Credit union managers from Maryland and California have been named as finalists for the second-annual CO-OP Think Prize.

The $10,000 grand prize from MasterCard will be presented at CO-OP Financial Services' THINK 12 Conference set for April 29-May 2 in Boca Raton, Fla.

The three finalists were selected from among 25 semifinalists by judges from CO-OP Financial Services and Filene Research Institute.

CO-OP Financial Services created the award to “inspire innovative solutions to the issues confronting the credit union industry.”

The three finalists and their business plans are:

• Maricela Jauregui, branch manager at the $24 million Mid Cities CU in Compton, Calif., for “QC Code for Account Access.”
• Paul Yang, CEO of the $118 million Premier Community Credit Union in Stockton, Calif., for “P2P Payment Card for CO-OP Network Cardholders.”
• Jay Schwartz, vice president of sales and service delivery at the  $158 million Marriott Employees' FCU in Bethesda, Md., for “Social Networking for Credit Union Members.”

The winner will be based on scoring by the CO-OP Financial Services and Filene Research Institute judges; online voting at the dedicated voting website and on-site voting by registered THINK 12 Conference attendees.

Matt Weidler, IT coordinator for the $1.1 billion Evangelical Christian Credit Union in Brea, Calif., won the inaugural THINK Prize last year.