The consideration may be controversial, but discussions are happening on the possibility. NCUA regulations allow a CUSO to sell to nonmembers as long as at least 51% of sales are to credit union members. With that regulatory threshold in mind, Credit Union Times sought feedback from three proponents of CUSO collaboration to get their perspectives on partnering with banks and if such collaboration dilutes the movement's competitive edge.

Randy Karnes is CEO of CU*Answers, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based multi-solution provider with more than 165 credit unions in 16 states. Together, the CUSO's clients represent nearly 1.5 million members and $10 billion in credit union assets. CU*Answers is the 2008 recipient of NACUSO's collaboration and innovation award.

Vic Pantea, is president/COO of Member Gateways LLC, a South Bend, Ind.-based CUSO that serves as a platform for new-product incubation and is owned by 24 credit unions and one non-credit union partner. Among its recent creations is the XCalibur Card, which, through a partnership with IBM Global Engineering Solutions, aims to detect fraud during credit, debit and ATM card transactions.