Functionality includes account and loan balances, transfers, loan and Visa payments, check image viewing, CO-OP ATM location by GPS and member service access, the credit union said.

"The new website is a clear reflection of Arizona Central's corporate brand and our strategic goal of increasing financial education to our members and the communities we serve," said Todd Pearson, president/CEO of 65,000-member Arizona Central.

CO-OP Member Center

Expansion into 16 states and the District of Columbia helped mark the first year of CO-OP Member Center as a CO-OP Financial Services subsidiary, the big CUSO said.

The former CUNA Mutual LoanLink is now approaching 300 credit unions as users of its call center services. Clients who signed on in 2010 or expanded their usage included the $2.1 billion Coastal FCU in Raleigh, N.C., the $2 billion State Employees CU in Linthicum, Md., the $1.7 billion GTE FCU in Tampa, Fla., and the $1.5 billion Georgia's Own CU in Atlanta.

"CO-OP Member Center provides Coastal FCU with 24/7 member service and lending call center support," said Valerie Curtis, vice president of member services for Coastal FCU. "Not only does a 24/7 call center allow us to help members at their convenience, we have taken advantage of CO-OP Member Center's expertise in supporting outbound call campaigns. We recently benefitted from both parts of that relationship in supporting our efforts surrounding Reg. E changes."

CO-OP Member Center is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and provides lending, member services and outbound calling support.

Web Added To Software

Browser capability has been added to the LobbyCentral check-in system and service tracking application from Fuhr Software Inc., the company said.

The Service Center Web upgrade allows employees to securely access the LobbyCentral application with a Web browser without requiring the application to be on their computers.

LobbyCentral allows staff in real-time to check in arriving members, monitor those waiting and take service requests, now from any computer using a browser.

Wash. CU Adds Mobile, ATM

A new mobile banking service and deposit-taking ATM have been added to member offerings from the $700 million Whatcom Educational Credit Union.

The new ATM is at the credit union's Sunset branch at 3061 Orleans Street in its hometown of Bellingham, one of 11 branches and 20 ATMs the credit union operates around Whatcom County in Washington State.

Kessa Volland, the credit union's marketing manager, said the browser-based mobile functionality is from Cavion and includes transfers, balances and bill pay. The ATM is a Diebold product.

"With weekend deposit options and banking available right from your cell phone, Whatcom County's largest not-for-profit financial cooperative is even more accessible," Volland said.

White Papers Offered

The benefits of call centers and online and mobile banking services for credit unions, and best practices for securing them, are the focus of two new white papers from PSCU Financial Services.

The first–"Using Online Tools and Services to Attract and Retain Members"–includes the experience of the $1.6 billion Texas Dow Employees CU in Lake Jackson, Texas, and $371 million Visterra CU in Moreno Valley, Calif.

Both said they saw increases in deposits, loans and other services driven by online access through their websites, Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools aimed at attracting Gen Yers.

The second paper focuses on cost and service advantages of outsourcing call center services. Best practices for a vendor search are advised, such as looking at single-call resolution and abandoned call rates and ensuring that customizable scripts that can be changed in real time are included.

"This is the latest technological advance in the financial services industry," said Glen Chrzas, vice president of technology at 110,000-member Altura. "They can access their accounts through our physical branch locations, ATMs, our online banking platform and now, using their mobile phones."

The free apps are available at such places as the iTunes store and Android Marketplace and members enroll through their online banking accounts, Altura said.

Chrzas said Altura worked with Western Bridge Corporate CU to create the applications.

Altura is based in Riverside, Calif., and serves Riverside and San Diego counties and selected cities in Orange and San Bernardino counties.

JMAFCU PartnersOn 'Smart Badge'

JM Associates Federal Credit Union is offering its SEG sponsor's employees a re-loadable "smart badge", an employee identification security badge that allows them to make purchases in the company's on-site cafés and hair and nail salon.

The ID card uses smart chip technology, is free to employees and offers the ability to add funds to their ID badges through cash deposits, electronic transfer or payroll deposit, the credit union said.

The $83 million JMAFCU is based in Jacksonville, Fla., and has four branches in three states–Florida, Alabama and Missouri.

Arizona CentralLaunches New Web

 A new section called "Life Stages" is one feature of the new site. It focuses on financial opportunities and challenges and also offers access to the in-depth planning resources of the credit union's Money Coach financial education site.

The new website also has a section on Central Points, the credit union's relationship rewards program, as well as streamlined navigation, branch and ATM locations and other functionality.

Arizona Central Credit Union in Phoenix has launched a new version of its website at www.azentral.org.