Noninterest income, both expected and unexpected, can make a big difference for small credit unions. For two relatively new CEOs and one industry veteran all managing credit unions with less than $50 million in assets, single activities provided a real boost to their respective bottom lines.

At the $42.1 million Commonwealth Utilities Employees Credit Union in Marion, Mass., an accounting change in the handling of interchange fees helped grow noninterest and other income as defined on NCUA's 5300 Call reports by 154.02% through June 30, 2014, according to data analyzed by Callahan and Associates for CU Times.

The Washington-based firm used the same data levels to show a 141.77% increase in noninterest income for $31.5 million Lufkin Federal Credit Union in Lufkin, Texas. The institution's first-time implementation of a courtesy pay program fueled the majority of that growth, according to the cooperative.