SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- MariSol FCU in Phoenix recently joined Zaio Inc., here, to gain access to its 10,000 appraisers nationwide that provide a full range of real estate valuation and appraisal services....

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. -- The $302 million Del Norte Credit Union held its annual meeting on May 7 but failed to ease an ongoing credit union controversy, according to attending members. ...

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- As banks continue to pull back on credit offerings and Callahan First Look data show the key credit union loan-to-share ratio holding steady at 85.7%, more CUs are learning to fill the void, beefing up marketing and outreach efforts in order to grow....

TULSA, Okla. -- To hear Oklahoma credit union executives tell it, the proposed plan by the Texas Credit Union League to provide a host of services to its Oklahoma counterpart is either clever strategy--very good for the industry--or another example of a power grab by its big state neighbor with its giant killer reputation....

WASHINGTON -- With next May's trial date in place for the lawsuit over the unrelated business income tax, credit union industry officials say there will be additional attempts to challenge the IRS' interpretation of the law....

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Corporate One Federal Credit Union will present a vendor risk management program at its Enterprise Wide Risk Management Conference in Chicago next month....

LATHAM N.Y. -- Small credit unions often find themselves too busy to plan for the future, but a New York State Credit Union League program seeks to help some find room to plan....

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- In a bid to help local businesses offer competitive benefit packages, Greylock Insurance Agency has expanded its services to offer employer health plans....

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Like it or not, as Windows Vista becomes a staple in the computer market, companies are going to have to begin transitioning from older operating systems, such as XP, to the newer operating system....

VACAVILLE, Calif. -- Travis Credit Union has signed a multiyear agreement for retail Internet banking and other services from Online Resources Corp....

 DANDRIGE, Tenn. -- AgilityFour said it has recently signed three credit unions as users of its AgilityPro resource management software solution....

LINDEN, N.J. -- Integrated Media Management said that it ended the first quarter of 2008 with 72 new orders for its TotaleWorks software suite and a 49% boost in monetary orders over the same period in 2007....

DALLAS -- Sollen Technologies said its mortgage pricing engine will now integrate with widely used loan production platform from Harland Financial Solutions, helping lenders ensure the quality of loan originations.The alliance between Dallas-based Sollen Technologies (www.sollen.com) and Harland will allow originators using the Interlinq E3 platform to find suitable mortgage products and prices for borrowers within seconds, the companies said.The Sollen and Harland solutions exchange data over the Internet using XML and Web services technologies and the integration allows the Sollen product to determine eligible loan products and pricing and integrate it into the Interlinq E3 workflow, the companies said. "The integration of Sollen's pricing engine and Interlinq E3 will help the mortgage industry improve productivity while mitigating risk," said A.O. Clemons, president of compliance and risk management solutions at Harland."Mortgage providers may now more fully automate and integrate service providers into their business processes, providing critical business process management, integration and connectivity across the mortgage supply chain," Clemons said.Atlanta-based Harland Financial (www.harlandfinancialsolutions) provides a range of electronic data processing and other services to more than 7,000 financial institutions.    --mrapport@sc.rr.com...

TALLAHASEE, Fla. -- Credit Union 24 has strengthened it presence in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of seven new CUs headquartered in Washington State....

MADISON, Wis. -- CUNA is offering the first release in a series of on-demand trainings for credit union staff and managers with The Robbery: Actions, Reactions, and Coping Skills Training on Demand. ...

TULSA, Okla. -- Even though disappointed at the outcome, Oklahoma volunteers last week were rallying around a wait 'till next year banner after two of their candidates lost in an unusual election for seats on the Oklahoma Credit Union League Board....

WASHINGTON-- Marking the celebration of National Military Spouse Day on May 9, the Small Business Administration said nearly 15% of its Patriot Express loans have gone to the husbands and wives of those who are serving or have served in the military,...

TULSA, Okla. -- As predicted, the nation's shrinking number of credit unions is forcing the hand of trade groups, resulting in consolidation and cutbacks. Now it's the Oklahoma and Texas Credit Union Leagues that are looking seriously at an outsourcing partnership....

TULSA, Okla. -- Children's' Miracle Network benefited big time from Mother Nature at the Oklahoma Credit Union League annual charity golf tournament....

MADISON, Wis.-- June 2 is this year's deadline for the World Council of Credit Unions' scholarship program, which will send five industry professionals to its 2009 World Credit Union Conference in Barcelona, Spain, all expenses paid....

RALEIGH, N.C. -- State Employees' Credit Union recently partnered with the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, the Division of Aging and Adult Services, Adult Protective Services, the Retired Governmental Employees' Association and the Iron Mountain Shredding Co. to hold its first ever Scam Jam....

VACAVILLE, Calif. --  The Sacramento Area Human Resources Association, in partnership with The Sacramento Bee, has named Travis Credit Union the winner of the Sacramento workplace excellence leader award in the not-for-profit category with less than 500 employees.        ...

TOTOWA, N.J. --North Jersey Federal Credit Union employees recently stepped in to teach second graders at Maple Avenue Elementary School in Newark some smart money habits....

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. -- On the heels of the recent opening of their new branch in Monterey Park and the start of operations at their East Los Angeles branch, E1 Financial Credit Union celebrated the opening of its newest branch located inside Vons Supermarket in La Verne. ...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- EECU hosted a groundbreaking celebration to introduce the community to the future site of its Mansfield Branch. ...

MINNEAPOLIS -- When it comes to branding it comes from the inside out says Brand Tool Box President Karl D. Speak....

DALLAS -- Two credit unions in Florida have opted to process their card transactions with TNB Card Services, the card management arm of credit union owned Town North Bank....

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. -- The decline in real estate values is more deeply felt in some regions more than others, according to experts. ...

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Small Business Administration recently named Deseret First Credit Union the top medium-sized lender in Utah for its guaranteed business loans....

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hyland Software Inc. has added new duties to the manager in charge of the enterprise content management vendor's sales efforts for credit unions and commercial banks....

MADISON, Wis. -- CUNA Strategic Services has added three new solutions to its alliance with the IT security specialists at TraceSecurity Inc. ...

WASHINGTON -- Father Burke Federal Credit Union, which had served members of a Bronx, N.Y. church since 1971, was declared insolvent and ordered closed by NCUA last week....

PHILADELPHIA --Pennsylvania has quickly become a launching pad for business lending credit union service organizations. This time, seven credit unions here recently joined forces to create Member Business Financial Services LLC....

WASHINGTON -- Should changes within an SEC's consumer privacy regulation come to fruition, they could negatively affect brokerage business at credit unions and banks, said the Credit Union Financial Network, an investment services CUSO....

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Corporate credit unions that own the SimpliCD, a brokered certificate of deposit solution, set and broke the single day sales record on March 14 with $77 million in sales, according to Primary Financial Co. LLC, the program's operator and custodian....

EUGENE, Ore. -- SELCO Community Credit Union is the latest to offer its two cents on proposed amendments from the SEC regarding broker and client relationships....

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Truliant Federal Credit Union is standing out from the competition by showcasing its members' passion....

WASHINGTON -- If money is the mother's milk of politics, then credit unions are in no danger of suffering from a calcium deficiency....

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Small businesses and local entrepreneurs here now have another choice to help meet all their banking needs as Charlotte Metro Credit Union has expanded its member services to include business banking, including basic and premier business checking services....

PORTLAND, Ore. -- April was the month for milestones for CU Business Group LLC....

ELKHART, Ind. -- The newest card issuing CUSO did not begin in a billion-dollar credit union or league but in the state-chartered $265 million Inova Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Elkhart, Ind....

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- In a merger of equals, T&C Federal Credit Union and USA Credit Union, announced plans to form the fourth largest credit union in Michigan, Genisys Credit Union....

WASHINGTON -- NAFCU and the Defense Credit Union Council are fighting part of the Defense Department over whether it can issue a credit card through an agent issuing program with a bank....

SALT LAKE CITY -- Two Utah credit unions and their document imaging vendor were slated for a feature on nationwide TV last Sunday....

WASHINGTON -- At press time, a Senate panel was considering a bill that would make help available to those hurt by the subprime mortgage crisis....

WASHINGTON -- A new commission formed to encourage thrift has issued a set of novel recommendations meant to help Americans get back into the habit of saving once again....

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Having launched its commercial lending division back in August 2006, Local Government Federal Credit Union had every intention of being able to offer loans to the 100 counties and more than 540 cities and towns in North Carolina....

WASHINGTON -- Capping interchange fees would make it harder for credit unions to offer debit and credit cards and force them to increase the cost for their services, Chartway Federal Credit Union Vice President of Operations John Blum told a House panel last Thursday....

PORTLAND -- The $2.6 billion OnPoint Credit Union has decided to start issuing credit cards. The CU, an auto lending leader, has joined PSCU Financial Services to get the program started....

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Corporate One has announced that it will begin offering a new edition of its automated capture and exchange, which is a remote deposit capture and image database solution that will give more management control to credit unions....

WASHINGTON -- The maximum individual contribution to Health Savings Accounts is increasing from $2,900 to $3,000, the IRS announced last week....

WASHINGTON -- The National Credit Union is getting help in dealing with Congress from a Treasury Department official with extensive experience on Capitol Hill....

WASHINGTON-- Runners from the office of Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Col.) received the Credit Union Cup for having finished first among Capitol Hill teams in last month's Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run....

MEMPHIS, Tenn. --uMonitor has hired a new director of channel management to direct the company's strategic partnerships and help increase the availability of its products through channel programs....

PHILADELPHIA -- American Heritage Federal Credit Union staffers were treated to Las Vegas as part of the credit union's annual employee appreciation day....

CENTENIAL, Colo. --The company formerly known as Centrix Financial, then Flatiron Financial, and now as Peak5 wants to bear as little resemblance to the original subprime auto lender as possible....

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- In these troubled times of increasing defaults, rising foreclosures and dropping home values, what, exactly is debt worth these days? It's worth about three cents on the dollar. Even if that's about what the debt of others is worth, it may actually sell for less, but that's the price Sharon Hall, CFO of Ascend United here said was the going rate for buyers looking to scoop up loans and other debt others want to get off their books....

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- CU*Answers' collections service business unit is now averaging about 125 calls a day for the eight credit unions that signed up for the service in its first year of operations. ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Scoring wins in the Indiana primary on May 6, two incumbent congressmen thanked the Indiana Credit Union League and the state's credit unions for their support. ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- Forty adults have graduated from the $56 billion Latino Community Credit Union's financial literacy programs this year, the CU has announced....

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Americans are going for the plastic in increasing numbers, according to NAFCU's Macro Data Flash Report analysis for early May....

BALTIMORE -- MECU of Baltimore has been named one of the most generous corporate givers in Baltimore by The Baltimore Business Journal....

AUSTIN, Texas -- This June, First ROI and BancVue will launch a new online search engine that will connect people with checking account products available nationwide....

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Innovative Strategic Solution LLC recently announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing and sales partnership agreement with Sydel Corp. to distribute VendorXpert, a software solution that was specifically created to assist credit unions in addressing regulatory concerns regarding vendor due diligence....

WASHINGTON -- Depository institutions would have more leeway in complying with financial transaction reporting requirements under a regulation being proposed by the Treasury Department....

WASHINGTON -- As rumors swirl that Jovita Carranza, deputy administrator at the Small Business Administration, may take the helm if SBA Administrator Steven Preston is confirmed by the Senate as the new secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, SBA officials are not making any confirmations just yet....

DALLAS -- As FHA programs become increasingly more attractive amid the ongoing credit crunch, more credit unions are seeking to become approved FHA lenders. Prime Alliance Solutions, a provider of mortgage technology to credit unions has now chosen CU Members Mortgage as a preferred provider for FHA loans to credit unions nationwide....

MADISON, Wis. -- Before introducing the latest online service or lending product to members, the education process starts with credit union employees. But it's with employees where a launch can linger aimlessly or, even worse, never get off the ground....

FREEPORT, N.Y. -- Regional leaders were on hand recently for the opening of Bethpage Federal Credit Union's new branch in Freeport....

SAN ANTONIO -- For Security Service Federal Credit Union there is no better way to celebrate the opening of its Pleasanton service center than to give back to the community....

WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- Consumers Credit Union recently wrapped up its month-long grand re-opening celebration of its Washington Street branch....

ATLANTA -- Design and build firm IBT Holdings LLC, has named Donald T. Harvey president of Design Build Concepts, an IBT Holdings company....

HANSCOM AFB, Mass. -- Hanscom FCU recently celebrated the grand opening of its newly renovated Natick branch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony....

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- First quarter financials are beginning to trickle in from corporates, and some are reporting big gains in net interest income over last year's first quarter numbers....

SAN DIMAS, Calif. -- Dwight Johnston is WesCorp's vice president of economic and market research, and provides daily and long-term economic commentary for the corporate. He also oversees WesCorp's training, seminars, Webcasts and investment publications....

Risk has been around a long time and is receiving a lot of press--most of it bad. For the last few years, attention has been excruciatingly focused on information security. However, the current market dislocation initiated in the subprime mortgage sector has dramatically shifted the spotlight away from information risk and back to the financial arena....

WASHINGTON -- While auto lending is a shrinking part of credit unions' loan portfolio, mortgages are picking up despite, and possibly because of, market conditions. Lending was up in March, led by a healthy 2.8% increase in mortgages, the largest increase since July 1999, according to CUNA's Monthly Credit Union Estimates report for May. Fixed- and adjustable-rate mortgages have increased as a percentage of credit unions' portfolio from March 2007 to March 2008, as have second mortgages....

I think CU Times does a good job of reporting goings on in credit union land....

This week I decided I was going to write my column about NAFCU and the Defense Credit Union Council's objections to the Army and Air Force Exchange Services credit card launch through JPMorgan Chase. I was ready to slam the two groups for hypocrisy in their anti-competitive challenge to the card when credit unions are constantly criticizing the bankers for trying to put credit unions out of business merely to eliminate competition....

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The members of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association have elected UGI Employees Federal Credit Union President/CEO Louise Lingenfelser to its board of directors....

DALLAS -- There are some new appointments to the Texas Credit Union League board including One Source Federal Credit Union President/CEO Bob Peterson, Amplify Federal Credit Union President/CEO Paul Trylko and Resource One Credit Union President/CEO Jim Brisendine. ...

BURNSVILLE -- US Federal Credit Union drew in over 300 of its shareholders to enjoy the 83rd annual meeting event....

ATLANTA -- Credit Union Service Corp. has recently elected Premier Members Federal Credit Union President Tom Evers, Central Florida Educators Federal Credit Union President/CEO Joe Melbourne and New York State Credit Union League President/CEO Bill Mellin to champion its strategic vision and discover new opportunities that position credit unions favorably among financial institutions. The three directors were elected to serve three-year terms ...

LATHAM, N.Y. -- Melrose Credit Union recently held its 86th annual membership meeting and featured guest speaker was State Assembly Banks Committee Chair Darryl Towns (D-Metropolitan)....

GROTON, Conn. -- Charter Oak Federal Credit Union has appointed Guy Henry board vice chairman and Wayne Burgess to the supervisory committee. ...

Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Bethpage, N.Y., announced that its President/CEO Kirk Kordeleski was the honoree at the Mentoring Partnership of Long Island 12th annual benefit entitled Making Connections. Kordeleski was honored due to his contributions to Long Island communities and their young people....

Forest Kraft Federal Credit Union, Atlanta, partnered with LEVEL5 , a consulting and facilities development firm specializing in financial institutions, to remodel its main branch and to open a new facility for one of its four branches. Remodeling of the main branch began this spring and the office will remain completely operational throughout the entire process. Construction on the new branch facility will begin in August 2008....

EASTCorporate America Family Credit Union, Bristol, Conn., announced the hiring of Esther Rubin as business development officer for the Bristol area. Rubin will be responsible for creating membership growth through sponsor company partnerships and by introducing Corporate America Family CreditUnion to potential members and companies in the marketplace....