Credit Union Times Magazine August 3, 2011

NCUA’s Fenner Reflects on the Lessons He’s Learned

By Claude R. Marx

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Before Robert Fenner joined the NCUA as a staff attorney immediately after graduating from George Washington University Law School in 1974, he “didn’t even know what a credit union was.”

How to Gain Members and Buck the Trend

By Natasha Chilingerian

Three years ago, when the financial situations of many Americans began heading for a fall, the New York City-based, $1.6 billion, 320,000-member Municipal Credit Union took the opportunity to advertise how its services could help consumers manage their struggles.

Debit Interchange Network Choices

By David Morrison

Now that regulations implementing the Durbin amendment are finalized–at least for the short term–credit unions have to decide how many debit networks they want and if they have to join any.

TransUnion Sees Changed Credit Card Behavior

By David Morrison

Credit union executives planning credit card marketing and issuing strategies for 2012 and 2013 may want to factor a new study from TransUnion into their deliberations.

Corporate America Settles a Suit

By Robert McGarvey

The blockbuster credit union trial of the summer won’t happen. That is the news out of Birmingham, Ala., as word circulated that the headliner suit filed by Corporate America against an all-star roster of credit union luminaries who had been officers and directors of failed U.S. Central has been settled...

Businesses’ Recession Woes Linked by Fed to Poor Sales

By Michelle A. Samaad

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is not convinced that a lack of credit access primarily contributed to the woes of small businesses since the 2007-2009 recession.

Corporate Focus Turns to the West

By Jim Rubenstein

With NCUA deadlines nearing on recapitalizing the corporates, the jockeying among credit unions and corporates about the shape of provider services focused on the Mountain States last week with at least two state trade groups paying attention to the fate of the $1.9 billion SunCorp.

Collections: CUs Discover the Pluses of Helping Members Early

By Eileen Courter

Are your collections people isolated from the rest of the credit union, as though they were on an island?

Puget Sound’s Island Branch Excels

By David Morrison

The credit union that launched a branch on Vashon Island, an island in the middle of Puget Sound off the coast of Washington State, said its new branch is a success.

Beyond the Job: Glatt Visits African Village on Church Mission

By Myriam DiGiovanni

A mission trip to Malawi, Africa has given Tom Glatt Jr., owner of Glatt Consulting, a new perspective.

Debt Repayments Stall Lending

By Michelle A. Samaad

For some credit unions, what a difference five years made in the auto lending space.

Carla Altepeter Ready to Take Up Baton at Numerica

By Marc Rapport

Replacing a 40-year veteran who, after all, just had the headquarters building named after him, could seem daunting, but Carla Altepeter knows something about staying power.

Time to Gear Up Efforts for Capital Reform

By Sarah Snell Cooke

NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz reaffirmed her support for supplemental capital for credit unions at WOCCU’s annual meeting. Credit unions’ need for capital reform can only heighten. But permitting the NCUA to define prompt corrective action buckets requires action by Congress.

Crash Network: Fin Lit Can Help CU Staff

If you have been in the presence of a financial literacy teacher for more than a minute, you have probably heard these statistics from Harris Interactive:

Gen Y Back Talk: Deliver Services Their Way

By Natasha Chilingerian

It’s easy for credit unions to make assumptions about Gen Y. For example, they’re all techies in search of the latest gadget. The only way to grab their attention through advertising is with bells and whistles. And forget seeing them inside a branch–they only bank at ATMs or on mobile...

Guest Opinion: Shared Branching Cuts Costs, Aids Members

By Dan Davis

With today’s economy still sputtering, credit unions–and just about any other organization across the nation–remain vigilant about cutting costs to survive and hopefully thrive when the economy returns to good health.

Letter: Matz Is Dead Wrong on Dodd-Frank

By Marvin C. Umholtz

CUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz has a right to her opinion about the Dodd-Frank Act. No matter how wrong. And as her July 27 Guest Opinion so clearly demonstrated, on the topic of the Dodd-Frank Act, Matz is really, really, really wrong.

Guest Opinion: Auto Lending Roller Coaster Continues

By Melinda Zabritski

If the folks who manage automotive lending at credit unions are feeling a little queasy these days, it’s with good reason. Watching their market share the past four years has been akin to spending a long weekend at an amusement park, going up and down on the world’s steepest and...

Mortgage Rules Questioned by Trades

CUNA and NAFCU both told the Federal Reserve that they support the Federal Reserve’s proposed definition of a qualified mortgage but want some changes to make certain parts of the rule less ambiguous.

Small Business Fund Set for Michigan

By Michelle A. Samaad

The Small Business Administration has announced a new fund that will focus exclusively on providing capital to Michigan businesses.

Credit Card Fees Spark Bank Lawsuit

By David Morrison

First Premier Bank, a credit card issuer that specializes in issuing credit cards for consumer with low credit scores or without credit scores, has sued to block regulations that it said would put it out of business.

Alabama Tornado Aid Nears $100,000 for Redstone FCU

By Jim Rubenstein

The generosity of Redstone Federal Credit Union toward financial relief to victims of the April 27 tornadoes that ravaged north Alabama is nearing $100,000, the CU said last week.

Elevations and St. Vrain Plan to Merge

By Jim Rubenstein

As part of its metro Denver expansion, the $975 million Elevations Credit Union of Boulder is making plans to merge with the nearby $80 million St. Vrain Valley CU of Longmont.

Debit Rewards Value Doubted by Study

By David Morrison

Programs that reward consumers when they use their debit cards have been largely considered one of the important casualties of the Durbin amendment's cap on debit interchange.

Book Review: It’s Always Personal

By Claude R. Marx

Balancing the competing tugs of the head and heart has been a challenge since the days of the great thinkers of ancient Rome and Greece.

Mobile Banking Growth Slowed by Security Concerns

By Marc Rapport

Security concerns are apparently holding back mobile banking adoption, which appears to have plateaued, according to a new report.

Dane County CU Offers PFM

By Marc Rapport

The 13,400 members of the $120 million Dane County Credit Union in Madison, Wis., will now have the option of using personal financial management software from Geezeo on their online banking site.

Teachers FCU Offers E-Statement Options

By Marc Rapport

The 217,000 members of the $4.1 billion Teachers Federal Credit Union in Farmingville, N.Y., will now be offered a range of e-statement options.

New Managers at Ongoing Operations LLC

A new board of managers has been elected at Ongoing Operations LLC in Hagerstown, Md., a provider of business continuity services to about 140 credit unions.

JHA Pushes New Chip Cards

By Marc Rapport

Credit unions serving members who live or work abroad are the target of JHA Payment Processing Solutions’ new chip and signature debit and credit cards.

SilverCloud Cites Success

By Marc Rapport

Forty-three more credit unions became clients of SilverCloud Inc. in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to the New Hampshire-based member experience software vendor.

CU*BASE Expands With 16 New CU Clients

By Marc Rapport

Sixteen credit unions from nine states, including a first from West Virginia, have signed on as users of the CU*BASE core processing system in the past year.

Andrews FCU Adds RDC

By Marc Rapport

The $800 million Andrews Federal Credit Union is now offering remote-deposit capture service through desktop scanners to its 90,000 members around the world.

NEFCU Adds Android

By Marc Rapport

An app for Android phones is now being offered to mobile banking members of the $1.7 billion NEFCU in Westbury, N.Y.

COCC Adds a Risk Partner

By Marc Rapport

Credit unions and community banks using COCC as their service bureau for core processing will now be offered an integrated enterprise risk management solution from Fortress Risk Management, the Connecticut companies said.

AltaOne FCU’s Telecom Upgrade Racks Up Big Savings

By Marc Rapport

A two-year telecommunications system upgrade is now saving AltaOne FCU $5,000 per month after netting it a $100,000 credit from the telephone company, the CU and its vendor said.

Credit Score Decline Has CUs Seeking Alternatives

By Michelle A. Samaad

Like most parts of the country, unemployment has hit some members of ORNL Federal Credit Union in a devastating way.

Experian Reports Fewer Late Payments

Within the auto lending sector, a mixed bag of strong and weak outcomes was seen in the first quarter.