There are a growing number of credit union-related events that have recently taken place that deserve comment. Here's a potpourri look at some of them: From news reports (I wasn't actually there), it appears that the so-called Great Debate in California between CUNA's economist Bill Hampel and ABA's economist...

It's been 12 years since Credit Union Times burst on the credit union scene. Much has changed in the world of credit unions since volume one, number one landed on credit union desks. Much hasn't. John Buddle, CEO of MSIC (Massachusetts Credit Union Share Insurance Corporation), was cleaning out some...

Unfolding details involving the likes of Enron, Global Crossing, and Andersen are making headlines on a daily basis. No wonder that the subject of possible and actual conflicts of interest and management and governance malfeasance is top of mind throughout every industry these days. As a close observer of the...

Several recent events make it clear that there's more than one way to look at something that on the surface may appear to be pretty much black and white. Take for example, discussions revolving around the attempt to modernize the widely despised CRA (Community Reinvestment Act). It appears to be...

Everyone knows what an agenda is, but not everyone is necessarily aware of how many organizations also have hidden agendas. A good example of that came to light recently when the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) came out of the woodwork to file a lawsuit against NCUA for repealing the...

In all the years I've attended the annual CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) held each year about this time in Washington, D.C., I never fail to come away with a number of distinct impressions. This year's just-ended event is no exception. First of all, I was impressed that the 2002...

Records are made to be broken. This is the largest weekly issue of Credit Union Times ever published. Yet, the fact that you are holding a record-breaking 120-page issue in your hands is less important to you as a reader than what our editorial staff has written to fill these...

Many years ago, the proliferation of vicious and unscrupulous loan sharks gave impetus to the formation of a new idea called credit unions. It wasn't long before these member-owned cooperatives began to replace the sharks as lenders of last resort. But the loan sharks never went completely away. They are...