Professional sports thinking has it that the best defense is a good offense. Brian Daskalovitz feels much the same way about mortgage lending and its related fee income.

Daskalovitz, accounting services manager for FedChoice Federal Credit Union in Lanham, Md., is planning for flat financial growth in 2014. He also believes that rising interest rates will dampen any further mortgage refinancing, slicing into the $350 million credit union's noninterest income. To combat the anticipated income decline, Daskalovitz said FedChoice is ramping up its mortgage loan efforts in the new year.

"We've tried to stay out of this area because rates were at rock bottom," Daskalovitz said of the credit union's $10 million mortgage loan portfolio. "We anticipate rates moving up, so we're planning to expand our mortgage lending program."