LAS VEGAS — For their innovations and collaboration with othersin the industry, CU Direct Corp. and Twin Star Credit Union werenamed this year's NACUSO Collaboration & Innovationaward winners.

The Ontario, Calif.-based CU Direct is the parent company ofsuch brands as CUDL, Lending Insights, and Lending 360. Indirectlending brand CUDL works with more than 1,050 credit unions and9,000 dealerships nationwide, according to the company.

Accepting the NACUSO CUSO award for CU Direct at theThursday session in the Encore Las Vegas was its president/CEO,Tony Boutelle.

“CUSOs are really the ones that make credit unions better,”Boutelle told the audience at the trade group's annual conference.“I believe we need to own and control our deliverychannels.”

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NACUSO awarded an honorable mention to Advanced Fraud SolutionsLLC, a fraud and risk management CUSO based in Greensboro, N.C.

It was a complete surprise to Jeff Kennedy, president/CEO of the$860 million Twin Star Credit Union in Olympia, Wash., when it wasannounced that his cooperative had won the NACUSO Credit Union ofthe Year award.

He said he was totally unaware that his colleague, Mary BethSpuck, chief administrative officer at Twin Star, had submitted theentry form to NACUSO.

“It's a tremendous honor to be recognized,” Kennedy said, stillsurprised at winning.

Twin Star launched its first CUSO in 1982 to address dataprocessing needs, Kennedy said. Today, the credit union is the soleowner of two CUSOs and one of several owners of five CUSOs.

NACUSO awarded an honorable mention to the $2.2 billion BellcoCredit Union in Greenwood Village, Colo.

Prior to the award presentation, Pete Snyder, who served onNACUSO's board from 1998 to 2012, was honored for hiscontributions. Snyder is the former founder of Snyder ConsultingSolutions, a firm that was sold to management consulting firmKehrer Saltzman & Associates in January.

Snyder was hired in August 2012 as vice president of financialservices at the $8 billion Golden 1 Credit Union in Sacramento,Calif.