Credit Union Times Magazine February-25, 2009
Featured Story
Love Outlines Plans for Heading NCUA Examination and Insurance Office
For fun, Melinda Love likes to read science fiction books and watch action movies. She said she enjoys the chance to escape from reality.
News
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Heartland Breach Damage Hits CUs, Challenges Smaller Ones
Damages from the Heartland Payment Systems card data theft have started tallying up, stretching the abilities and budgets of some smaller credit unions.
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Corporate HR Teams Keeping a Close Eye on Employees and Execs
Corporate credit union human resources departments are working overtime helping their employees cope with a tough task: watching an angry industry determine their future.
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Caution Urged on Isolating Corporate Payment Systems
Much of the debate surrounding corporate credit unions has centered around the NCUSIF insurance premium hike.
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Prime Alliance Wastes Little Time Seizing Mortgage Market Void
Even as credit unions have only a measly 2% share of the mortgage market, Prime Alliance Solutions Inc. believes that the industry is in a position to command double-digit penetration over the next five years.
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Card Personalization Will Soon Come to TNB-Affiliated Credit Unions
A card marketing innovation that surveys have shown can help drive card use is coming to CUs that process with TNB Card Services in the next 18 to 24 months.
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Ongoing Business Loan Risk Monitoring Should Not Fall by the Wayside
If credit unions can move beyond the myth that consumer loans follow the same track as business loans, it would be a strong, first step to spotting red flags early on.
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CU Business Group Reminds Credit Unions That Its Operations Are Separate From Corporate Owners
CU Business Group recently reminded its nearly 300 credit unions that its operations are separate from those of its eight corporate credit union owners.
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To Stay or to Go? CEOs Push Ahead to Retirement Despite Recession
The current economy has tossed some difficult dilemmas at credit union CEOs in general, but for those nearing the end of their terms it creates the daunting question of what's needed most right now: fresh blood or experience?
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SAFE's Wirz Hopeful California Lawmakers Will Resolve Budget
Lawmakers still hadn't approved the California budget at press time, even after an emergency Presidents' Day session that ran late into the night
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Obama Unveils $275B Mortgage Plan
Credit unions and other financial institutions would receive financial incentives for rewriting the terms of loans of consumers in danger of losing their homes, under a plan unveiled last week by President Obama.
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Truliant FCU Switches to FICS' Mortgage System
The $1 billion Truliant Federal Credit Union is replacing its mortgage origination system with the Loan Producer system from the Dallas-based Financial Industry Computer Systems, Inc.
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Arizona Federal Closing Four Branches
Still wrestling with large loan losses, Arizona Federal Credit Union of Phoenix is closing four of its branches next month.
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CMG Mortgage Insurance Offers Mortgage Lending CD to CUs
CMG Mortgage Insurance Company is offering a new CD-ROM that focuses on the value of mortgage lending at credit unions.
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Successful Auto Lenders
A new best practices report from CUNA highlighted eight credit unions that have increased their auto lending programs while the rest of the auto industry has been shrinking.
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BrightLeaf Enhances Financial Planning for Members
BrightLeaf Financial Network, a consumer financial planning service offered exclusively through credit unions, has introduced a new version of its Web-based service.
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Fiserv Survey Shows Increased Online Banking Use, Belt Tightening
Online banking use has increased during the ongoing recession as consumers are apparently keeping a closer eye on their finances, according to a new survey.
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ILT Links DILLS With VINtek
Indirect Lending Technologies of Salt Lake City said its Web-based indirect lending system now integrates with the collateral management system from VINtek.
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Illiana Financial Credit Union Seeks Younger Members With E-Services
Illiana Financial Credit Union (www.illiana.org) is planning to go after younger members with an adoption of a range of online banking services from PM Systems Corp.
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TNB Leader Recognized as Citizen of the Year by Chamber
The CEO of the only credit union owned bank in the U.S. has been recognized by a local chamber of commerce as citizen of the year.
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Syphr Tests Sales Tool
Eight credit unions are now beta testing a lead-generation tool that matches consumers seeking loans with participating credit unions after the consumers buy a credit report.
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Wachovia Customers to Recoup $7 Billion on Auction-Rate Securities
Wachovia customers who invested in auction-rate securities before the market for those securities collapsed will receive their share of $7 billion in liquidity,
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Markets May Still Rattle
The stock market may continue to roil as questions emerge on the details of the Treasury Department's economic stability plan.
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Practice Makes Perfect California Credit Union Preps for the Worst: Armed Robbery
Even as national statistics for bank robbery appear to be dropping nationwide,
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Texans Credit Union Raises $194K for the United Way
Recognizing that economic times are particularly rough for charities, Texans Credit Union helped raise $194,000 for the United Way in 2008.
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Virginia Credit Union League Bundles Up for the Cold and a Cause
A show of solidarity among Virginia Credit Union League chapters recently resulted in a sea of red scarves flooding the lawn of the Commonwealth of Virginia's General Assembly Building in Richmond, Va.
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GFA Offers Savings Plan
Starting this week, GFA Federal Credit Union is offering free financial consultations in honor of America Saves Week.
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As Need to Know Grows, CUNA Offers Four New Online Self-Study Programs
Consumers are expecting more from their financial institutions, so CUNA has added four new courses through its CPDOnline self-study program with an eye on helping credit union staffers
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California CUs Get Japanese Visitors
Representatives from Japan's Agricultural and Fishery Cooperative Savings Insurance Corp. and the Norinchukin Institute got a lesson on credit unions when they visited California Agribusiness Credit Union.
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Partners FCU Makes Disney Magic Happen at Car Sale
Partners Federal Credit Union helped members' dreams come true at its winter SALSA car sale held in the Walt Disney World Resort Epcot Wonder parking lot.
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Students Buzz Around Hornet's Nest CU
Scotlandville Magnet High School students have been lining up to be a part of LA DOTD Federal Credit Union's first student-run high school branch, the Hornet's Nest CU.
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Verizon Renews Bill Pay
Fiserv Inc. said one of its largest customers, wireless giant Verizon Communications, has signed a multiyear extension for the company's electronic bill pay solution.
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Image Deposit Return Coming From Southwest Corporate
The Federal Reserve Bank's announcement of its intent to collapse all paper check processing into the Cleveland office by fourth quarter 2009
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Wycom Seeks to Carve Out a New Niche With Check 21 Teller Tool
Why would a company with nine employees scattered around the country and a comfortable niche long carved for itself in the rough-and-tumble world of credit union technology venture into the crowded Check 21 arena?
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Local Government FCU Names New Council Members
Local Government Federal Credit Union announced 11 new advisory council members to eight of its 22 councils across the state.
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Auto Promos Are Offered
Credit unions participating in Invest in America can now use one of three bundle campaigns from Nationwide Marketing Solutions to promote the program.
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Big Island Merges With Beacon CU
Two Virginia credit unions, Beacon Credit Union and Big Island 1013 Federal Credit Union, merged last week.
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Industry Braces for Changing Financial Landscape
It's becoming the mantra for troubled times: things will get worse before they get better.
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Michigan CUs Reward Members Through Savings Program
One Michigan resident will win $100,000 through a pilot savings program supported by the Filene Research Institute, the D2D Fund and the Michigan Credit Union League.
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LenderLive Expands QC Service
LenderLive Network Inc. has expanded its mortgage underwriting quality control services in response to increased client demand.
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CUNA Mutual Inks Commercial Property Insurance Deal
CUNA Mutual Group and Lee & Mason Financial Services Inc. have partnered to offer a commercial foreclosure property and liability insurance policy for credit unions' member business loans.
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NCUA Spells Out Method for Collecting Membership Data
NCUA will upload credit union membership data during regular examinations and take extraordinary steps to ensure the confidentiality of information, the agency said in a letter to credit unions.
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WOCCU's Match Savings Is Part Kiva, Part Microlending, All Credit Union
Microlending is appropriate in some cases, but for those among the world's lowest income brackets, savings is the best solution.
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NASCUS to Mark 100th
NASCUS will honor the 100th anniversary of the state credit union charter at its annual state system summit in Boston from August 20-22.
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Trades Push Congress to Aid Corporates
Though Congress was away last week, CUNA and NAFCU continued to encourage lawmakers to make changes to the Central Liquidity Facility
Breaking News
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New Site Offers Free CURE for CU Problems
Good advice may be hard to come by, but a new online service from Credit Union Info Inc. is offering experience and advice for free.
Front Page News
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CU Member, Others File Heartland Suits
At least six separate civil complaints, including one brought by a bank and another by a credit union member on his own behalf, have been filed against Heartland Payment Systems seeking damages for the firm's card security data breach.
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Trade Groups Brace for PR Nightmare In Advance of ABC Junket Broadcast
The prospect of an ABC-TV network expos? of credit union executive travel rattled the industry public relations machine last week.
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Fiserv: New Marketing Brand Marks Evolution to an Operating Company
There's more to Fiserv's new look than an orange logo with a period at the end.
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Credit Unions Thwack the Banks in U of M Consumer Satisfaction Survey
Credit unions debuted in the latest University of Michigan American Consumer Satisfaction Index by thumping banks, achieving an 84 on the index's 100-point scorecard compared to 75 for banks.
News Briefs
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Nomination Call Goes Out for Collaborators
The nomination period is now open for NACUSO's 2009 CUSO collaboration and innovation award. The award will be judged on the following criteria:
Facilities
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LEVEL5 Shuffles Management
There's been a few management moves at LEVEL5, a consulting and facilities development firm specializing in financial institutions.
Marketing
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Boles and Achieve Create Fans
Popular credit union speaker, trainer and consultant Jason Boles of Jason Boles Consulting and CU Achieve Inc. have merged.
Regulatory/Compliance
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Haitema Chairs NACHA Board
Marcie J. Haitema, executive vice president of correspondent services at U.S. Central, was recently elected chairperson of NACHA-the electronic payments association.
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Vendor Management: Necessary for Compliance, Critical for Success
In early 2008, the NCUA announced its highest exam priority for credit unions-the risk management of third-party relationships.
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Influencing Lawmakers and Regulators Takes a Personal Touch
While credit unions and other industries hire lobbyists to make their case before federal and state lawmakers and regulators, the most effective advocates are often people like you.
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Credit Unions: The ABA Likes 'Em and Lumps 'Em
WASHINGTON -- In these times of unprecedented tumult and dislocation in the economy in general, and in the financial services industry in particular,
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NCUA: Web Sites Not Reasonable Proximity for Common Bond FCUs
Credit unions cannot include their Web sites in the definition of service facility for multiple common bond federal credit unions, according to a recent NCUA legal opinion.
Editor-in-Chief's Column
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CU Times Offers High Honors in Troubled Times
Amid all the gloom and doom news of the day, it is nice to be able to highlight some good news stories.
Letters to the editor
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Accepting TARP Funds Would Kill Credit Unions
If we want to put an end to the credit union movement, we should accept TARP funds from the government.
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It's Time for Nation and Individuals to Take Responsibility
I just finished reading Sarah Snell Cooke's Jan. 28 column, "E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One," and I thought it was the best piece I have read by her or either of her two predecessors
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eStatements: An E-SIGN of the Future
In light of dismal economic news and tightening budgets, many credit unions are switching to e-statements as a cost-cutting strategy.
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Time Is Short; We Must Act Now
The financial issues surrounding the corporate credit union system have reached watershed proportions.
Opinion
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Successful Credit Union Loan Pricing Considers Value and Risk
An increasing number of banks and credit unions have recently started to explore the concept of willingness-to-pay or customer price sensitivity in their pricing.
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Credit Union System Must Look Back to Look Ahead
Start a new year with a new administration and a new Congress. Add legislators and regulators pushing forth aggressive agendas.
Quotes Worth Quoting
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QUOTES WORTH QUOTING
"Our biggest concern is what's really driving credit union members not repaying loans isn't bad faith or negligence on their part; instead,
People
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PEOPLE
North Jersey Federal Credit Union, Totowa, N.J., welcomed Patricia Ours as their new branch sales manager.
Other
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Economy Top Subject at NAFCU Conference
Credit union CEOs will hear from two authors on how to manage the recession at NAFCU's 2009 Chief Executive Officer's Conference.
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Trico Community FCU Appoints New Chief
Trico Community Federal Credit Union has promoted its Vice President of Operations Crystal Nance to the position of president/CEO.
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O'Connell Empowers Staff to Help Heartland CU Emerge From Dark Period
When Pamela O'Connell took the helm at Heartland Credit Union eight years ago, she was faced with a lot of angry, frustrated and betrayed employees.
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SECU Board Follows the Credo of the Three Musketeers
For the State Employees Credit Union Board, "all for one and one for all" is not just talk.
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Slugger Dan McGowan Also Relishes His Many Base Hits
Dan McGowan, sometimes stumbles over his words when discussing the credit union movement and his work at Tallahassee, Fla.-based Envision Credit Union.
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McLean Helps Carolina Postal Offer Cadillac Service for Hoopty Lovers
Charlotte, N.C., may be big banker territory but Vice President Marketing/Business Development Deb McLean has managed to help Carolina Postal Credit Union carve its own niche with a mix of innovation and a bit of irreverence.
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WSECU's Morales Makes His Mark With Vision and Teamwork
Getting to the heart of things is a passion for Ben Morales, whether it's making the most of his credit union's core processing system or helping his employer focus on the core values of being a credit union in the first place.
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Choice One Community FCU Helps Save Congressman Kanjorski's Race
One of the credit union movement's best friends in Congress was on the ropes politically. So who are you going to call?
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Award-Winning Mississippi Credit Union Provides Hope on the Delta
While it may have started small, no one is likely ever to accuse the $64 million Hope Community Credit Union of thinking small.
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
KSC Federal Credit Union, Merritt Island, Fla., hosted a successful blood drive, at the Merritt Island branch of KSC FCU, to assist Florida's Blood Center during a severe blood shortage.
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D.C. Tour Guide
In the aftermath of the hustle and bustle of the inauguration, the District of Columbia is still fluttering with the excitement of having a new president in town.
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Getting Around
To some GAC attendees navigating the D.C. area is familiar, but to others who haven't regularly attended the conference, just like any new city,
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SCHOLARSHIPS
Municipal Credit Union, New York, awarded 52 scholarships to graduating high school seniors. The top two students
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Bean Counter Leads a Not-So-Secret Life as a Rock Drummer
Since moving to Gurnee, Ill., a little over a year ago, Community Trust Credit Union Vice President of Finance/Accounting Jerry Wetter said he's been living the best of both worlds.
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DONATIONS
Service Credit Union, Portsmouth, N.H., matched the contributions of its members for fuel assistance.
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