Credit Union Times Magazine February 2, 2011

Credit Unions Detail the Damage They Say Interchange Cap Will Cause

By Claude R. Marx

A few credit unions have begun to detail the impact of the Federal Reserve's proposed cap on debit card interchange, telling the agency that its proposed rule will sharply hurt their bottom lines.

SECU Plans Second Test Run of Estate Planning Program

By Michelle A. Samaad

After testing out an estate planning pilot program last year with more than 1,100 of its employees, State Employees' Credit Union wants one more round of feedback before rolling out services to its 1.6 million members.

Whatcom Sees Results of Business Services Expansion

By Michelle A. Samaad

Nearly seven years after Whatcom Educational Department Credit Union expanded its business services department, the CU is tasting the fruits of its labor.

House Republicans Question Warren on CFPB Organization and Policy

By Claude R. Marx

Despite the lack of a permanent director, the consumer financial regulator is gearing up for its June launch.

CEO and Board Synergy Can Help in Identifying MBL Risk

By Michelle A. Samaad

When it comes to monitoring a credit union's business lending portfolio, ensuring that there is synergy between the CEO and the board of directors can go a long way in identifying risk exposure.

NY Times Runs Correction On SECU Brokerage Story

In an article involving a brokerage account complaint, The New York Times said it mistakenly linked an employee that worked with a defunct credit union broker to State Employees' Credit Union.

Mission SF FCU Appeals for More Donations

By Jim Rubenstein

The fundraising campaign of the deeply troubled Mission SF FCU of San Francisco to avoid a collapse or merger picked up again last week with new appeals by CU management to meet a new $200,000 capital goal by March 15.

Business Development Execs Discuss SEG Quantity Vs. Quality

By Myriam DiGiovanni

It's a new day for credit union business development departments.

Workers' Elevates Petersen to CEO

Douglas J. Petersen, who became the interim CEO of the $800 million Workers' Credit Union of Fitchburg, Mass. in December following the sudden departure of its veteran head, Frederick D. Healey, has been promoted to the permanent CEO slot.

CU CEOs Say Regulatory Burden is Spurring Merger Trend

By Jim Rubenstein

Conditions and underlying trends varied widely last week for the mergers of two small credit unions in Illinois and Wyoming.

MSUFCU Issues $1 Mil. Challenge

By Eileen Courter

Credit unions regularly tout the fact that they offer a better deal, so Michigan State University Federal Credit Union is working to prove that with a $1 million challenge.

Pennsylvania CUs and Bankers Team Up on Training

By Jim Rubenstein

In Pennsylvania, the chasm between credit unions and small community banks looks to be getting smaller-at least where it comes to operations and training.

Illinois League Backs Debit Card for Teens

In a bid to capture more of the prepaid debit card market, the Illinois Credit Union League is rolling out a new "family card" designed for teens as a money management tool.

Mica Opens Consulting Firm

By Claude R. Marx

Former CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica is going solo.

Dear Ben, Just a Note to....Dear Ben, Just a Note

By Sarah Snell Cooke

For the Federal Reserve employees who are diligently reviewing comment letters regarding the proposed regulation on interchange, it might have seemed like they were living in the movie Groundhog Day.

Blaine 10; NCUA 0

The article "Blaine Takes on NCUA" [CU Times, Jan. 12, page 1] was a great diversion from the never-ending snowstorms of late.

Keep Those Letters Coming

Credit Union Times has a goal for 2011 to include Letters to the Editor in nearly every, if not all, issues. We had letters in nearly every issue of 2010.

Successful CEOs Share Information With the Board

As the NCUA considers regulatory changes for board governance, I am struck by the amount of time and energy dedicated by volunteers at credit unions.

The Perfect Storm of Higher Education

The credit union story from the industry's beginning includes regular people taking a do-it-yourself approach to solve seemingly insurmountable environmental pressures and creating something new.

Take a Cue From Gen Y to Improve Member Engagement

As retail banking channels converge and innovations continue, an engagement strategy is beginning to emerge that will not only position your credit union to better attract Gen Y but will set you on a course for greater general consumer engagement.

Be Edgy, Informative, Collaborative and Cool

When I began my career in banking in the 1980s, financial institutions in the metro New York City market were targeting a new demographic: young professionals.

People

Andrews Federal Credit Union, Suitland, Md., welcomed Michael Bartelle as vice president of overseas operations.

Young Professionals Gear Up for GAC

The Crash Network has chosen 16 young credit union professionals to attend CUNA's 2011 GAC and complete a service project designed to improve their credit unions or the industry.

Verbatim

Immediately after Louisiana Corporate Credit Union announced its intention to explore a merger with Corporate America Credit Union, CU Times Correspondent Robert McGarvey got Louisiana Corporate's CEO David Savoie on the phone for a candid conversation.