<p>MADISON, Wis. – As of Jan. 1 those credit unions that were getting CUNA Mutual's online lending solution, Loanliner.com, for free, are now being assessed a fee. Debuting in March 2000, Loanliner.com was initially offered free to participating credit unions. Loanliner, the desktop version of Loanliner.com has been around for over 25 years. With Loanliner.com, CUNA Mutual Web-enabled the product so CUs can offer it as an online lending solution their members can use to apply for loans. Any credit union that signed up for Loanliner.com after March, 31, 2001 was charged a fee. However, those CUs which had been on the system already were not assessed a fee. CUNA Mutual said there was some confusion in the notification process of the fee increase for those CUs affected by it. Due to the confusion, CUNA Mutual said it is extending the no-fee period to March 31, 2002 for those CUs who may need more time to make a decision or who were caught by surprise by the fee increase. Fees are based on asset size. For example, a credit union with under $20 million will pay a $500 annual fee, while a CU with over $100 million in assets would pay a $1,800 annual fee. In addition to the annual fee, there is now also a per-transaction fee. Credit unions have two pricing options. One has the CU paying $1 per transaction for the first 1,499 transactions, $.90 for the next 750 transactions and so on. Credit unions that choose that option must pay a minimum of $1,300 in transaction fees a year. The second pricing option calls for CUs to pay $5 per transaction regardless of the number of transactions.</p>