WASHINGTON-Credit union loan growth in the first half of the year is somewhat below last year's figures, but savings growth has dropped significantly from the first half of 2004. Year-to-date loan growth through June was 4.8%, down from 5.1% for the same period in 2004, according to CUNA's Monthly Credit Union Estimates. However, savings fell from 4.1% at the end of June last year to 2.8% this June. Loans grew 1.4% during the month of June, led mostly by new auto loans (3.0%) and other mortgages (2.7%). All the main loan categories saw growth in June with the exception of adjustable-rate first mortgages, which declined 0.1%. Fixed-rate first mortgages were up 0.9%. Savings was up just 0.02% for the month of June. Share certificates gave credit union savings its boost at 1.6% growth, while IRAs were up 0.4%. Share drafts (1.1%), regular shares (0.5%), and money market accounts (0.2%) all experienced declines in June. The average credit union loan-to-share ratio climbed from 75.1% in May to 76.1% in June. The capital-to-asset ratio also showed an uptick from 10.9% to 11.0% from May to June. Delinquencies held steady at the record low of 0.6% for the month.