Credit unions could see two of their friends-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Carolyn Maloney-competing for the Democratic nomination for Senate in New York next year.

Several media reports indicate that Maloney, who has represented part of New York City in Congress since 1993, is on the verge of announcing that she is going to challenge Gillibrand, who earlier this year was appointed by Gov. David Patterson to the Senate to succeed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton when she became Secretary of State.

The race, which would be decided in the primary election scheduled for Sept. 14, 2010, would feature two women who have been successful fundraisers. Maloney has had a longer relationship with credit unions because she is a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and the key sponsor of the recently passed legislation to overhaul credit card regulations.