Bay Federal CU, Capitola, Calif., held a fund-raiser for Jacob's Heart, a local children's cancer support group, selling paper hearts to raise funds for the organization's projects. The programs provide financial aid, meals and counseling services to more than 50 local children currently fighting cancer. After CU staff in 1998 "adopted" little Maddy Buell, a 3-year-old with cancer, they pulled together to raise funds to send her to Disneyland and also helped with meals and support when she was treated at Stanford Children's Hospital. Though Maddy died, BFCU staff keep her memory close to their hearts and continue efforts to help others in similar straits, said Dyann Meschi, marketing manager. 57 Maine CUs & four CU Chapters, Westbrook, Maine, raised $133,820 during their 1999 CU Campaign to End Hunger. "The momentum that has been created by the Ending Hunger campaign over the past 10 years has been tremendous, and we know that it has made a difference in our goal to eliminate hunger in our communities," said Mariann Goff, CEO of Greater Portland Municipal CU and chairwoman of the Maine CU League's Social Responsibility Committee. Multco CU, Portland, Ore., has collected numerous donations for the homeless, during its latest community outreach initiative. Pam Loupal, chairwoman of the effort, is working with the Central City Concern group to open a new shelter for chemically dependent, pregnant women and their children. San Diego County CU, Calif., has sponsored a "Wish Upon A Star" and raised more than $27,000 to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation. San Diego residents purchased paper stars for $1 at SDCCU branches to sponsor "wishes" for five special children facing life-threatening illnesses. SDCCU has assets of more than $1 billion, and has 16 branches in San Diego and Temecula. -lide@cutimes.com...

CAP COM Financial Services, LLC, Latham, N.Y., has announced that John Shartrand has completed the Accredited Asset Management Specialist professional education program. CCUE, Madison, Wis., has awarded the Certified CU Executive designation to 16 people in February, including: Lisa Acuff, State ECU; Lea Boyd, State ECCU; Robert Cree, CCSD FCU; Sindy Domek, Laurel FCU; Tina Doscher, Heritage Trust FCU; Millard Eisler, CUNA Mutual Group; Beverly Gagne, SAFE FCU; Misty Lane, State ECU; Andrew Martin, State ECU; Elizabeth Monroy, Suncoast Schools FCU; Janet Rieck, Westconsin CU; Patricia Rutledge, Hinds Community College CU; James Ryan, JM Associates FCU; Victor Thate, FAA ECU; Donna Toth, General Technologies FCU; and Debbie Vaughn, Eastman CU. Denver Postal CU, Arvada, Colo., recently signed Ascent Arena Co., LLC, as a SEG. Ascent Arena Co. employs Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche players and coaching staff and owns Denver's new Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets and Avalanche play. DPCU's primary sponsor group is the United States Postal Service in Colorado. The $145 million asset CU also serves 200 other SEGs and several community fields of membership. Philadelphia FCU, Pa., opened its newest member service center on Townsend Road, expanding its branch network to 7. An interactive area has been designed in this new branch to give members who don't have PCs a chance to access their PFCU accounts through Teller Net, or "surf" the Internet for informational purposes. Reynolds Carolina FCU, Winston-Salem, N.C., has announced plans to break ground on an 85,000 square-foot administrative building in March. The new building will be located on 10 acres near the intersection of Hanes Mall Boulevard and South Stratford Road, and will house about 150 employees and include a branch office to serve members. It is scheduled for completion in fall of 2001. Steel Works Community FCU, Weirton, W. Va., officials announced at the 61st annual meeting that a new office in Wintersville, Ohio, will open in early April. Also, SWCFCU has received NCUA approval to remove exclusionary clauses from its charter, allowing anyone living in working within its FOM to join regardless of other CU affiliations. Guest speakers at the meeting included W. Virginia Gov. Cecil Underwood and WVCUL President Kenneth R. Watts. Also, Chairman John Thayer formally welcomed Richard J. Krauland (who came on board recently) as the FCU's new president. SWCFCU has more than $168 million in assets and serves 36,000 members. Wright-Patt CU, Fairborn, Ohio, has awarded HBE Financial Facilities a $8.9 million contract to build a new service facility, and also to expand and renovate its existing headquarters in Fairborn. WPCU has 16 offices throughout Central and Southwest Ohio, and has $550 million in assets....

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Three years after the state's Department of Taxation and Revenue issued a regulatory change that revoked the sales tax deduction for state-chartered credit unions, Gov. Gary Johnson signed into law legislation that will restore the sales tax deduction for New Mexico's 26 state-chartered credit unions, effective July 1. Senate Bill 98-"An Act Relating to Taxation; Providing a Deduction for Receipts from Sales to Certain Credit Unions"-sponsored by state Sen. Carlos Cisneros (D-Questa) allows for receipts from selling tangible personal property by state-chartered credit unions to be deductible "to the same extent that receipts from the sale of tangible personal property to federal credit unions may be deducted..." According to the state Taxation and Revenue Department, the estimated impact of the CU tax relief on the state's revenue in fiscal year 2001 is estimated will be between $78-$126,000....

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - It's not exactly a bill payment and not exactly a wire transfer-it's called e-payments, an emerging trend in the financial services industry credit unions have yet to break into. One of the issues online bill pay companies have had to deal with is setting up an individual as a payee on a person's bill payment program. How does a person use online bill pay to pay the babysitter or gardener? With large companies, bill pay companies can do most payments electronically by getting either a direct data pipeline into a large company, such as a mega utility company, to get their customers' bills paid, or via an EFT network or by using ACH. But setting up a bill pay when an individual is the recipient takes more time, and is almost always going to result in a paper check being cut and mailed to the payee. Though bill payment companies have "pay anyone" capabilities, meaning if they need to cut a check to get the payment through to anyone (including individuals), they will. This of course takes the electronic aspect of bill pay out of the mix on the payment side, though from the user's perspective it is still electronic because the payment is initiated using a PC and bill pay program. Of late, some major banks have announced their entrance into the person-to-person e-payments arena. BankOne was the first bank to introduce e-payments through its eMoneyMail service. Any BankOne customer who has an e-mail address and a bank account or a Visa credit/debit card can send money to anyone else using e-mail. Here's how it works. An eMoneyMail user logs into eMoneyMail from the BankOne Web site; inputs the recipient's name and e-mail address; then inputs the dollar amount to be sent; and lastly poses a unique security question (place of birth, mother's maiden name, etc.). The security question is supposed to be a question only the sender and recipient will know the answer to. The sender then selects their checking account or Visa card to pay the recipient. On the recipient side, the person receives an e-mail indicating that someone has sent them money. The e-mail will contain a hyperlink to the eMoneyMail log-in screen. If the person is not an eMoneyMail user they will have to create a user profile and then sign in. The recipient then responds to the sender's security question, and lastly decides where the money will go-in their checking account, as a credit to their debit or credit card account, or as a paper check. Users of eMoneyMail can send payments between $10 and $500. The cost for sender and recipient is always $1 regardless of payment amount. There is an additional $1 fee if a check is mailed to the recipient. BankOne claims the money is credited to the recipient's Visa account in one day, and in one to two days in a recipient's bank account. At press time, Credit Union Times knew of no credit unions offering the service, but Matt Lawlor, CEO of bill pay firm Online Resources, McLean, Va., said it's not a service that would be difficult for CUs to develop on their own. And though the service could have some implications for bill pay firms, Lawlor said it's a low-tech solution that goes after the wire transfer market, not the bill pay market. "It's a nice repackaging of ACH technology. It's a cute idea to use ACH and e-commerce to attack the wire transfer market. Rather than pay $15 for a Western Union, someone can pay a dollar with this. They're going after wire transfers," said Lawlor. "It's good if you have a grandson desperate for some cash, and grandma wants to send a gift quickly." And that's exactly how BankOne is marketing the product-as a solution for fast, personal payments such as a parent wanting to get money to their son or daughter in college quickly. Lawlor said wire transfers are a very small portion of business for a credit union or bank as compared to bill pay services. He said ORCC clients have had the ability for the last five years for members or customers within the same financial institution to transfer money to each other, but not between different institutions. While the service is new to the big banks, it has been around for a few years through companies like PayPal.com, x.com (the two merged recently) and Tradesafe.com. FleetBoston Financial Corp announced a person-to-person e-payment service through a partnership with Tradesafe.com. "There are a lot of payments done informally. What's driving this business right now is the online auctions. It's an easy way for those folks to settle the transactions," said Paul Jamieson, senior banking analyst for Gomez Advisors, Lincoln, Mass. "It actually complements bill payment, targeting person-to-person payments, as opposed to person to biller pay scheme, which banks offer ubiquitously. The addition of Fleet and BankOne makes this yet another new online financial product. It's attractive as a way for a parent to send little Johnny his birthday money," said Jamieson. Jamieson said there's roughly one million people using e-payments, compared to the 3.4 million consumers using bill pay at least once a month. He said consumers are likely going to go to the big name financials that they trust, or their trusted credit union. "Banks or credit unions can establish themselves in this market relatively quickly because of the trust factor," said Jamieson. Jamieson said it's hard to tell what e-payments will do to the bill pay market. Recent stats show that electronic bill payment is just not attracting consumers as rapidly as online brokerage accounts and online banking. According to Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass., only about 50% of the some 5 million households using online banking, also use bill pay. -pgentile@cutimes.com...

MAITLAND, Fla. and WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. - Debit cards and the Internet have mixed about as well as oil and water-until now. On-line debit transactions have been left out of the e-commerce mix because they require a Personal Identification Number to initiate a transaction. E-commerce vendors and financials have not been able to get around this logistical problem, but a groundbreaking announcement from Star Systems, Inc., Maitland, Fla., and NYCE, Woodcliff Lake, N.J., will make online debit card transactions over the Net a reality for millions of debit card holders. Star and NYCE will begin offering a product known as SafeDebit to its financial institution clients. SafeDebit is a payment solution that allows consumers to use their debit cards to make secure, real-time Internet purchases. In addition to receiving the traditional plastic ATM/debit card, financials offering SafeDebit will also issue their cardholders a SafeDebit CD-Rom card. It's a 3 inch by 2 3/4 inch card disc that is small enough to slip into a wallet. Though smaller than a standard CD-Rom disc, it runs in a standard CD-Rom drive. When making a purchase over the Internet, the card holder selects a SafeDebit symbol option from the vendor's payment screen, inserts their SafeDebit CD card into their CD-Rom drive and enters a PIN for authorization. It's the equivalent of giving consumers access to a POS terminal typically found in grocery stores and gas stations where the consumer can enter their PIN on their own. The two-step process of combining the physical card and then a PIN is the norm for all on-line debit transactions, but is totally new for the Internet. Prior to this someone making a purchase over the Net could only enter a credit card number or use a debit card in an off-line mode, which makes it similar to a credit card transaction. "What this means is that the transaction is protected by the security of an encrypted CD-Rom and PIN. The fact that you have two different things, the CD-Rom and the PIN, makes it a secure vehicle," said Barbara Span, public relations vice president for Star. Span said the PIN for the CD-Rom, what Star is calling an "e-PIN", will be different from the PIN a person has for their normal ATM/debit card. One of the most obvious benefits of SafeDebit is cost. The interchange fee on a debit card is usually much lower than for a credit card, making the program attractive to merchants who want to keep a bigger percentage of their sales. As with ATM/debit card transactions, transactions using SafeDebit will be routed through an EFT network, so all of the speed and economies of scale that apply to any normal ATM transaction, apply here. One of the other key benefits is in reducing fraud. The two-step method makes it harder for a criminal to perform an online debit transaction. Even if someone was to lose the CD-Rom, Span said the CD-Rom has strong encryption that would make it extremely difficult for account information to be compromised. Bob Rose, president/CEO of the CO-OP Network said SafeDebit is an answer to providing consumers with a debit instrument they can use over the Internet. "I still think there's a long way to go, but it's pretty easy taking a disc and putting it into a computer," said Rose. Rose said the CO-OP Network has been working with NYCE and Star on SafeDebit and the product will be available to participating CO-OP Network CUs. It's unusual for Star and NYCE to collaborate on any venture, but the companies said the goal of bringing on-line debit transactions to consumers was too important. Together NYCE and Star have 5,500 member financials. Star alone serves approximately 1,243 credit unions and NYCE serves about 1,000 credit unions-all of which will be able to use SafeDebit. However, credit unions must request the service; it won't be automatically activated, said NYCE and Star officials Span said it's up to the financial to price the product. She said it's too early to tell what type of pricing structure Star and NYCE will offer financials. Rose said since SafeDebit utilizes existing EFT networks, there are no expensive hurdles for processing SafeDebit transactions. David Pace, operating officer for EFT company CU24, questioned the use of a CD as a PIN mechanism. "We're looking into the same process ourselves with our EDS switch. I would hope there's a way to do it without having to get as cumbersome as sending out CDs to all card holders," said Pace. Pace does believe that on-line debit transactions over the Web will be a growing market. "People don't want to just charge things all the time, debit is another option," said Pace. The biggest question now is how many vendors will agree to accept SafeDebit. Already, Walgreens and CVS have signed on for SafeDebit and the lower interchange fees may make it a no-brainer for most merchants. -pgentile@cutimes.com...

PEWAUKEE, Wis. - The Wisconsin Credit Union League wants a candid assessment of where it's headed with its technology projects....

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - If proposed legislation working its way through the state Senate and House is approved and finds its way to the desk of Gov. Don Siegelman, banks and insurance companies-and hopefully state-chartered credit unions-in the Camellia State will receive lucrative excise tax credits already available to other businesses in the state. Identical bills H.B. 345 and S.B. 292 introduced by state Rep. John Hawkins (R-Birmingham) and state Rep. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) would provide banks and insurance companies a credit against the state financial institution excise tax liability levied "against net income generated by or arising out of a project undertaken by new businesses in the state or the expansion of existing businesses in the state" after Dec. 31, 2001. Specifically, the bills would allow the state to forgive excise taxes paid annually by financial companies up to an amount equal to 5% of the money invested in qualifying projects for each year for 20 years. Existing law allows for certain incentives to be offered to companies that locate a new business or expand an existing business in Alabama. Industry advocates say the legislation could make it easier for Alabama to recruit out-of-state financial operations. There is no visible opposition to the legislation, the Associated Press reported. At press time, H.B. 345 and S.B. 292 were in the House Ways and Means General Fund and the Senate Industrial Development and Recruitment Committees, respectively. Vicki Williams of the Alabama Credit Union League said the league was aware of the legislation and was following its progress closely. It is the league's view, she said, that state-chartered credit unions would be covered under any definitions of the law, based the general definition of a financial institution in subdivision of Section 40-16-1 of the Code of Alabama. At press time, Williams said Will McCarty, director of government affairs, planned to meet with Hawkins in Montgomery the week of March 13....

FRESNO, Calif. - Forget Earthlink, Mindspring, America Online or any of the other mega ISPs (Internet Service Providers) out there, credit unions can play the ISP game. Through affinity relationships or private label deals, credit unions can be the Internet access provider for their members-or that's how it will appear to their members anyway. Typically a credit union will partner with an ISP and either brand the service, what's known as private labeling, or co-brand it in the credit union's name along with the ISP. Why should credit unions bother with bringing another technology product into a growing array of Net-based offerings? Marketing may be one big reason. "Rather then send that member to some other ISP, credit unions can keep that mindshare of the member. There's a lot of strength and ability there to maintain a marketing relationship," said John Prather director of sales and marketing for ProtoSource Network, Fresno, Calif., an ISP targeting the credit union industry. ProtoSource recently signed on 10 credit unions to offer Internet access to members. Prather said credit unions can even provide Internet access that gives members e-mail addresses with the credit union's name (eg.,www.soandsocreditunion.org), or some catchy name that will instill brand recognition. One of the obvious marketing advantages of acting as an ISP is the credit union having a master member e-mail list it can use to market to members. "That's one of the key features we're finding credit unions are attracted to. With one stroke of a key they can send out a message about a new product or service to all their members who use their ISP," said Russ Parlsey, director of branded Internet services for ProtoSource Network. E-mail is much cheaper than any other type of traditional CU marketing channel, but credit unions have to be careful not to become just another spammer, said Prather. Prather said because of the unique credit union/member relationship, credit unions can send marketing e-mails without causing the annoyance many people feel when getting spammed "A credit union member has a completely different view of their credit union than they do from a company or bank they do business with," he said. It's that trusted relationship that the CU can take advantage of with e-mail marketing said Prather. Prather warned that credit unions should be careful when they sign an ISP deal that the ISP can not sell member e-mail lists to any third parties or use it for their own marketing purposes. One potential danger of offering Internet access is dealing with member angst when service is interrupted or when members get bogged down by constant busy signals. Credit unions need to look at getting service levels built into their contract, said Dave Plank, chief technology officer for CUNA & Affiliates. "What happens when things don't work right? Credit unions need to do an awful lot of due diligence. If they (the ISP) sell the credit union a bill of goods, who's going to look bad? It isn't that ISP, it's that credit union. You really have to do your homework," said Plank. ProtoSource charges CUs and other partners between $9 and $15 to offer ISP. Credit unions can price the service however they want. Parlsey said some CUs are giving the ISP service away for free if the member agrees to sign on for electronic bill pay, while others are charging the industry standard $19.99, and other CUs have priced it all over the board. Pennsylvania State Employees CU, Harrisburg, Pa., recently unveiled free Internet access for its members. In just two weeks, the CU has already signed up approximately 2,000 users. The CU is offering members the service through a partnership with 1stUp.com, a subsidiary of CMGI. 1stUp.com's ISP services are utilized by such Web giants as AltaVista and Excite. "People no longer need to pay for reliable, full-featured Internet access," said John Steinhart, executive vice president of marketing for PSECU. PSECU's free Internet application is available at the CU's site. The free Net access goes along with the CU's strategy of utilizing the Internet to serve members, said PSECU CEO Greg Smith. Credit unions are beginning to see the benefits of having members' e-mail addresses and are going beyond Internet access to get their members' e-mail addresses. IBM Southeast Employees' FCU, Boca Raton, Fla., recently sent its members a statement stuffer that asks for members' e-mail addresses, which the CU says they will use to send updates on credit union products and services, and financial education material. The stuffer provides a check list of services members can elect to receive e-mail updates on. Members who submit their e-mail addresses are entered into a drawing to win a $50 American Express Gift Cheque. Plank said e-mailing members has potential, but credit unions should get member permission. "It can be a real help to the member and the credit union, but I think it has to go along the lines of permission. If a member says `update me' and grants permission, there are a lot of wins on both ends," said Plank, noting the significant cost savings for the CU and the flow of information to the member. -pgentile@cutimes.com...

LANSING, Mich. - Gary Mielock, deputy commissioner of the Michigan Financial Institutions Bureau has been selected by Commissioner-Designate Frank M. Fitzgerald to join the new Office of Financial and Insurance Services (OFIS) leadership team as acting head of the division of financial institutions. Other members of the 3-person team will include: Fran Wallace, as acting head of the division of insurance; and Ron Jones, as head of the division of securities. In February, Gov. John Engler signed Executive Order 2000-4 and announced his plan to combine credit unions, banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms under the office of one regulator-OFIS. The appointees are from each of the regulatory agencies affected by that merger....

MADISON, Wis. - Credit unions won't find it easy to keep up with the latest online laws and regulations. With individual states taking matters into their own hands and enacting their own online laws, and a growing body of federal legislation in the pipeline, sifting through the online regulation maze can be difficult. A recent CUNA & Affiliates' national satellite broadcast, "Online Laws and Regulations" attempted to bring some focus to this still hazy area. The consensus is that credit unions are going to have to wait and see what final regulations they will have to follow with their Web efforts, but there are things they should be doing right now no matter what final regulations come. Steve Rodeman, vice president/general counsel for Safeway Northwest Credit Union kicked off the satellite broadcast with a look at what credit unions should be mindful of from a legal standpoint when bringing products and services online. Though the Internet is a high-tech arena, the laws credit unions really have to be wary of right now are existing laws for paper-based operations, said Rodeman. "Nothing is different ... you're still providing the same services. All you're really doing is using a different channel. The challenges are not really new challenges," said Rodeman. But Rodeman said meeting the requirements for the physical world can be tricky on the Web. Credit unions that post loan rates on their site, for example, have to consider all of the requirements they are bound to in their branches and printed material. Loan rates have to be posted as APR on the Web. For all advertising for FHA mortgage loans credit unions need to follow the advertising requirements and logo mandates as dictated by the Fair Housing Act. "You have to recognize that your Web page is considered as an advertisement," said Rodeman, a multi-page advertisement at that, he emphasized. Credit unions have to be concerned about every nook and cranny of their site, he said. Rodeman said credit unions should consider also the time difference of the electronic world and make sure that their online initiatives are tightly integrated into the CU's other operations. For example, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires that applicants receive some disclosures within three days. If the mortgage department isn't notified when an application comes in over the Web, they may miss the three-day window. Rodeman discussed the five most common problems that NCUA found with CU Web sites. They are the following: the credit union not having the official NCUA sign and insurance statement properly displayed; share rates not quoted as APY; Equal Housing logo not displayed with mortgage loans; loan rates not quoted as APR; and credit card disclosures not formatted correctly. Presentation is also important. By law, certain disclosures for credit cards have to be in a tabular format, displaying rates, fees and other information about the product. Credit unions have to bring that tabular format to their Web site. Anywhere a credit union talks about deposit accounts on their site, NCUA wants to see the share insurance disclosure, as members see on statements or in brick and mortar branches, said Rodeman. Credit unions should also be mindful of "trigger" terms, such as "open ended" loan and others, that carry certain requirements, said Rodeman. Mike McLain, assistant general counsel and senior compliance counsel, for CUNA & Affiliates said despite the newness of online laws and the still unpaved territory, credit unions can take advantage of the efficiencies of electronic delivery. He said credit unions can deliver monthly statements and many disclosures electronically if they get the member's consent. The benefits of electronic statements and disclosures include reduced paper costs, employee time, postage expense, printing, storage and handling costs, said McLain. He said the members also benefit by receiving statements and disclosures faster and in a more convenient form, which they can print on their own if they choose. Members must receive electronic disclosures prior to opening an account, accessing EFT service or finalizing a loan. Electronic disclosures must be in a form the member can print or download. Credit unions should also make it clear to members whether electronic disclosures will be sent to a member's e-mail account or displayed on the Web site, said McLain. Under Reg Z for home equity loans, members that apply online must see loan product disclosures on a screen prior to starting the online loan application, said McLain. Credit unions must also make sure that all disclosures are "clear and conspicuous." There is one uniform body of rules and regulations that states are adopting. They are contained in the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, which was written by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. So far California and Pennsylvania have adopted the UETA, and another 18 states are planning on adopting it this year. Though it is a uniform body of rules, some states are planning on altering UETA somewhat. Jana Eckerle, associate counsel in the office of general counsel for CUNA Mutual Group discussed UETA and other laws. "It's (UETA) not a cure-all. It provides a basic framework for states to fill in the details," she said. She said California and Pennsylvania both made modifications to UETA before adopting it. Credit unions are going to find very inconsistent online state laws, she said. Eckerle did touch on two bills pending in Congress, H.R. 1714, Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act and S761 Millennium Digital Commerce Act. She said both bills are designed at encouraging the expansion of e-commerce, but it's unclear what final legislation will look like, as consumer groups have voiced concerns about the whole concept of electronic consent. -pgentile@cutimes.com...

PORTLAND, Ore - The Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) is working to pass local city ordinances to stop ATM surcharge fees in Eugene, Salem, and Portland. The group is modeling the effort on ordinances passed in Santa Monica and San Francisco last year. Those bans are currently being challenged in the Ninth Circuit Federal Appeals Court. The Salem City Council discussed this issue in a February 14 meeting, but split 4-5 on whether to ask their city attorney to draft an ordinance barring the fees, according to John Valley, consumer advocate for OSPIRG. OSPIRG has formed the "Campaign to Ban ATM Surcharges," and is working with the press to get their message out. Valley said cities in Oregon are currently waiting for a decision on the court cases before proceeding, but OSPIRG is currently conducting educational campaigns in Eugene and Portland to help the issue get on city council agendas. "Nothing is being drafted yet, " he said, "but we are in contact with the mayor's office in Portland." Portland is not anxious to get into another legal battle while it is in the middle of a controversial case regarding their insistence that AT&T's cable television division open its system to other cable television companies. In Eugene, one city councillor has said she will attempt to get the issue on the agenda, but the city manager and mayor have to agree as well. "We are monitoring them closely," said Pam Pifher Leavitt, vice president of governmental affairs and public relations of OSPIRG's activities for the Oregon Credit Union League. "We are concerned with local governments imposing these broad restrictions. While many credit unions do not surcharge, we believe in the free market and in letting financial institutions set their own fees." There has been no action from the Oregon CU League Governmental Affairs Committee yet, she said, but credit unions in Eugene, the city most likely to consider such an ordinance, have been alerted. Oregon credit union leaders want to be heard by city councils if the subject is brought up, Leavitt said. Oregon's state attorney general has issued an opinion letter saying there is local authority to adopt such ordinances, Valley said. Several other state AGs have filed amicus briefs in the Santa Monica and San Francisco cases in favor of prohibiting charging fees to use ATMs. Currently, Valley said, both California cities are forcing financial institutions that do charge fees to put the proceed in an escrow account pending a court decision. The public interest group was founded by Ralph Nader several decades ago as a way for college students to work on public policy issues. The Oregon organization has broadened to include the non-college population and now has two sections, both with the acronym OSPIRG: the Oregon Student (or State) Public Interest Research Group. They have a combined membership of 25,000. -...

AUSTIN, Texas - Throw an electronic dart on the Web and you have a good chance of hitting a portal site. good2CU.com says it's not that simple to find a good portal and that credit unions are going to start seeing the differences between their portal and the thousands of other ones crowding the Web. "We're different than a typical portal. Ours is really tied to just the products the credit union is offering. Generally we're going to promote things credit unions do, online banking, online trading, insurance quotes ..." said Lee Cooke, president/CEO of good2CU.com. good2CU.com's portal is both transaction and content-based. Some portals focus on one or the other, but Cooke said credit unions should offer both if they are serious about keeping members focused on the CU's offerings. "Credit union members going to their credit union's site and linking off to other places doesn't create the stickiness to their site that a credit union needs. You can lose the loyalty which the credit union is the ultimate beneficiary of," said Cooke. That's not to say good2CU.com doesn't offer links, but the links are focused on the credit union's core business, said Cooke. For example a link to Kelley Blue Book can help a member purchase a car, which a credit union can provide the financing for. Unlike some other e-commerce offerings in the credit union industry, good2CU.com does charge for its service. Cooke said the subscription prices good2CU.com charges are minuscule compared to the money some banks and other financials are spending on their portals. Cooke said good2CU.com has invested a lot of money in its offering like the mega banks have, CUs don't have to. "Credit unions are competing with folks on the Web spending tens of millions of dollars-Citibank, Schwab, Bank of America, Wells Fargo. Credit unions are worried about retaining assets, and on the Web competition is just a click away," said Cooke. good2CU.com has a tiered pricing structure based on membership, with annual fees for its supersite portal ranging from $6,000 to $18,000. For credit unions that sign up with good2CU.com by April 30, the first six months of service are free. Cooke said credit union members may be more vulnerable to competing financials on the Web, than non-members because of members' Web-savvy. A recent CUNA/PSI Global study found that 55% of credit union members are online, while only 37% of non-members are. Cooke said that it's only natural for Web-savvy members to venture over to other financial sites. If they find their credit union offers the most comprehensive site and that it's tailored to their individual needs, the CU's site will get the "stickiness" Cooke said CUs need. "Our site is a financial offering to enhance the credit union members' ability to learn, do financial analyses, and receive advice about their financial picture," said Cooke. Since unveiling its service in the summer of last year, good2CU.com has signed up over 150 CU clients, including large CUs such as Keesler FCU and State Employees CU of Maryland, Inc. More than 100 CUs have contracted to use good2CU.com's online loan approval service, which allows CUs to receive a variety of loan applications over the Web and process decisions in less than 60 seconds. The online lending aspect is provided by FIData, which good2CU.com acquired in the fall of 1999. -pgentile@cutimes.com...

HIGHTSTOWN, N.J. - The Fed's bank fee study might be a dead issue, but it's alive and well in New Jersey. Not only that, the state Department of Banking and Insurance has agreed to include all New Jersey credit unions in its next survey of banking fees which is due to be published in July. Last year, Gov. Christine Whitman asked the DBI to conduct a survey of banking fees across the state. That recently released survey did not include credit unions. Since that time, Credit Union Affiliates of New Jersey contacted the department to ensure that credit unions would be included in future studies. We thank the Department of Banking and Insurance for working with CUANJ to make sure credit unions are included in the statewide survey of banking fees, said CUANJ President/CEO Russell Clark. Peter Yeager, director of government and public affairs for CUANJ commented that with credit unions now included, consumers will have a complete picture of serviced offered by the financial services industry in New Jersey. - ekingoff@cutimes.com...

After 13 years of working for out-of-state CUs, Kevin Foster-Keddie is returning to work at Washington State Employees' CU.........Page 24...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Beverly Ryan, formerly supervisor of the credit union division for the California Financial Institutions Bureau, has been appointed financial institutions manager for the credit union division in Northern California by Acting Commissioner Jan Lynn Owen. Ryan succeeds Financial Institutions Manager Heidi Waters. Ryan's career with the Department of Corporations began in 1980. She transferred to the Financial Services Division in 1982 where she was involved in examinations of credit unions and financial companies. She has held her current position as supervisor of the credit union division since 1994....

LANSING. Mich. - The credit union division of the Michigan Financial Institutions Bureau has authorized two new bylaw options for state-chartered credit unions. The first allows setting a minimum age for a member to be eligible to run for an elected office. To set the minimum age, the credit union will be required to adopt a new set of "Definitions" used in the bylaws, adopt Article 4, Option 1 concerning "Meetings of Members," and adopt a new Article 5 (Option 3) pertaining to among other things, setting the minimum age for running for elections....

The Fed cancels publication of another comparative cost analysis report between banks, savings and loans and credit unions...Page 3...

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. - The OFX (Open Financial Exchange) standard has done a lot for the financial services industry. Credit union data processor USERS here has taken full advantage of OFX and relies on its OFX transaction server to make a wide variety of products and services from many vendors available to its credit union clients....

WASHINGTON-c2future.com, publishers of eMoney Digest, a Dallas-based provider of business-to-business Web publishing services, has appointed Janet L. Miles to the position of business development executive for East Coast operations, officials announced during CUNA's recent GAC. Miles, who formerly was vice president of member services for NAFCU, had worked at NAFCU since 1993. Membership reportedly grew during that time from 700 members to more than 1,000. "We are delighted to have Janet join our team," said Thomas White, president/CEO of c2future.com. "Her knowledge of the nation's federal credit unions and direct involvement with its senior players will help us to ensure that we meet the needs of credit unions and their members."...

MADISON, Wis. - In a show of support for the mission of the National Credit Union Foundation, U.S. Central Credit Union has contributed $100,000 to the organization....

OKLAHOMA CITY-Invitations for the dedication ceremonies for the permanent memorial to those murdered in the bombing of the Alfred E. Murrah building on April 19, 1995 here have now been sent out to family members, survivors rescue workers and government officials. Work on the Oklahoma City National Memorial has progressed on all sections, including the Rescuers Orchard, Museum and Reflecting Pool. There was a federal credit union on the third floor of the Murrah building, the Federal Employees Credit Union, and 18 FECU employees were among the 168 men, women and children killed in the blast. Many more were badly wounded. While FECU has long-since opened a new facility and expanded its presence in the city, a theme of the CU has been and always will be, "We will never forget," said former CEO Florence Rogers, herself a survivor. Current FECU President Lynette Leonard, during a dedication ceremony of the Remembrance Garden at FECU's new headquarters said "I hear in the wind the word, `remember,' and the word `honor" (CU Times, April 28, 1999). Many national officials are expected to attend the ceremony on April 19, 2000, five years to the date of the explosion. For further information on the memorial, see www.168days.com....

NA `ALEHU, Hi.-The Treasury Department has awarded Ka`u Federal Credit Union here a Community Development Financial Institution Certificate after a lengthy and involved process, announced Manager Bernard Balsis. "This is a recognition of our present and future initiatives to serve the less than affluent within our field of membership," he said. Chairwoman of the Board Janet Rychener stated that she is especially pleased to receive the CDFI Certification because "it will open doors to new programs and services that can help the socioeconomic development of the Ka`u district. We are presently working with Bank of Hawaii for low interest deposits that can be used to facilitate the credit union's cash flow. We also hope to participate in government guaranteed loan programs and obtain assistance that will ensure we can continue to expand services to the financially underserved in Ka`u." While the mainland United States economy has now entered a record-length expansion, the state of Hawaii' is in its ninth year of recession. Ka`a FCU has grown despite this fact, and Balsis eagerly looks forward to continuing to expand services to areas where they are so badly needed. "You haven't seen anything yet," he said....

MADISON, Wis.-CUNA's Center for Professional Development has released five new Staff Training & Recognition (STAR) books for its "Savings Plus" and "Credit Union Security" educational tracks. The "Savings Plus" series of books contain information on handling members' accounts (including traditional savings and checking accounts, money markets, IRAs and more). These books are titled: "Opening New Accounts"; "Individual Retirement Accounts"; and "Investment Choices for Members." The two new books for staff education on security issues are titled: "Preventing Fraud"; and "Security Issues." Books may be ordered through state CU leagues or by calling CUNA customer service at (800) 356-8010, ext. 3....

WASHINGTON - House Banking Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa) and Rep. John LaFalce (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Banking Committee have written the U.S. General Accounting Office and asked it "to review the issue of the Central Liquidity Facility as a liquidity provider, with the idea of presenting its recommendations to the Congress within six weeks." In their March 9 letter, Leach and LaFalce reminded the Honorable David M. Walter, Comptroller, GAO that Congress removed the $600-million CLF cap lending for FY 2000 because of concerns over the potential liquidity needs of credit unions. "The good news is that the American financial services industry, including the credit union movement, was so well-prepared that Y2K was a non-event for the U.S. economy," they wrote. Now, however, Congress is being asked to revisit the issue of CLF lending authority in the context of the FY 2001 federal budget, they continued. It's deliberating how important CLF was to CUs' Y2K planning and how critical it would be in case of an emergency in the future - the Treasury Department called for the discontinuation of CLF in its 1997 credit union report; the Clinton Administration, in its FY2001 budget proposes returning the CLF lending cap to $600 million; CUs and NCUA want the CLF lending cap lifted or raised. "Clearly there is little Congressional sentiment for eliminating the CLF," said the congressmen. They invited the GAO to provide an in-depth accounting of CLF borrowing and lending activity. They further encouraged GAO "to seek input from the various elements that make up the credit union system."...

BERKELEY, Calif.-The attitudes of consumers who use the Internet is divided between those who do business with Web-only bank sites and those who make use of traditional bank Web sites, according to a new survey done by the Stern Marketing Group here. Nearly 40% of 207 online consumers polled that use Internet-only banks say they are a good place to buy stocks and mutual funds, yet only 19% who visit a brick and mortar bank that also has a Web site say its a good place to buy such investments. That judgment is not affected by whether or not those consumers bank through the Web or in a local branch. This is the first indication, says the Stern Group, that Web banks are solving a persistent brand image problem, namely that banks are no place to buy investment products. More than half of the respondents said they would buy their next financial product online, and 75% said they preferred to obtain all financial information in one place, including stocks, mutuals, mortgages, auto loans, insurance and financial planning. "Net banks... avoid the same old bank images we grew up with and cut high-profile deals with other Internet investment entities. Traditional banks need to follow this lead," said Charlene Stern, president of the Stern Group. The Net banks appear to be making inroads in selling themselves to investors, the survey found, and these findings should sober bankers on the Net-only or traditional choice. "The entire industry must change or resign itself to having its lunch eaten by Schwab, Merrill Lynch, E*Trade and the newest `screen-scraper' challengers," said Stern....

CALABASAS, Calif. - Digital Insight is taking its services wireless. The Internet solutions company announced a deal with Air2Web, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., that will provide wireless remote access to Digital Insight's AXIST Internet Banking and AXIS Cash Management services. The partnership with Air2Web will enable Digital Insight to communicate with every participating cellular carrier in the U.S. and access all enabled digital phones from most major manufacturers. Digital Insight's AXIS Internet Banking and Cash Management services will be accessible via personal digital assistants (PDAs) and all wireless application protocol (WAP)-enabled devices. "Demand for wireless remote access is high among our financial institution clients and their end-user customers," said John Dorman, chairman, president and CEO of Digital Insight. "We're committed to providing end-users with the most convenient possible access to their financial information and transactions. We're also committed to delivering services that give our financial institution clients a significant competitive advantage," said Dorman. Digital Insight's wireless remote access service will be piloted with several existing Internet Banking clients during the second quarter of 2000 and should be available during the third quarter....

BEAVERTON, Ore. - Corillian Corp-oration, a leading provider of eFinance solutions, has appointed John V. Grispon senior vice president of business development. Grispon, 35, was formerly Microsoft's worldwide banking industry manager. Grispon was with Microsoft 12 years, where he held positions as Financial Services Industry Manager, Account Executive, and Systems Engineer. Prior to Microsoft, Grispon worked at Monsanto Chemical Company in St. Louis, Missouri. As senior vice president of business development, Grispon will be responsible for strategic partnerships and alliances and integration of Corillian's reseller efforts. Grispon holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Northwest Missouri State University. In other news at Corillian, the company announced that Citigroup's e-Citi unit has selected Corillian Corp.'s Voyager eFinance Suite to support consumers who conduct Internet banking transactions via certified OFX products. Open Financial Exchange (OFX) is a data exchange specification developed by key players in the industry to standardize how consumers conduct personal financial transactions such as bill payment, balance transfers and statement download....

SEATTLE - Finding and carrying out the right e-commerce strategy will be the focus of the first "Credit Union E-Vent" conference to be held August 13-15. "Depending how you look at it, e-commerce offers a real opportunity, or a real threat to you," said Randy Harrington, founder and CEO of Extreme Arts & Sciences, one of the sponsors of the conference. "People are rushing into e-commerce decisions out of blind fear of being left out. Instead, they should have a measured strategy," said Harrington. CU E-Vent is a cooperative venture between Extreme Arts and Science and the Colorado and Texas CU Leagues. "We've done a good job of letting credit unions know about technology. But we have not taken an active role in helping credit unions plan for and apply technology," said Dick Ensweiler, President/CEO of the Texas Credit Union League. The conference will feature e-commerce professionals who will provide hands-on workshops for participants. For more information call Extreme Arts & Sciences at (877) 345-5764....

ATLANTA- HomeCom Communi-cations, a provider of Internet software solutions for financials, announced that its Personal Internet Banker (PIB) solution has been upgraded to include several new online banking functions. The new version, 3.0, includes the following new functions: recurring transfers and payments, check imaging, check stop payments and e-mail notifications. "We listened to our customers needs about what transactions are most widely asked for [and used] in an Internet banking application and included those in PIB version 3.0. We want to make PIB the most complete Internet banking application on the market," said Ken Bozzi, HomeCom's vice president. Solidarity Federal Credit Union, Kokomo, Indiana will officially launch its Internet banking site, HomeCourt Advantage, with the new PIB version as the backbone....

MCLEAN, Va. - Online Resources & Communications Corp., a leading provider of Internet banking and bill payment services, has unveiled its new Internet banking and bill payment software. "Making the user-experience easy, efficient and enjoyable is key to increasing adoption of Internet banking and bill paying," said Ray Crosier, ORCC's chief operating officer. ORCC said it made the bill paying service an intuitive application through replication of a paper check online, and requiring fewer clicks to complete transactions. New features of the solution include the following: * Multiple bill payments on a single screen, * Account information sorting, * Global massaging (CUs and ORCC can send and change marketing messages to members), * Quality guarantee reminder. The check image screen includes an interactive reminder specific to each payee, so consumers can automatically see how many business days "guaranteed" it takes to pay any particular bill while they are performing the transaction. The software is in the final stages of beta testing and is expected to be available next month....

EL PASO, Texas -Fort Bliss FCU here has opened an E-Branch. While there's nothing groundbreaking there, the CU believes that its staffing plan is. While many financials don't have a separate branch staff for their Web site, Fort Bliss FCU plans to do just that, with a separate E-Branch staff that focuses just on the site. The new branch will be run by the CU's senior vice president of member services, and it will also have a staff that will work with the branch manager on the look, structure and content of the site. The E-Branch staff will maintain all of the CU's electronic services, and all member communications via e-mail. "The formation of the E-Branch as a department will assure that the credit union is properly organized to take full advantage of this new and fast growing delivery channel," said Kelly Cooke Fort Bliss FCU CEO. Cooke said in terms of member usage the new E-Branch will be the CU's third largest branch. The CU will launch an advertising campaign aimed at selling the benefits of using the E-Branch. "This is a big part of our long-range strategic plan. We expect to see a significant shift over the years from human transactions to automated transactions," said Cooke. Fort Bliss FCU has $295 million in assets....

ARLINGTON, Va. - NAFCU Services Corporation has reduced the price of its CUWEBS (Credit Union Web Enabled Business Solutions) Interactive Web site. The one-time set-up fee has been reduced to $1,750 for non-NAFCU members and to $1,400 for NAFCU members. Monthly hosting fees have been reduced to $90 per month for non-NAFCU members and $70 per month for NAFCU members. For NAFCU member credit unions that sign up for CUWEBS by April 1st, NSC will waive the set-up and monthly hosting fee. For non-NAFCU members, the monthly hosting fee will be waived for one year. For more information visit www.nafcunet.org/nsc....

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. - The Maxxar Corporation has unveiled TruePoint, an integrated desktop software package that provides call center agents with intuitive guides and database capabilities. The desktop display is divided into two windows. The left window displays dynamic script and agents instructions based on the specific caller. This window also serves as a browser so it can link to HTML documents including Web pages. The left window is where all the cross-sell scripts or campaign information is contained. The right window displays selected fields from any OBDC (Open Database Exchange) compliant database. The right window can be used to establish relationship management history. The right window can also be used to create a survey or application form. For more information visit www. maxxar.com. - pgentile@cutimes.com...

LENEXA, Kan. - SLMsoft.com, Inc. here, a provider of electronic financial transaction solutions for the e-commerce market, has announced a strategic alliance with Q UP Systems Inc., Austin, Texas, a provider of Internet banking and e-commerce solutions to community financials. The alliance will give Q UP customers access to SLMsoft.com's EC-street network to enable real-time connectivity between Internet banking, IVR (telephone banking), ATMs, POS devices and host processor core banking systems. "SLMsoft.com's EC-street is a revolutionary and unique advancement in connectivity architecture for the financial services market," said Dan Martin, Q UP Systems President. "We're delighted to be working with SLMsoft.com because we can make the transition to real-time quickly, and have the opportunity to market SLMsoft.com's complementary e-commerce products to our customer base."...

NCUA Chairman Norman D'Amours missed the mark in his remarks at the 2000 CUNA GAC. Chairman D'Amours criticized the level of league involvement and lack of unpaid volunteers in CUNA's national governance structure. He also criticized the movement for not keeping its purpose constant and he claimed that the movement is moving away from relying on volunteers to set national policies. I take exception to those statements. Yes, I am a professional who is paid to run the day to day activities of a $460 million dollar institution, but I also consider myself a volunteer when it comes to being a policy maker for credit unions nationally. As Chairman of the NASCUS Credit Union Council, I spend five weekends a year away from my family and friends to promote the dual chartering system and the advancement of the autonomy and expertise of state credit union regulatory agencies. I could be home hunting or enjoying my new grandchild, but instead my credit union's members expect me to sway national policy for their benefit. I do not receive compensation for my role on the NASCUS Board nor does NASCUS reimburse me for travel or expenses. In addition, I serve on the Governmental Affairs Committee of CUNA, again as a volunteer. My credit union's board of directors and I recognize the importance of opening services to all of our potential members, not just "Low Income Consumers" because no successful organization could survive on one class or income group. My credit union is built on its diversification which has come from opening our doors to anyone living or working within the communities of our field of membership. Our credit union is extremely healthy and most importantly, the members/consumers benefit. My board of directors takes exception to Mr. D'Amours' comment that "volunteers allow themselves to be virtually shut out of national policy making." After each one of my state or national meetings, my board receives a report. I lean on my board for guidance on controversial issues. My board takes unpaid time away from their jobs to be involved on the state and national scene. During HR 1151, several of my board members were with me in Washington D.C. protecting the interest of our credit union and community credit unions across the country. My chairman of the board and treasurer were instrumental in organizing a National Community Credit Union organization made up of CEO's and yes Mr. D'Amours, volunteers. Our industry and national trade group have changed and matured over the years since our volunteer forefathers first became involved. Our industry is increasingly more complex. We need full time professionals with the backing of volunteer boards to be able to offer our members and potential members the benefits of a consumer owned organization. Charles Grossklaus President/CEO Royal Credit Union...

The article, "NASCUS, state regulators, leagues fired up over CUNA advocacy of NCUA Survey," by Editor Elaine Kingoff that ran in the February 2 issue of Credit Union Times was an accurate representation of NASCUS' views on the issue of the NCUA survey. That's quite an accomplishment considering the issue hinges on the distinction between the NCUA's role as the regulator for federal credit unions and the NCUA's role as the administrator of the share insurance fund. And those are two very distinct roles. Thanks for the good work. Doug Duerr President NASCUS...

Competition drives innovation, and today's competition is occurring online. In the 1999 MORTECH study of the mortgage banking industry, respondents ranked excessive competition as their number one business concern. When asked to identify the source of that competition, 26% listed the Internet. Lenders recognize that the same evolutionary process that transformed the Internet from a network connecting researchers at three universities in 1969, to a network that now connects more than 43 million hosts, is revolutionizing how they interact with their customers. The lure of convenience, speed, prices and product options, motivates consumers to shop online. The question that haunts lenders is, "When the consumer makes a purchase, will their loan be the product of choice?" The answer is impossible to predict, but there is one certainty - if the lender has no online presence, the answer is no. The economics are straightforward, the forecasted demand for online lending is high. According to Deutsche Bank, online mortgage originations will grow by more than 5,000% by 2003 to about $250 billion annually. Yet a 1999 Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Report showed that the supply is weak, with only 9 % of financial institutions having transactional capability within their Web site. The opportunity for a financial institution to acquire new customers through the Internet is viable. What, then, has caused lenders to hesitate? One factor is the availability of technology. Until recently, proven Internet loan origination solutions were not readily available. Many early adopters created proprietary solutions that were both costly and labor-intensive to develop. Most lenders simply could not afford to hire the IT expertise to create and maintain an Internet technology solution, nor could they cost-justify the purchase of the hardware required to host the site. Today, these lenders have an option. Technology now offers lenders the option of a hosted, private-label solution. These solutions take on the look and feel of the financial institution's Web site, yet the technology resides on a vendor-hosted site. This eliminates the need for the financial institution to invest in hardware and an IT staff. When a consumer accesses the financial institution's site and selects an option, such as mortgage prequalification, the consumer is hyper-linked to the vendor's site. There, the data is entered and processed, and the prequalification results are given to the consumer. Afterward, the data is forwarded to the financial institution via e-mail or another preferred method. The consumer is never aware that they left the financial institution's site, the transfer is completely transparent. Another factor that causes lenders to hesitate before implementing an Internet strategy is the recognition that a new customer service model is required to support their online customers. While the early implementers who built lead generation sites received an abundance of inquiries, the inquiries included both leads and general questions. The lenders discovered that they were ill equipped to respond to the volume of requests received. Today, follow-up is streamlined. There are comprehensive Internet lending solutions available that include customer support, eliminating the need for lenders to respond to general inquiries. These solution providers service both the financial institution and their customers. Plus, the advanced capabilities of today's premier Internet solutions act much in the same manner as a simplified point-of-sale solution, meaning that more of the transaction occurs online. All of the required data is collected and the transaction is run through a series of product edits, eliminating the need for follow-up to clarify or correct data. In addition, many of these solutions provide an integration option that links your Internet consumer-direct lending technology with your loan origination software to automate the transfer of data from one system to the other. Clearly there are options available today that were not available a year ago, as is evidenced by the increasing number of online lenders. And with online competition heating up, the remaining lenders are reprioritizing implementation of their Internet strategy. If you're evaluating your online options, here are some things you should consider: * Customer Options - Does the product enable you to offer your customers a variety of services, such as online calculators that allow your customers to determine if this is a good time to refinance or the loan amount they can afford? * Multiple Business Channels - Does the product support all of your lending business? * Product Options - Are you able to integrate options like risk-based pricing? * Customer Support - Is support of your customers online inquiries provided? * Integration - Are you able to automate the transfer of data to your origination solution, and does the origination solution feed data back to the online system so that your customers can check the status of their application? Is the online lending revolution over? Absolutely not. But the battle for the online consumer is fought each day and only those on the Internet are winning....

There has been some recent discussion in credit union circles on whether or not credit unions can both cooperate and compete....

Ten years doesn't seem very old. But when a new national credit union publication is started from scratch, at tremendous personal risk, and ends up being the publication you are holding in your hands today, 10 years old becomes a significant milestone....

Bay Federal CU, Capitola, Calif., held a fund-raiser for Jacob's Heart, a local children's cancer support group, selling paper hearts to raise funds for the organization's projects. The programs provide financial aid, meals and counseling services to more than 50 local children currently fighting cancer. After CU staff in 1998 "adopted" little Maddy Buell, a 3-year-old with cancer, they pulled together to raise funds to send her to Disneyland and also helped with meals and support when she was treated at Stanford Children's Hospital. Though Maddy died, BFCU staff keep her memory close to their hearts and continue efforts to help others in similar straits, said Dyann Meschi, marketing manager. 57 Maine CUs & four CU Chapters, Westbrook, Maine, raised $133,820 during their 1999 CU Campaign to End Hunger. "The momentum that has been created by the Ending Hunger campaign over the past 10 years has been tremendous, and we know that it has made a difference in our goal to eliminate hunger in our communities," said Mariann Goff, CEO of Greater Portland Municipal CU and chairwoman of the Maine CU League's Social Responsibility Committee. Multco CU, Portland, Ore., has collected numerous donations for the homeless, during its latest community outreach initiative. Pam Loupal, chairwoman of the effort, is working with the Central City Concern group to open a new shelter for chemically dependent, pregnant women and their children. San Diego County CU, Calif., has sponsored a "Wish Upon A Star" and raised more than $27,000 to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation. San Diego residents purchased paper stars for $1 at SDCCU branches to sponsor "wishes" for five special children facing life-threatening illnesses. SDCCU has assets of more than $1 billion, and has 16 branches in San Diego and Temecula. -lide@cutimes.com...

CAP COM Financial Services, LLC, Latham, N.Y., has announced that John Shartrand has completed the Accredited Asset Management Specialist professional education program. CCUE, Madison, Wis., has awarded the Certified CU Executive designation to 16 people in February, including: Lisa Acuff, State ECU; Lea Boyd, State ECCU; Robert Cree, CCSD FCU; Sindy Domek, Laurel FCU; Tina Doscher, Heritage Trust FCU; Millard Eisler, CUNA Mutual Group; Beverly Gagne, SAFE FCU; Misty Lane, State ECU; Andrew Martin, State ECU; Elizabeth Monroy, Suncoast Schools FCU; Janet Rieck, Westconsin CU; Patricia Rutledge, Hinds Community College CU; James Ryan, JM Associates FCU; Victor Thate, FAA ECU; Donna Toth, General Technologies FCU; and Debbie Vaughn, Eastman CU. Denver Postal CU, Arvada, Colo., recently signed Ascent Arena Co., LLC, as a SEG. Ascent Arena Co. employs Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche players and coaching staff and owns Denver's new Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets and Avalanche play. DPCU's primary sponsor group is the United States Postal Service in Colorado. The $145 million asset CU also serves 200 other SEGs and several community fields of membership. Philadelphia FCU, Pa., opened its newest member service center on Townsend Road, expanding its branch network to 7. An interactive area has been designed in this new branch to give members who don't have PCs a chance to access their PFCU accounts through Teller Net, or "surf" the Internet for informational purposes. Reynolds Carolina FCU, Winston-Salem, N.C., has announced plans to break ground on an 85,000 square-foot administrative building in March. The new building will be located on 10 acres near the intersection of Hanes Mall Boulevard and South Stratford Road, and will house about 150 employees and include a branch office to serve members. It is scheduled for completion in fall of 2001. Steel Works Community FCU, Weirton, W. Va., officials announced at the 61st annual meeting that a new office in Wintersville, Ohio, will open in early April. Also, SWCFCU has received NCUA approval to remove exclusionary clauses from its charter, allowing anyone living in working within its FOM to join regardless of other CU affiliations. Guest speakers at the meeting included W. Virginia Gov. Cecil Underwood and WVCUL President Kenneth R. Watts. Also, Chairman John Thayer formally welcomed Richard J. Krauland (who came on board recently) as the FCU's new president. SWCFCU has more than $168 million in assets and serves 36,000 members. Wright-Patt CU, Fairborn, Ohio, has awarded HBE Financial Facilities a $8.9 million contract to build a new service facility, and also to expand and renovate its existing headquarters in Fairborn. WPCU has 16 offices throughout Central and Southwest Ohio, and has $550 million in assets....