Credit Union Times Magazine October 5, 2011

Interchange Data Become Important in a Post-Durbin World

By David Morrison

As the Oct. 1 deadline for the interchange cap to go into effect fades into history, consultants who work with credit unions on managing their debit programs are urging CUs focus more attention on their debit programs.

Florida Collaboration Breakfasts Shun Decaf

By Jim Rubenstein

It’s one of the most exclusive–and perhaps productive–credit union clubs in the country has been up and running for 15 years. Although many outside of central Florida have never heard of it, CEO participants said they feel bad when they miss a meeting.

St. Paul Croatian Ex-CEO Pleads Guilty

By Claude R. Marx

Former St. Paul Croatian FCU President/CEO Anthony Raguz, whose actions helped trigger one of the largest credit union failures in history, pleaded guilty on Sept. 29 to six criminal counts, including bank fraud, money laundering and bank bribery in federal court in Cleveland.

CUSO Reg Comment Letters Are Before the NCUA

By Michelle A. Samaad

Now that the Sept. 26 comment deadline has passed, the NCUA will likely read through the more than 140 letters it has received on its proposal to amend the CUSO rule.

Collaboration Offsets Industry Flux in California

By Michelle A. Samaad

Hockey icon Wayne Gretzky had the right strategy when it came to outwitting his opponents on the ice.

E-Learning Proves Boon to Carolina CU

By Myriam DiGiovanni

For South Carolina Federal Credit Union, investing in employee development has not only helped the training department run more efficiently but has also proven to be award winning.

Trade PACs Play a Waiting Game

By Claude R. Marx

Wait till next year. That’s the motto of fans whose teams have a disappointing season, and it’s also sums up the political strategies of CUNA and NAFCU.

Debit Market Share: CUs Take On the Banks

By Natasha Chilingerian

Now that the deadline for the Durbin amendment interchange cap to take effect has passed, financial institutions are continuing to develop ways to offset lost interchange revenue. One solution? Raise fee income by making debit and ATM transactions more expensive for consumers.

Debit Cap Arrives: Interchange Cap Was a Long Time Comin’

By Claude R. Marx

It’s an arcane subject that is of concern mainly to financial institutions and retailers and one that rarely generates headlines. Last year, however, everything changed.

Rally ’Round to Fight Economic Injustice

By Sarah Snell Cooke

I sat next to a man on the plane out to the Credit Union Water Cooler Symposium in Indiana who turned 30 people supporting his cause into 5,000. His story had all the topics that would make good news footage–and social networking.

Secondary Mortgage Market Reform Dominates Conference

By David Morrison

LAS VEGAS — The continued uncertainty surrounding the reform of the secondary mortgage market, combined with what that might mean for credit unions and what they should do, led the way at the American Credit Union Mortgage Association's 15th annual fall conference.

Build Mortgage Business by Changing Culture

By David Morrison

LAS VEGAS — Credit unions that want to see their mortgage business grow sharply need to change their corporate cultures to allow that growth to take place, according to an expert in sales and sales management.

Tech Meets Operations at CUNA Councils Conference

By Marc Rapport

SAN ANTONIO — For the past 15 years or so, the CUNA Technology Council and the CUNA Operations, Sales & Service Council have been holding annual conferences.

Digital World Is Lawyers’ Hunting Ground in Suits

By Marc Rapport

SAN ANTONIO — The proliferation of social media, email, electronic storage of documents, tweets and texts makes for fertile ground for lawyers sniffing out ammunition in lawsuits against credit unions and other organizations.

Crash Network: Are CUs Losing Their Luster?

By Sean Capaloff-Jones

Credit unions began as a revolutionary idea of people helping people by pooling together resources and encouraging self-help. Today, credit unions are the leaders of the cooperative industry in assets, income, wages, employees and other significant categories.

Guest Opinion: Concentration Risk Assessments Open Doors

By Pete Sekul

Never in the history of the credit union industry has so much emphasis been put on risk concentrations. There is no need to wonder why. High concentrations of certain risks are a major cause of credit union failures.

Guest Opinion: Efficiency Starts From Within

By Jason Duplant

Even in this age of hyper connectivity with social media on Twitter and Facebook, the most important ingredient for growth and efficient operations can be recognized from explicitly defining core values and culture.

Wings Financial Markets Dreams

By Michelle Samaad

To reach potential members in the 13-county Twin Cities area, Wings Financial Credit Union is dreaming big to make it happen.

MBL Hearing in House Set

By Claude R. Marx

A House subcommittee has chosen Christopher Columbus’ birthday to explore whether to give credit unions the right to raise the cap on member business loans.

Catalyst Corporate Confab This Month

By Marc Rapport

Economists and a credit union futurist will man the podiums for the newly merged Catalyst Corporate Federal Credit Union’s conference set for Oct. 25-26 at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Frisco, Texas.

CUs Make 10 Best List

Three credit unions have made “10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security” list compiled by The Principal.

Pennsylvania CUSO Taps New CEO

By Michelle A. Samaad

Member Business Financial Services has hired Gary Graves as its new CEO.

Minnesotans Hike the Hill

By Marc Rapport

Member business lending, supplemental capital and proposed new CUSO rules were on the minds of nine Minnesota credit union professionals in Washington to hike the hill for Minnesota Credit Union Network.

Recouping New Member Costs Hinges on Time, Devotion

By Michelle A. Samaad

The first 90 days after a new member signs on have taken on new meaning as the industry continues to experience slowed membership growth.

Compliance Automation at Harvard, Oklahoma CUs

By Marc Rapport

Money from around the world pours into Harvard University, and into the accounts of members of Harvard University Employees Credit Union.

Cutting Card Program Costs

By David Morrison

When considering how to save money in the back office, some say too many credit unions retreat from looking carefully at their credit and debit card program, often believing the portfolios are too complicated to understand or manage more efficiently.