PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Northeast Credit Union has pledged $10 million toward student loan funding in support of the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation....

PLANO, Texas -- Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union has finalized an impressive line-up of speakers and officially opened the registration process for its 2008 Economic Forum, set for Oct. 28 and 29 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Dallas....

MADISON, Wis. -- CUNA is working to bridge the gap between member use of credit union products and member loyalty....

EAST GRADY, Conn. -- Things are shaking up at Banc Insurance Services, a turnkey insurance agency solutions provider....

LANHAM, Md. -- The $241 million FedChoice Federal Credit Union has introduced a credit card designed to help members build a credit history....

BEL AIR, Md. -- Freedom Federal Credit Union is helping some local elementary school students learn about patriotism and the nation's history with its Patriot programs....

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- First Credit Union has added the ATM- and branch-locating services of BranchMap to the $503 million CU's Web site....

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A Forrester Research survey of 24 financial service e-business executives found that most of them know what says success in their business but that most aren't using the right tools to prove they're hitting the mark....

WASHINGTON -- A three-year-old program of the National Credit Union Foundation extending grants to those of modest means during a tight economic period is witnessing a spike in requests as a result of the poor economy and rise in foreclosures....

BREA, Calif. -- Evangelical Christian Credit Union has transformed its Web site (www.eccu.org) into a relationship-based resource for ministries....

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- More than 100 people gathered for the grand opening of the Kandahar Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperative on July 15 despite a nearby prison break a month earlier that freed 800 prisoners, including 400 Taliban fighters....

ST. LOUIS -- Design and build firm Clayco Inc. has been recognized as a great place to work....

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- AAC Credit Union's video on the differences between credit union members and bank customers was so convincing that it won the CU*Answers "Lights, Camera, Action" contest....

PORTLAND, Ore. -- OnPoint Community Credit Union said it is upgrading to the latest versions of Integrated Media Management's document preparation solution....

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hyland Software Inc. has acquired Liberty Information Management Systems....

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Neighbors Federal Credit Union has named Jody Caraccioli its new chief financial officer....

MADISON, Wis. -- The Filene Research Institute has selected 13 new executives to join its i3 innovation team....

HOUSTON -- If you hire a new CEO this year, there's a 27% chance they'll be gone within three years....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- JoAnn Johnson recently left the NCUA Board after serving for six years, including four as chairman. The former teacher and Iowa state senator sat down in her mostly empty office at the agency headquarters here two days before her final meeting to reflect on her tenure and her future plans....

WASHINGTON -- The West and New England both have strong traditions of individualism....

TUCSON, Ariz. -- It might be called trial by fire or on-the-job media training, but it's something Raymond Lancaster, president/CEO of the $65 million Pyramid Credit Union, might now include in his job resume after witnessing the public's anxiety over deposit insurance and failing banks....

WASHINGTON -- The Johnson era at NCUA has ended and the Fryzel era has begun....

WASHINGTON -- The wrongful termination case against CUNA will reach the next phase later this month during a hearing on money....

CHICAGO -- Trinergy LLC is a startup credit union core processor with a short client list but deep roots in a crowded, competitive space--and an unexpected sideline....

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- In an effort to bring members up to speed, $1.1 billion Truliant Federal Credit Union will host eight education seminars across North Carolina in August explaining how fund insurance works and how members can structure their funds to get the maximum benefit....

SAN DIEGO -- Navy Federal Brokerage Services LLC and Navy Federal Asset Management has signed on with CUSO Financial Services LP for back-office investment support services....

ARLINGTON, Va. -- It's almost certain that credit union card programs will see less card interchange from travel and tourism this summer; the only question remaining is how much....

ATLANTA -- A credit union with branches in Montana has brought shared branching to that state....

DALLAS -- ViewPoint Bank, the former Community Credit Union, continues to demonstrate that former credit unions do not just survive as banks, they can thrive as well....

PHOENIX -- In what is being seen as both a surprising and disquieting disclosure, the $1.9 billion Arizona Federal Credit Union last week reported $42.5 million in midyear losses, one of the largest of its kind among recession-scarred CUs in California and Arizona....

ATLANTA -- Supermarket, storefront or free-standing--what's the best fit for your credit union's branch?...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Eight lenders, including Community Business Lenders, have filed a lawsuit against Regency Cos. to recover $56.76 million in defaulted loans after the residential developer was forced to close shop because of the beleaguered housing market....

NEW YORK -- Credit union conference breakout sessions and industry blogs often provide examples of institutions that have made strong connections with their target market. These credit unions, banks and other entities are so in-tune with their audiences, they don't just provide service, they create entire business models around their markets' unique needs....

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Financial Managers Society has elected Daryl J. Cady, executive vice president/chief financial officer at St. Mary's Bank CU, to the board of directors, the first female and first credit union executive to serve as chairman of the association in its 60- year history....

BOSTON -- A recent Aite Group study, "Stronger Branches, Segmented Roots," found that there's room for improvement at the bank branch level....

CINCINNATI -- Design and build firm DEI may be redefining the de novo strategy, particularly for community credit unions.               ...

TUSCON, Ariz. -- With its latest branch, Tucson Old Pueblo Credit Union has managed to embody the friendliness of the area and Interim CEO Ellen Yacovone couldn't be happier....

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Credit union employees who want to learn about the latest rules for performing due diligence and monitoring third-party outsourcing can attend NAFCU's Aug. 6 Webcast on the subject....

Even the noblest of causes is not immune from issue fatigue. In the past year, we have all heard the merits of living a green lifestyle. Whether it's the food we eat, the cars we drive or the buildings in which we live and work, there seems to always be a way we could be living greener. As a result, you may feel like you can't bear to hear another story that is the antithesis to Kermit the Frog's theme song: 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'...

Michael Fryzel has taken the yoke at NCUA. I use the word yoke because credit unions and the overall financial services marketplace are entering a unique and volatile time. This period will present credit unions and their regulators with challenges and, hopefully, opportunities....

Credit Union Times has a goal for 2008 to include Letters to the Editor in nearly every, if not all, issues. We had letters in nearly every issue of 2007....

On Sunday July 21, 2008, the credit union movement lost a great leader and many of us lost a close friend with the passing of J. Raymond Curtin of Syracuse, N.Y. Ray was the CEO of Empire Federal Credit Union in Syracuse and, with John Wakefield of Power FCU, engineered the merger of those two credit unions into the present-day Empower FCU, which is currently a thriving and growing CU headed by Wakefield....

As a 20-year volunteer and two-time board member of Navy Federal Credit Union, I want to comment on Paul Seibert's letter, "Navy Federal Plays on Tilted Playing Field," (CU Times, July 16, page 16)....

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a thought leader session at CUNAs America's Credit Union Conference & Expo in New York City on generational differences....

"We're not looking for the white elephant out there."...

FITCHBURG, Mass. -- IC Federal Credit Union has elected a new board chairman and vice chairman....

Belvoir Federal Credit Union, Woodbridge, Va., announced the winners of its 2008 scholarship competition. The winners were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship: Benjamin White, Alison Firich and Molly Andresakes. White will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall, Firich will also be attending Virginia Tech and Andresakes will be attending James Madison University. Lisa Nguyen, a double major in biology and psychology and a freshman at University of Virginia, received the continuing student scholarship....