorship, could be reconstituted in one of several different forms. But they admit that the current, ever changing financial crises and the upcoming elections have put reorganization--in other times a huge consideration--on the back burner.
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Affinity Plus FCU Launches New Student Loan Product
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, in partnership with Credit Union Student Choice, has launched a new loan product aimed at filling in the gaps in college financing often left by federal student aid.
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California Goes After Two Lenders for Predatory Lending
SAN DIEGO -- California officials have ramped up their attempts to stem the tide of foreclosures in the Golden State by filing two more lawsuits against lenders accused of predatory lending.
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Minnesota CU Network Hosts Marketing Fraud Workshop
EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Credit Union Network hosted a fraud workshop that educated representatives from 12 credit unions on mass marketing scams in Minnesota and how credit unions work on fraud prevention.
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President Bush Signs Two Bills to Help Students and Veterans
WASHINGTON -- President Bush signed two bills to help students obtain college financing and veterans keep their homes.
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Year-End Membership Slowdown, Mergers Put on Hold
MADISON, Wis. -- The industry should expect to see a slowdown in membership growth for the rest of the year based on historic seasonal trends coupled with return on asset declines.
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Member First Mortgage Wins ICUL Best of Show for Convention Booth
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- In its first appearance as a vendor at the Indiana Credit Union League's annual convention in Indianapolis, Member First Mortgage LLC, has received the best of show award.
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Nevada Federal CU Wins AARP Award
LAS VEGAS -- If you see a few gray hairs on the heads of Nevada Federal Credit Union employees, it's not surprising.
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Financial Planning Clients Sticking By Existing Plans
WASHINGTON -- Amid the market turbulence, the majority of clients are choosing to stick with their existing plans, a survey of more than 5,000 certified financial planners revealed.
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Bacino Returns to K St.
WASHINGTON -- Federal Housing Finance Board Member Geoff Bacino has left government and forged a lobbying alliance with one the most prominent firms in town.
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Members 1st FCU Introduces Loan Participation Web Site
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. -- As an avenue to provide credit unions access to business loans for sale, Members 1st Federal Credit Union has launched a new loan participation Web site.
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Economic Downturn Upends CEO Rosenthal's Retirement Plans
NEW YORK -- When the going gets tough, the tough don't retire. That is one of the lessons Clifford Rosenthal, CEO of the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions has drawn from the current down economy.
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Latest Round of NCUF Grants Demonstrate Diverse Interests
WASHINGTON -- The latest round of grants from the National Credit Union Foundation will go to support lower income entrepreneurship training in North Carolina, Latino homebuyers in Iowa and America's Credit Union Museum in New Hampshire.
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Former CU Times Reporter Meets Tragic End
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- In a tragic turn of events, former Credit Union Times Special Assignments Reporter Carol Anne Burger and her ex-partner Jessica Kalish are at the center of a murder-suicide.
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Lending Solutions Provides Answer to High Collections Demands
ELGIN, Ill. -- Lending Solutions Inc. provides collections outsourcing services to credit unions that are struggling to address the rise in delinquencies in the current economy.
Front Page News
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Credit Unions Consider TARP, Reg Relief and Legislative Positioning
WASHINGTON -- As the government continues to work out its next moves to help right the credit crunch and market gyrations, credit unions are sorting through their priorities.
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CUs Hedge Their Election Day Bets
WASHINGTON -- No matter which party controls the U.S. House after the elections, one thing is already clear before the votes have been counted: the next speaker will be someone backed by the credit unions.
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U.S. Central, Members United Reveal Exposure to Lehman Brothers Debt
LENEXA, Kan. -- The question wasn't whether exposure to Lehman Brothers and distressed mortgage-backed securities would affect the bottom lines of the first two major corporates to release Sept. 30 financials. The question was by how much.
News Briefs
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Home123 Chooses CUSO Over Bank
WAUWATOSA, Wis. -- Home123 has selected Central States Mortgage to provide its mortgage and financial services.
Facilities
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CUNA Bestows Branch Design Award
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Tucson Old Pueblo Credit Union and design-build firm NewGround have won CUNA's best practice award for branch design.
Regulatory/Compliance
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Fed Approves Mortgage Rules
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve has approved amendments to Home Mortgage Disclosure Act rules that change the threshold for reporting price information on higher priced loans.
Tech Bytes
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SilverCloud Touts Three New Signings in Month
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- SilverCloud Knowledge Systems said it has added three new clients in the past month and expanded relationships with two others.
Special Report
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Number of CUs Offering HSAs Is on the Upswing
WASHINGTON -- Credit unions are slowly starting to get into the Health Savings Account game.
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Social Networking Sites Gain as Recruiting Tool
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- While marketers tout social networking sites as another channel to better connect with members, it may be time for human resource departments to head online to recruit the cream of the crop.
Opinions
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Will We Ever Wake Up? Time for Awareness Has Never Been Greater
I would bet my bottom dollar that if we were able to listen in on conversations of credit union leaders everywhere over the last month the word "opportunity" would probably be one of the most frequently spoken words.
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Auto Loan Underwriting 101: Back to Basics in Tough Economy
Without the proper equipment, a rock climber's chances of tumbling off the side of a cliff increase. Likewise, the current economic climate is pushing some lenders and financial institutions to the edge of the metaphorical cliff. Credit unions are at a crux: manage their risk wisely with solid, sound practices...
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Sorting Out and Making Sense of the Recent Financial Turmoil
We could go on ad infinitum about the recent events taking place in financial markets today--the causes of the credit crisis, why the stock market continues to fall, the long-term impact this crisis will have on the economy and how (and when) it will be resolved. In fact, the story...
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Is a CU's First Duty to its Members or the Movement?
Members are the movement.
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HSAs Offer Credit Unions Attractive Market With Senior Customers
The Center for Retirement Research issued a report in February that said that 61% of Americans were "at risk" of not being able to enjoy the same standard of living in retirement as they did when working. The report defines someone at risk if they retired at age 65 and...
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Uncertain Times Increases Importance of Employee Assistance Programs
From the financial crisis to uncertain job security, the economy is increasing stress levels for employees and their families. The workforce is on an emotional roller coaster. Likewise, employers are struggling over balancing workers' fears and well-being and the need to manage productivity.
Editor-in-Chief's Column
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Credit Unions Must Gird for Economic Fallout
Election season is always filled with predictions and erratic polls. A month ago, Barack Obama was crushing John McCain in the polls; many more recent polls put the race within the margin of error with Obama still up.
Letters to the editor
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CUs, Corporates Are Time Tested
The article, "Examining Corporate Balance Sheets" (CU Times, Oct. 15), on corporate credit unions is fairly balanced and should enlighten those who want to believe the worst about corporates. Credit unions and corporates are dealing with the current serious situation very effectively.
Staking Out the Stats
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Financial Literacy Services Need for the Disabled
New York -- Johnette Hartnett, director of public policy for the National Disability Institute spoke at The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions' financial literacy day last month about her work touring the country to provide financial literacy to the disabled.
People
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Scholarships
MidSouth Federal Credit Union, Macon, Ga., announced the recipients of its 2008 Tom Bentley memorial high school and continuing education scholarship programs. Amanda Gregg was awarded the 2008 high school scholarship. Gregg is a graduate of Georgia Military College Prep School and is attending Valdosta State University. The high school...
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Branching Out
Postal Credit Union, Woodbury, Minn., held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Eagan office. Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire, City Administrator Tom Hedges, Community Development Director Jon Hohenstein, State Senator Jim Carlson, State Representative Sandra Masin, PCU Board Chairman Jim Bryan, PCU President Russ Plunkett, PCU Board and executive staff, representatives...
Beyond the Job
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Herding Cattle, Working the Land Grows Into a Family Affair
KILLDEER, N.D. -- For the Yogerst family, there's something satisfying about being in the wide open, green spaces under crystal blue skies herding cattle and tilling the land.
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Lending Specialist Shafer Gives Gift of Life to Friend Needing Kidney
FORT WORTH, Texas -- When a long-time friend was in desperate need of a life-saving kidney, Teresa Shafer didn't hesitate when she offered hers.
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Tales of Black Lab Zoftic Bring Hopes of Fattened Charity Coffers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- City County Credit Union Supervisory Committee Member Mack MacVicar and his wife Andrea have a dream of giving away $1 million, and they hope a little black Labrador will help make it a reality.
In Memoriam
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Pen Air CEO Is Dead
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- John A. Davis, a 26-year veteran of the industry and the president/CEO of Pen Air Federal Credit Union, Pensacola, has died. He was 52.
Movers & Shakers
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People
EAST
Clarifications/Corrections
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Correction
SAC Federal Credit Union in Omaha is opening a new grocery store branch in Council Bluffs, Iowa, this month. As a result of a typographical error, an article in the Oct. 15 issue of Credit Union Times gave an incorrect location.
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