One of Navy Federal Credit Union's biggest West Coast competitors, the $4 billion Alaska USA FCU, said Monday it has never been much interested in making a merger bid on the troubled $604 million USA Fed CU of San Diego.

Indeed, while NCUA had solicited suitors Alaska USA remains focused on its own California strategy of picking military installations in the state's High Desert country and in other locales, said Dan McCue, senior vice president-corporate administration.

While Alaska USA goes head-to-head with Navy in competing at bases across the West, the planned consolidation of the San Diego CU with its overseas and California holdings "is simply a sweet spot for them but is really not part of our plan," McCue said.

In its expansion, Alaska USA "will be looking at growth areas and military installations contiguous to the areas we serve," he said.

Alaska USA was a successful bidder this summer on a group of four branches in the San Bernardino area spun off by Arrowhead Central CU, under NCUA conservatorship.