The recent surge in favorable coverage of credit unions by the national media, already bringing a flock of phone and e-mail inquiries to CUs across the country, triggered a new ad buy by a Denver CU that mentions New York Internet publisher and blogger Arianna Huffington.

The $1.1 billion Westerra CU said it took out ads in the Denver Post that reference the Huffington "Move your Money" anti-big bank campaign touted in a series of ABC and CBS network news reports and on the Internet over the holidays.

The Huffington campaign, which encourages consumers to steer funds into a small community bank or CU, represents "a perfect fit to the bank local" theme with a CU promotion on savings products. The Westerra ad includes a headline reading, "Americans Are Saving More Money and Choosing Credit Unions More Often."