Credit Union Times Magazine December-23, 2009

Corporates Spent Year Dealing With a Damaging First Quarter

By Heather Anderson

Corporate credit union investments took a nosedive early in 2009, and corporate network owners and regulators spent the rest of the year creating and debating ways to pay for the resulting losses.

Matz Had Active Four Months

By Claude R. Marx

A bearer of bad tidings with many ideas for improving the health of credit unions. That's how NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz positioned herself since taking office in late August.

NCUA Proposes Charter Revamp

By Claude R. Marx

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- For purposes of whether to grant a community charter, a well-defined local community would have to have 2.5 million or fewer people and have a core area within the community that contains 50% of the jobs and 33% of the population,

CUs Foresee Heavy Lifting in Senate to Shape Restructuring

By Claude R. Marx

As tough it was passing regulatory reform in the House, that may have been the easy part.

Corporates Roll the Dice

By Heather Anderson

Representatives from 11 small corporates gathered at the Monte Carlo casino and hotel in Las Vegas on Dec. 15 to discuss their options for the future,

Lack of Follow-Up, Failure to Address Risks Behind New London's Demise

By Michelle A. Samaad

The NCUA has revealed more details on what may have led to the collapse of New London Security Federal Credit Union after a financial adviser that worked with the cooperative for years allegedly cooked the books that resulted in a $12.1 million loss.

Overdrafts May Be the 'New Tobacco'

By Jim Rubenstein

Could the controversy surrounding overdraft protection and card interchange become the "new tobacco?"

CU Card Site for Consumers Launched

By David Morrison

Card Analysis Solutions, a CU card consultancy run by Ondine Irving, has launched a Web site, dubbed Credit Card Connection, designed to help consumers find consumer-friendly credit union credit cards.

Holiday Greetings With Bill Attached

By Jim Rubenstein

Connecticut credit unions not only got holiday cheer and a greeting card but also the 2010 dues bill from the state league.

Southeast League to Be Official

By Jim Rubenstein

After nearly a year in formation, the new League of Southeastern Credit Unions, combining the Florida and Alabama Credit Union Leagues, becomes legal and official on Jan. 4.

CU Offers Lower Rates for Most Cardholders

By David Morrison

The $1 billion Pacific Service Credit Union, headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., has announced that a recent redesign of its card program has reduced the card rates for most of its cardholders.

Survey Finds Small Business Pessimistic

By David Morrison

Despite repeated assertions that the economy has moved out of recession and is moving toward recover, a major card brand's recent survey of small business owners finds pessimism still dominant.

Telesis Community's Disputed Loans Were Sold to Other CUs

By Michelle A. Samaad

Two commercial real estate loans serviced by Business Partners LLC that are currently going through a receivership and a bankruptcy were participated out to other credit unions.

SBA Administrator Mills Promotes More Small Business Incentives

By Michelle A. Samaad

From tax enticements to hire new employees to tax write-offs for investors, SBA Administrator Karen Mills said the agency's partnership with credit unions and other lenders will continue to help kick start the small business sector.

Good Time to Open a New Branch? Probably, But Be Sure to Tend to Basics

By Eileen Courter

With developers and landlords anxious to deal, construction crews eager for work and attractive locations available, it seems a good time to open another branch or build a new headquarters.

More CUs Need to Offer Cards, Other Payment Methods, Paper Urges

By David Morrison

A paper authored by Card Services for Credit Unions and Callahan & Associates seeks to guide more credit unions into adopting broader array of payment services for their members.

Becker Sees Tougher Year Ahead

By Claude R. Marx

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The nation's economic woes triggered action on Capitol Hill and at the NCUA that kept NAFCU President/CEO Fred Becker and his staff very busy in 2009.

Mica Discusses a Difficult 2009

By Claude R. Marx

WASHINGTON -- With an activist new president and a Congress eager to revamp the rules for the financial services industry, CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica and his colleagues have many balls in the air right now.

Seattle Metro CU Spreads Cooperation

By Myriam DiGiovanni

How do you follow up after inviting locals to Pay It Forward?

To Impair or Not to Impair? Corporate Accounting Debate Heats Up Again

By Heather Anderson

NCUA regulation, not GAAP accounting standards, require corporate credit unions to eliminate retained deficits by impairing capital, said Scott Waite, member of Financial Accounting Standards Board's small business advisory committee.

National Foundation Faces Changing Charitable Landscape, Delfin Says

By David Morrison

National Credit Union Foundation Executive Director Steve Delfin leaves the foundation at a time when the patterns of how and why Americans contribute to charitable or nonprofit efforts

Miller Is Front-Runner For Southeast CEO Post

Sources close to the $3.7 billion Southeast Corporate Federal Credit Union said that Association of Corporate Credit Union Executive Director Brad Miller has been selected to replace retiring CEO Bill Birdwell.

FDIC: Georgia Banks Report More Losses

According to recent FDIC data, Georgia's banks continue to be hammered by losses.

Toochin Is CUES Director of the Year

Joseph E. Toochin, CUES 2009 director of the year, is vice chairman at United Nations Federal Credit Union.

Campaign Warrior to Keynote Conference

President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager, David Plouffe, has been tapped to help credit unions harness the power of social media.

CU Draws Big Crowds With Black Friday Sale

The Portsmouth, N.H.-based Service Credit Union attracted hundreds of new members by holding its first-ever Black Friday One-Day Sale.

Student Wins Big in CU Savings Challenge

GECU announced University of Texas at El Paso engineering student Krystal Hoganson, as the grand prize winner of its Savings Challenge '09-College Edition.

CUNA: CUs Ask Obama 'What About Us?'

As President Obama met with bankers last week to discuss how they can help small businesses recover, CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica continued to reiterate that credit unions are doing their part and could be doing much more.

HOLIDAY DONATIONS

OMNI Community Credit Union, Battle Creek, Mich., donated 27 boxes to Operation Christmas Child, a program that collects shoeboxes filled with small toys, school supplies and hygiene items.

New CU Blog Launched

There's a new blog designed to help credit unions stay in the know about the latest in online conversations.

N.J. CU Offers 'Furlough Dough'

State employees impacted by a mandatory 10 furlough days from May 2009 through June 2010 can now turn to Credit Union of New Jersey for help.

New Savings Acccount Rains Pennies on Truliant Members

Rainy days are happy ones for Truliant Federal Credit Union members.

Call for CUNA Entries

It's that time of year again. Entries are now being accepted for the CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council's 2010 Diamond Awards.

Teens' Debit Card Goes With the Flow

Meriwest Credit Union has discovered that all it takes to get teens and parents working together and talking about money is Flow.

Climbing Out on the Prognostication Limb Again

By Sarah Snell Cooke

It's that time of year again, folks. It's time for reflecting on the past year and making resolutions while forecasting what's to come.

Credit Unions Used Year's Financial Turmoil to Differentiate Themselves

By Myriam DiGiovanni

AIG bonuses, banker bailouts, Ponzi schemes, high unemployment and a recession spelled marketing O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y for credit unions.

Momentum Building for Supplemental Capital Access for Credit Unions

For nearly a decade, NASCUS has steadfastly worked to build support for supplemental capital.

Critical Technology Decisions Await Credit Unions in 2010

Whether a credit union's goal is attracting Generation Y and the Millennials, extending its presence beyond physical branch locations or increasing efficiency without compromising member service,

PEOPLE

GFA Federal Credit Union, Gardner, Mass., announced the appointment of Mark P. Hawke to its supervisory committee.

Verity Credit Union VP Links Motherhood and Management in New Book

By Claude R. Marx

If you're trying to motivate your subordinates, be firm but encouraging and give them something pleasant to look forward to. Ditto if you are dealing with your children.

Management Shakeup, Lawsuits, CUSO Bankruptcy Plagued Texans CU

By Michelle A. Samaad

As 2008 came to an end, legal and operational woes continued to spill over into 2009 for the beleaguered Texans Credit Union.

Space Coast Merger Helped Pull Eastern Financial From the Brink

One of the industry's biggest mergers occurred in Florida in 2009. It was brought on by a depleted net worth that stemmed from millions of dollars in commercial real estate losses.

Small Businesses Scrambled to Find Financing Alternatives

By Michelle A. Samaad

After billions of dollars went to right the ship of some of the nation's largest banks, small businesses are starting to get their just due.

CU Mortgage Lending Came Out of the Shadows and Into the Breach

By David Morrison

For credit union mortgage lenders, 2009 was the best of times and the worst of times. The worst of times because credit unions were not immune from the recession that was sparked by the collapse of the housing market in 2008.

No Longer an Afterthought, Credit Cards Became a Strategic Tool

By David Morrison

Credit union credit card programs largely came into their own in 2009, moving almost entirely from being a "forgotten" asset on many CU

Student Loans Continue to Be Big Opportunity for CUs in 2010

By Lindsey Siegriest

The past year has been one that some would like to forget, but for many credit unions it has been a year of opportunity.

Mobile Banking Made a Breakthrough and Went Mainstream-Or Did It?

By Marc Rapport

Well, it looks like 2009 was the year that mobile banking finally went mainstream. Or it wasn't.

Worst May Be Over as Sand State Credit Unions Wait for the Dust to Settle

By Jim Rubenstein

Could the scourge of failing credit unions in the sand states be at last on the wane? Maybe, say those CEOs who've been in the trenches all year watching their brethren in Nevada,

CU Mergers Stand at 259, a Figure CUNA Says Was 'Glaringly Low'

By Jim Rubenstein

The economic climate for credit union mergers during 2009 was marked by a little of everything: Some saw panic by worried CEOs at small credit unions, more cross-country incursions by the