Credit Union Times Magazine June 8, 2011

Fund Levy Unlikely; Doubts on Prepay

By Claude R. Marx

Credit unions probably won’t have to pay a premium for the NCUSIF, but the NCUA is still trying to encourage them to part with more of their money.

Texas CUSO Powers Deemed Threatened

By Michelle A. Samaad

A regulatory proposal in Texas that could potentially change how credit union service organizations in the Lone Star State are monitored is coming under fire from several industry groups.

NCUA Asks Judge to Continue Conservatorship of Venture FCU

By David Morrison

In a courtroom in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week, the NCUA tried to convince a federal judge to let it continue conserving Vensure Federal Credit Union.

Salaries and Benefits of Trade Group Leaders Grew in 2010

By Claude R. Marx

CUNA, NAFCU and NASCUS rewarded their leaders’ stewardship through challenging times last year.

Harmed Centrix Borrowers Set to Receive Settlement

By Michelle A. Samaad

Vehicle loan borrowers who incurred losses from the defunct Centrix Financial LLC’s indirect lending program are set to receive their share of a $2.6 million settlement, a Kansas judge recently ordered.

CU Growth in First Quarter Reported by NCUA

By Claude R. Marx

Credit unions showed improvements in several key indicators during the first quarter of the year, the NCUA reported.

NCUA's Incentive-Based Compensation Proposal Slammed

By Claude R. Marx

Proposed regulations governing incentive-based compensation punish credit unions, and the NCUA has provided inadequate rationale for its rules.

Pay to Play: Comparing Capitalization Requirements

By Robert McGarvey

Editor's Note: This is a corrected version of the article that was published in the June 8, 2011, edition of Credit Union Times.

Keeping Tabs on Credit Union Dribs and Drabs

By Sarah Snell Cooke

There’s too much going on these days to focus on one thing. Sure there are lots of options to write about but it can also be distracting. So here’s a spin around the credit union industry in 800 words or less to highlight a few big issues.

Janet Harris Says Small Can Be Beautiful – And More Nimble

By Eileen Courter

When the crowd in a stadium packed with 90,000 fans begins to scream, it’s hard to distinguish individual voices or spot someone in the stands.

Polish & Slavic Gets New CEO

By David Morrison

The nation's largest ethnically based credit union has hired on a former banker as CEO.

Term Limits Are Distraction as Duties Grow

By Henry Wirz

During the industry debate over board member term limits, regulators have focused on the board's responsibilities, financial literacy, qualifications and, in almost every regulatory letter, made it clear that the board is responsible for more and more of the credit union's day-to-day operations.

Was it a Miracle?

By Todd Sheffield

I doubt that I am the only CEO who reviews the financial performance of my neighboring credit unions. So I’ll admit I’ve been watching one credit union in particular–they are of heightened interest because their parking lot adjoins our parking lot.

Unmask the Core Conversion Bogeyman

By Robert Landis

There are many reasons why credit unions often loath changing core platforms–even after their contracts expire. When pressed on the issue, most executives point to some form of inertia. They’re used to their current system, used to their provider, used to their account representative.

Summit Credit Union Revamps Website

By Marc Rapport

Relationships, health and a community focus join personal finances on the new website of the $1.6 billion Summit Credit Union in Madison, Wis.

John McGrail Named New Carolinas Foundation CEO

The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation has named John McGrail as its new president/CEO.

California CUs Convert Core Systems

By Marc Rapport

A pair of California credit unions will soon convert to the CU*BASE core processing system through CU*Northwest, the credit unions and company said.

Jackson, Mich., CU Eyes Move into Detroit Market

By Jim Rubenstein

The $190 million American 1 Federal Credit Union of Jackson, Mich. is looking to gain a toehold in the Detroit market late this summer with its plans to merge with the ailing $55 million Premier Financial CU of Detroit.

Member Education Data Shows CU Classroom Activity

As the National Credit Union Foundation continues to collect data for its 2011 Credit Union Member Education Inventory, some preliminary data has revealed that in 2010, 200 credit unions reached 182,000 students through classroom presentations and over a million people were provided financial counseling or advice.

New P2P Service Launched by Big Banks

By Marc Rapport

A new person-to-person payment service launched by three major banks poses more of a long-term challenge than short-term threat to credit unions, an analyst said.

Oxford Federal Credit Union Converts to Symitar Episys Core

By Marc Rapport

Synergent Technology Services said it has converted the $135 million Oxford Federal Credit Union to a Symitar Episys core processing system through the service bureau run by the subsidiary of the Maine Credit Union League.

Realtors Blast Current Definition

By David Morrison

The battle over what sorts of mortgages will eventually qualify as qualified residential mortgages got bumped up a notch last month when a mid-year Realtors meeting came out strongly against the current proposed definition.

Qualified Residential Mortgage Rule Seen Forcing More to FHA

The Mortgage Bankers Association has argued before Congress that the proposed definition of qualified residential mortgages will wind up forcing more borrowers into using government-backed loans.

Ellie Mae Seeks to Ease Compliance Burden

By David Morrison

The mortgage technology firm Ellie Mae has launched a mortgage origination product designed to help mortgage-originating CUs both manage their compliance burden and produce mortgages that can more easily move to the secondary market.

Foreclosures Steady So Far This Year

By David Morrison

RealtyTrac, the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, released its most recent foreclosure sales report that shows that properties in some stage of the foreclosure process made up almost a third of property sales in the first quarter of this year.

How Can Your Credit Union Not Offer Home Loans?

By Robert Dorsa

For the past year I have noticed a continuing theme: loan volume reported by credit unions is dropping. I have read many different variations on the theme. Some experts have merely noted loan volume has been decreasing or sinking and expect it will recover. Others are seeing it reach such...

California AG Task Force To Attack Mortgage Fraud

Consumer advocates are praising California Attorney General Kamala Harris' creation of a task force to attack mortgage fraud.

Study: Mortage Defaulters May Be Good Credit Risks

By David Morrison

Credit unions that are being approached for credit from members who have a mortgage default in their history might take some comfort from a new study from TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting firms in the U.S.

NAR Suggests CUs Look Overseas for Real Estate Buyers

By David Morrison

A new study released by the National Association of Realtors suggested that CUs should consider marketing real estate they might hold on their books to buyers from overseas.

Analytic Firm Sticking by Forecast for Shrinking Mortgage Market

By David Morrison

A real estate analytic and forecasting firm is sticking by its predictions for a significantly smaller mortgage and real estate market in 2011 over 2010.