Financial institutions and trade associations can nominate representatives to serve on the committee that advises the Treasury Department on the implementation of the Bank Secrecy Act.

Planning can actually be a lot of fun. Think about the last vacation or party you coordinated where everything went just right. Remember the feeling of accomplishment and pride you, the planner, had afterwards.

CUNA has set up groups to help the trade association formulate its positions on two issues that are affecting many credit unions: the proposed NCUA rule on field of membership and the agency's policies on mergers.

A Towers Perrin study finds that 65% of companies that froze salary budgets in 2009 will unfreeze them in 2010.

CUNA and NAFCU are working with the Federal Reserve to get it to change the provisions of rules on interest rates and notification of customers that will be used to enforce the credit card law passed by Congress last year.

I was slightly amused when I opened your Jan. 20 edition to the centerfold and noticed articles from two noted credit union lampreys, Marvin Umholtz and Alan Theriault.

As the recession continues and the commercial real estate marketplace sours, more credit unions will unfortunately have to foreclose on commercial real estate properties secured by defaulted member business loans.

The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation's credit unions for kids committee raised more than $190,000 for Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care and presented a check representing the funds raised by credit unions around the state.