ST. LOUIS -- Missouri credit unions are moving forward with revised plans to build two homes next year for injured Iraqi war veterans in an offshoot of CUNA's similar venture at the presidential party conventions last summer....

FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Workers' Credit Union is working toward the goal of offering members a full-service, online branch by launching an online-exclusive savings account....

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- Return on investment is often hard to put a finger on in the world of technology and outsourced services, but that's not necessarily so at Spire Federal Credit Union and Lending Solutions Inc....

NEW YORK -- Mortgage defaults stem from loan products not income level, according to a study released last week by the Local Initiatives Support Corp. The study also found that most subprime mortgages were made outside of poverty-stricken areas....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- NCUA Chairman Michael E. Fryzel has only been on the job since July, but the results of last Tuesday's election may mean his time in that job could be short lived....

WASHINGTON -- Christmas doesn't come for another six weeks, but NAFCU is already making its wish list known....

WASHINGTON -- Given their structures, credit unions and cooperatives could have averted the current economic crisis, said Paul Hazen, president/CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association....

HOBKEN, N.J. -- With travel budgets across the country feeling the strain of the economy, Credit Union Times wants to know if you're seeking out alternatives to stay in the loop with credit union information and practices....

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- With the formation of the Taskforce for More Effective Trade Groups and the CEOs of the six large credit unions behind the taskforce urging for the merger of CUNA and NAFCU, Credit Union Times reached out to readers to get their opinion....

SEATTLE -- The CU Housing Roundtable has sent a proposal to the NCUA, asking to make $1 billion in central liquidity facility funds available to natural person credit unions to assist with problem real estate loans....

SAN DIMAS, Calif. -- Western Corporate filed September financials that just barely crossed into the black, recording a slim $115,000 net income for the month....

LANCASTER, Pa. -- In a county with roughly 13 credit unions and eight of those under $15 million in assets flagging every single operational penny, Lanco Federal Credit Union felt the timing could not be better to offer a solution for those wanting to enter the small business marketplace....

BALTIMORE -- Credit unions aren't lining up to have their mortgage lending staff get licensed or registered. The former isn't required, and the means for doing so for the latter isn't yet available. But some in the industry think that CUs would do well to examine whether licensing requirements should be applied to the CU industry....

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Credit unions participating in Credit Union 24 will receive preferred pricing from Cardtronics should the CU want to brand a Cardtronics ATM with its own logo and screens....

SAN DIEGO -- Brokers looking for an industry change may find stability and a higher quality of life with credit unions, one investment firm executive offered....

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- At their first organizational meeting, representatives from more than a dozen California credit unions spent nearly five hours talking about the possibilities a new CUSO could bring....

TAMPA, Fla. -- In a new twist to spreading the word about credit unions, Tampa Bay locals were recently invited to "discover the difference" at the first Credit Union Expo....

WASHINGTON -- Small businesses could see more opportunities to grow from pursuing new markets overseas, women, minorities and increasing their investment in technology during this election year and beyond....

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- A study released last week on negative equity shows just how bad the housing market is....

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An executive specializing in training credit unions to identify and reach out to potential Hispanic members says the recent economic downturn should not discourage credit unions from continuing to market to the Latino community....

WASHINGTON -- CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference, to be held Feb. 22-26 at the Washington Convention Center here, is already bringing a host of celebrities to its agenda....

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Kinecta Federal Credit Union shocked the industry again on Oct. 30, when it announced it had hired former Countrywide Financial executive Jess Lederman to fill the newly created position of senior vice president and chief credit officer. The $4.4 billion Kinecta made headlines last year when it purchased alternative services provider Nix Check Cashing....

EL PASO, Texas -- Reaching out to the disenfranchised and taking a grassroots approach were some of the parallels that credit union leaders used to describe the historical election of President-elect Barack Obama with the movement....

DENVER -- Credit unions are moving with caution and compassion in providing loan relief to financially-strapped members during the turmoil, according to the newly elected head of the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen....

PITTSBURGH -- There has been new evidence that credit unions here and in Georgia were latching on to new growth opportunities from the continuing turmoil and consolidation impacting commercial banks....

SEATTLE -- Password problems are a thing of the past at Verity Credit Union....

MOUNT LEHMAN, British Columbia -- You probably remember Ms. Thermodynamics, your high school physics teacher, quoting Aristotle's statement that nature abhors a vacuum....

WASHINGTON -- They helped save the career of one of their top allies, were instrumental in defeating an incumbent freshman and overall supported far more winners than losers....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Seeking to avoid further problems with credit unions affected by the economic meltdown, the NCUA wants to add 100 new examiners, which means expanding its budget by 15%....

SAN DIEGO -- Credit unions must be ready for whatever these tumultuous economic times throw at them, and part of that may mean secondary capital and retooling the business model....

NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. -- Getting right in a member's face with a graphic look at his or her financial realities might seem a bit counterintuitive for building brand loyalty, but that's a key element of the personal financial management solution now deployed at SAFE Credit Union....

AUSTIN, Texas -- Teres Solutions has rolled out a new lending module aimed at letting credit unions tap into the indirect market for everything from lawn mowers to health care, the company said....

The Nov. 5 issue of Credit Union Times incorrectly reported that Members United Corporate Federal Credit Union had its entire portfolio reviewed by outside parties for third-quarter analysis. Only six bonds were reviewed for possible other-than-temporary impairment charges....

We're coming off the heels of a historic election. Not only will President-elect Barack Obama serve as the first African-American president of the United States after a landslide victory, but he will inherit an economy like no other seen in the last several decades....

"The ratings agencies get a lot of blame, but even if the rating agencies transformed overnight and everyone had complete confidence in them, the problem is the global community has lost confidence in the quality of our data. We have to re-establish credibility in our appraisal process, the ability of our lending staff to verify income and assets; really, a rebuilding of underwriting fundamentals.  Companies that have a true culture of quality will emerge as leaders, and will help bring back the secondary mortgage market."...

Clearview Federal Credit Union, Moon Township, Pa., raised over $6,000 for the March of Dimes. The employees participated in an annual March of Dimes walk and raised over $3,000, which surpassed last year's fundraising total by 38%. Employees also raised money through several raffles, a bake sale and jean day, when employees donated five dollars each for the opportunity to wear jeans to work....

NPG FCU Breaks Ground on Branch ...