Credit Union Times Magazine June-23, 2010

Auditors Fault NCUA's Accounting

By Claude R. Marx

KPMG gave the NCUA an unqualified audit but found material weaknesses in the reporting and documentation methods.

NCUA Levies $1B Assessment; Matz Vows Examiner Flexibility

By Claude R. Marx

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The NCUA Board last Thursday approved a 13.4 basis point assessment for federally insured credit unions to help the Corporate Stabilization Fund repay the Treasury Department.

CU Payday Loans Blasted Again

By David Morrison

The National Consumer Law Center has charged that certain credit union payday loan alternative products are little more than payday loans sold under a credit union label.

Greylock FCU CEO Resigns

By David Morrison

The $1.3 billion Greylock Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Pittsfield, Mass., is focused on damage control and recovery in the wake of a series of revelations and resignations from some of its leaders.

Conferees Retain Insurance Limit; CUs Prepare for Interchange Finale

By Claude R. Marx

Accounts of up to $250,000 at credit unions and banks would be permanently insured beyond the current expiration date of 2013, as a result of an amendment approved last week by the House-Senate conference committee on regulatory overhaul.

Business Loan Personal Guarantees Might Not Fade Away

By Michelle A. Samaad

In the economy's heyday, when the flow of credit gushed abundantly to small businesses and lines of credit and leased new equipment were granted freely, some lenders seldom, if ever, asked for a personal guarantee. Then the recession hit.

Oregon and Washington Leagues Advance a Plan to Merge Next Year

By Jim Rubenstein

The trend toward regional state leagues advanced anew this month with a proposal by the Credit Union Association of Oregon and the Washington Credit Union League to merge, effective next January.

Capital Dominates Corporate Meetings

By Heather Anderson

This year, corporate credit union annual meetings included more than just the usual financial reporting and refreshments. Many corporate members were discussing their cooperative's fate in a changing landscape.

NCUA Spells Out Improvements For Sperry Associates FCU in LUA

By Claude R. Marx

Sperry Associates FCU must submit a net worth restoration plan, charge off $3.1 million in loans and get an outside analysis of its structured securities as part of a letter of understanding and agreement.

Award Winners Cite Creativity in Helping Write Card Success Stories

By David Morrison

Two credit unions, one in Texas and the other in Michigan, have recently been recognized for the ways they have used creativity and enthusiasm to rebut the myth that credit unions cannot successfully manage credit card issuing.

Royal Credit Union Completes Uphill Climb to Purchase Bank Branches

By Jim Rubenstein

Wisconsin-based Royal Credit Union has finally completed its purchase of a large chunk of a troubled community bank's assets.

African American CU Coalition Regional Chapter Forges Alliances

The African American Credit Union Coalition's Eastern regional chapter is looking to its June 26 meeting to build a network of CU professionals in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

CUSO, Software Partnership

RTE Financial Services, a reseller of Web-based software, has aligned with business services CUSO Small Business America in a promotion and marketing pact.

Oregon CUSO Hires Former Bankers

SELCO Member Business Services has hired two former bankers from the same bank to oversee the CUSO's SBA lending division and to manage existing loans and develop new relationships.

Michigan CUs Pool Their Funds for 'Own Your Money' Campaign

The Michigan Credit Union League is backing a major effort to communicate the benefits of joining a credit union.

Fiserv Books 225 Core Renewals

A total of 225 credit unions have renewed their core processing relationships with Fiserv Inc. since September 2009, the company said last week.

Fynanz Announces Creation of a New CUSO, CU Student Lending LLC

By Lindsey Siegriest

Student lending program provider Fynanz has announced the creation of a new CUSO, CU Student Lending LLC.

'Benny' Signs On for Security Education Effort

An old face gets a new look in Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union's new education effort aimed at helping credit unions tighten their computer security defenses.

Social Media Focus of CUNA Council Report

Social media from the technology point of view is the focus of a new white paper from the CUNA Technology Council.

Online Resources Wins Patent Extension

Online Resources Corp. said it has received a new patent for a number of its biller service provider bill payment transactions.

NAFCU Services Expands Wolters Kluwer Offerings

NAFCU Services Corp.'s relationship with Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has been expanded to include the Minneapolis-based company's consumer lending and deposit solutions.

'Take Me to Your ATM'

Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union is the first U.S. user of a new application that allows its members to visually locate ATM machines with an iPhone.

Searchable Smiles: Members 1st Deploys Next-Generation Surveillance

By Patrice Adams

How useful would it be to make the database of images gathered by the video cameras arrayed around the typical credit union branch searchable like Google?

Online Signatures Added

A provider of document management solutions to more than 400 credit unions said it has added online electronic signature capabilities to its lending documentation solution.

CUs Ahead in Online Satisfaction

Consumers again are more satisfied with credit unions than banks when it comes to online banking, and overall they trust them more, according to an annual research report.

CheckFree Adds MoneyGram List

Financial institutions using Fiserv Inc.'s CheckFree RXP online bill pay service will soon be offering integrated same-day payments to more than 100 national and regional companies through MoneyGram International.

Mutual Respect for Mutual Survival

By Sarah Snell Cooke

A natural tension exists between industry and regulators that can be healthy and helps keep both on their toes. But when a loss of respect occurs on either side, and currently on both sides, it becomes counterproductive.

A Reckless Senate Ignores Its Hurricane Season Responsibilities

Hurricane season opened June 1, just as it does every year. And it will be with us through Nov. 30, just as it is every year. The Senate left for its Memorial Day recess, as did the House, on May 31. They do this every year, too.

Privacy Statements Need More Disclosures

In privacy disclosure statements provided to customers of depository financial institutions such as credit unions, a casual reading suggests that privacy of one's assets and transactions is being protected.

Quotes Worth Quoting

"If you listen to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, there's been this concerted effort to blame me for things that happened when I was in the minority.

TDECU Plugs Into the Games Smartphones-and Members-Can Play

By Myriam DiGiovanni

Thinking about ways to generate buzz for a new branch? Well, there's an app for that-Foursquare.

The Midas Touch: Turn Branch Network ROI from Ho-Hum to Gold

The poor economy is forcing many banks and credit unions to consider downsizing their branch networks. And if downsizing is done correctly, it could be a godsend to the institution.

People

Vermont Federal Credit Union, Burlington, Vt., announced that Trish Porter joined the credit union as the director of business services.

Strunk & Associates Founder Passes

The founder and chairman of overdraft program provider Strunk & Associates, Bill Strunk, has passed away.

Scholarships

Windsor Family Credit Union, Windsor, Ontario, presented the Harold Hewitt Scholarships to 16 local students in grades kindergarten through 12th.