LAS VEGAS -- One of the nation's leading real estate executives offered credit union mortgage executives a robust defense of the home buyers tax credit that had been in place earlier this year.

Both CUNA and NAFCU announced efforts last week to address what they claimed were increasingly difficult and contentious relationships their member credit unions have been experiencing with their NCUA examiners.

Credit unions will need to focus on finding new members and improving their loan penetration to compensate for a long-term drought in loan demand, leading CU economists said.

Making good on a long offered promise, CO-OP Financial Services announced last week that it will start processing credit card transactions in early 2011.

A research report has further suggested that growth in CU cards might come more from members bringing higher rate card balances to the CUs than from growth in member card use.

There will likely be another round of place holding and finger pointing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 15 when a House Financial Services Subcommittee opens a hearing on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Select-A-Branch, a surcharge-free ATM network that provides cardholders with ATMs that look and feel like those of their card-issuing institutions, announced it has expanded its reach.

BancVue, a product development and marketing firm dedicated to helping CUs compete with large banks, has announced a deal with card processing giant TSYS.