INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana credit unions got a renewed pat on the back from the state's Republican governor for the industry's campaign to emphasize deposit insurance and regulatory protection....

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Housing Administration issued a mortgagee letter last week reminding lenders that it can hit them with treble damages if they don't try to work with distressed borrowers....

LATHAM, N.Y. -- Sunmark Federal Credit Union is bringing its members together to help combat expected high energy costs this winter....

FAIRBORN, Ohio -- Wright-Patt Credit Union revealed the five competitors in its Savings Race yesterday....

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Florida Credit Union League is among those in the industry encouraging consumers to consider credit unions as an alternative....

CHICAGO -- Vancouver City Savings Credit Union has become the first credit union to use the Master Data Service platform from Initiate Systems Inc....

NEW YORK -- The Dow Jones industrial average experienced another one-day record drop on Oct. 7, plunging 800 points, and then recovering some of that ground but closing down nearly 370 points....

ATLANTA -- Small business owners behind in their mortgage payments are more likely to save their businesses rather than their homes according to a new study from Experian....

WESTBROOK, Maine -- Synergent said it is expanding into New York with the signing of a Watertown credit union to a core processing contract....

BURLINGTON, Mass. -- Two more credit unions have signed up to use the DeposZip remote-deposit capture service from Eastern Corporate Federal Credit Union....

WASHINGTON -- The good news is that 99% of the loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are performing well. The bad news is that 1% of the loans are 90 days or more past due, according to a report issued by the Federal Housing Finance Agency....

ST. LOUIS -- Armed with many questions, attendees at a Neighbors Credit Union's seminar wondered how the markets' upheavals may impact their investments....

MADISON, Wis. -- The Filene Research Institute has released a research paper on member card behavior that suggests credit unions get involved with members stressed about their debt earlier rather than later....

TEWKSBURY, Mass. -- Nearly one in five in a new AARP survey said they have stopped or reduced putting money into their 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts and 20% have postponed a planned retirement as a result of the current economic slowdown....

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- With the wave of a checkered flag, MCT Federal Credit Union kicked off a race that helped the credit union speed past the finish line, adding over $10 million to its loan portfolio....

SAN ANTONIO -- The financial crisis was President Bush's top priority on his visit to San Antonio last week, but in a noteworthy sidelight, he also to extended one of the nation's highest volunteer honors to a CU executive....

EDMONDS, Wash. -- An international development effort launched by a noted credit union educator is establishing a retail outlet right here in the States....

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- The auto industry is continuing to feel the backlash from a sagging economy as Bill Heard Enterprises, Inc., the largest U.S. Chevrolet auto dealership, filed for bankruptcy protection, closed 14 showrooms and fired most of its 3,200 employees....

BALTIMORE -- The collapse of many subprime mortgage lenders and the liquidity crunch have combined to provide many of the nation's credit unions with a surge in mortgage volume....

WASHINGTON -- Broadcasts, blogs and blast e-mails are among the ways the NCUA and the major trade associations have been getting out the word about the increased levels of share insurance....

MADISON, Wis. -- The white paper report, "Developing Members from Indirect Borrowers: Lessons Learned," that was presented at CUNA Mutual's Discovery Conference back in June is more relevant now than ever, according to Heather Thiltgen, CUNA Mutual's vice president of consumer programs....

WASHINGTON -- A recent Callahan and Associates Webinar highlighted several credit unions' ideas for bolstering their auto lending prowess from which others can learn....

MADISON, Wis. -- A federal appeals court last week reversed a 2007 class certification involving a couple who claimed that the disclosures for their option ARM loan were confusing. A federal trial court agreed with the couple and ruled that the loan could be rescinded and granted class action status to their claims....

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bank of America has agreed to settle predatory lending charges against subsidiary Countrywide Financial Corp. at an estimated cost of about $8 billion....

BALTIMORE -- Credit unions taking a wait and see approach to the financial markets bailout signed into law by President Bush on Oct. 3 declined to comment on its effect. But one attorney suggested that CUs look for new sources of liquidity and to Europe for new loan products....

MADISON, Wis. -- Tamara Sanner is looking forward to studying in Spain soon but the semester trip abroad may not have been possible if a student loan did not come through....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A California Credit Union League lobbyist said the league will persist in seeking legislation addressing the card data security problem, even if that means pushing past the time California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves office....

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Is now the time for credit unions to carve out their niche as the financial literacy resource?...

SALISBURY, Md. -- More than 50 million consumers--an estimated 25% of the mortgage market--do not qualify for mortgages because they do not have traditional lines of credit such as credit cards or student loans. However, many of them pay their rent, gas, electric and phone bills on time--factors that are not included on a credit report unless they are paid late....

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Mississippi Credit Union Association is hoping that consumers there will soon be stepping up to say "I belong."...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Both credit unions and community banks are poised to see strong credit card marketing opportunities as the country continues to move through its ongoing economic crisis, according to credit union and bank experts....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Talk about having little time to adjust....

WASHINGTON -- Whether the change involves "major surgery" as House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank promises or the political equivalent of a tummy tuck, the way the government regulates financial services probably won't be the same after Congress and the next president are finished....

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Is now the time for credit unions to carve out their niche as the financial literacy resource?...

SAN DIEGO -- Ever since Sept. 30, when Standard & Poor's placed corporate heavyweights Western Corporate FCU and Members United Corporate FCU on CreditWatch with negative implications, rumors have swirled about the stability of several corporates, as well as the entire corporate system....

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Industry figures show that CU indirect auto lending may be making a comeback....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Golden 1 Credit Union is mourning the loss of longtime marketer and former Senior Vice President Dave Thompson....

SAN DIEGO -- Mission Federal Credit Union appointed Debra Schwartz as president/CEO....

WASHINGTON -- Forget the typical newsletter, FedChoice Federal Credit Union has taken member communication to the next level with its magazine--FedChoice Financial Concierge Quarterly....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Starting next year, credit unions with access to the Internet will be required to submit their compliance data online....

BOSTON -- In a kind of online landmark, electronic bill pay will overtake other forms of payments in 2009, according to a new report from the Aite Group. The uptake in that channel coincides with a sharp decline in mailed bill payments, and by 2012, Aite Group predicts, 64% of bill payments in the United States will be electronic....

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Credit cards and brokerage accounts continue to dominate the financial products sold online, according to a sweeping Forrester Research of 47,000 U.S. consumers. The think firm said that online sales will continue slow, steady growth but that online-influenced sales need to be considered as much as online sales themselves, since much research takes place online before financial products are bought through other channels, including in person or by mail....

MERRIFIELD, Va. -- Navy Federal Credit Union is now using sophisticated tech tools to get detailed feedback regarding individual members--about 150,000 so far this year....

BATON ROUGE, La. -- More than a thousand bank and credit union branches turned over account records, Social Security numbers and more without a fight, according to a five-year report from a social engineering security firm....

BOSTON -- Financial institutions might best recover from the meltdown on Wall Street by focusing on Main Street, and there are some well-known software tools out there that can help, according to a new report....

Each year credit unions are faced with more challenges to create greater value for members and compete with other financial institutions as the cost of doing business increases overall. These challenges have heightened in the current market where financial giants continue to fail and consumers start to look at community-based credit unions to be a better source for banking. At the same time, credit union executives are burdened with developing and maintaining new compliance standards, including the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003 Section 114, with a mandatory compliance date of Nov. 1. However, there are ways to reduce the weight of this new compliance initiative and leverage it to the credit union's advantage....

How and why did Congress move so quickly on the bailout bill? Congress was able to pass this very complex, high-dollar legislation in a matter of days--nevermind the fact there had been signs of a subprime crisis that's at the root of all this--for months if not years. Relatively speaking, CURIA, which has been floating around the marble halls of Capitol Hill in various forms for the last five years, is simple however, so you'd think they could accomplish this in a matter of hours. But, the fact of the matter is that lawmakers tend to wait until there's a crisis that finally outweighs political concerns before they act....

Banks, credit unions and retailers have seen tough times of late. Specifically, bankers--and even some credit unions--are seeing a gloomy period ahead due to credit losses and the liquidity restraints due to the need for more loan-loss reserves. For businesses, much like consumers, liquidity is paramount to survival. Growing the balance sheet with low cost deposits will sustain an organization through this period, but credit unions lack the soft sales skills to matriculate a member encounter into a sale....

Don't miss out on the Chance to be a part of the 2008 Credit Union Times awards....

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ST. LOUIS -- Design and build firm Clayco Inc. has broken ground on a new 5,000 square-foot Manassas branch facility for Northwest Federal Credit Union....

Affinity Federal Credit Union, Basking Ridge, N.J., awarded six high school students with scholarship grants. The grants were funded through the Affinity Federal Credit Union Fun, a 501(c) (3) charity corporation. To qualify for the grant students had to be a member of the credit union, excel academically, show commitment to the community, participate in extracurricular activities and an essay. The recipients were Thabo D'Anjou, Jessica DePrima, Keiona Eady, Crystal Himes, Andy Yuan-Jay Lee and Brian Thorn. Over the past five years, the foundation has awarded students a total of $75,500 in scholarships....