In an aggressive new bid to reach Gen X, the League of Southeastern Credit Unions announced this week it is launching a $2.1 million image campaign next April under the tagline, "Credit Unions, We're Giving Banking a Better Name."

The urge to serve the industry during what one CEO called "a very exciting and anxious period" coupled with heightened interest in dealing with the corporate dilemma are apparently

In its latest assault on credit unions' the tax exemption, the banking lobby has seized on a suit filed by the NCUA to recover losses in a 2009 Nevada credit union failure as evidence CUs are handing out loans to nonmembers on a broad scale.

In a $300 million consolidation, two Houston credit unions, First Service and Right Choice are planning a merger to be completed by year end.

The $900 million Empower Federal Credit Union of Syracuse, N.Y., said Tuesday it expects to complete a merger of a competitor, the $10 million Providers FCU, by Jan. 1.

The bitter and nasty race for Harry Reid's U.S. Senate seat in Nevada has been a credit union negative on one level: It knocked out all those product ads and positive messaging.

The $43 billion Navy Federal Credit Union, on course to complete its merger of the $605 million USA Federal CU of San Diego, is providing new USA Federal members a yearend timeline on the integration process of products and services.

The new head of the California/Nevada Credit Union League, Diana Dykstra, joined the industry chorus Tuesday against CUs making hasty decisions on corporate services, stressing initial system recommendations may be at hand in a matter of weeks.