Aaron Passman

CAMDEN, Ark.—River Valley Community FCU here has named Mark Hixson as its new president/CEO. Hixson previously served as a VP of First National Bank in Tenaha, Texas

The recent sniping between NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz and board member J. Mark McWatters may have garnered attention, but former board members and others suggest this could actually be a good thing for credit unions.

RALEIGH, N.C. — With NCUA mandating last year that all federally insured CUs with assets of $10 billion or more begin "stress tests" this year, State Employees' CU (SECU) here has published results of its own internal stress testing.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Illinois CU League president and CEO Sean Hession has stepped down from his position little more than one year after taking the helm.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — PSCU says it is the nation's first CUSO certified to issue EMV-enabled debit cards on First Data's Debit Solutions platform in advance of the October EMV liability shift deadline.

The National Credit Union Foundation is now accepting nominations for next year's herb Wegner Memorial Awards, to be presented Feb. 22, 2016, in conjunction with CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington.

After a week that saw an escalation in the war of words between NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz and board member J. Mark McWatters, both board members sought to downplay their differences in separate interviews with Credit Union Journal.

MADISON, Wis. — CUNA Mutual Group and state CU leagues represented by the American Association of Credit Union Leagues have agreed to a three-year $64 million marketing contract expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

For several years, strong borrower demand and low delinquency rates have delivered welcome profits to credit unions and banks that target the farming industry. But commodity prices are falling — depressing farmers' incomes and forcing many financial institutions to increase their monitoring of credit trends.

Personal incomes have stagnated, consumer prices are on the rise, new home sales are declining and falling energy investments are dragging the economy down. But according to the latest CUNA Mutual Trends Report, things aren't quite bad as they seem.

The Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has indicated it plans to make changes to how financial institutions calculate allowances for loan loss reserves, moving from an incurred loss model to an expected loss model.

Unemployment and gas prices are both down, and interest rates may soon be heading up — all of which spells good news for credit unions' bottom lines. That's the verdict from a number of CFOs and economists who spoke with Credit Union Journal and predicted that while sunnier times may be on the way, CUs can do more now to bolster the bottom line later.

ORLANDO — Core system conversion management company Next Step is celebrating 20 years of service to the credit union industry.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A credit union organization that missed the mark on nearly all of its diversity efforts in 2013 has been named one of the "Best of the Best" places to work for women, minorities, veterans and Hispanics. That organization? NCUA.

NAFCU has announced the winners of its annual awards competition.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NCUA and the AARP are set to cohost a social media chat about elder financial abuse next week.

WASHINGTON — A CUNA task force appointed in September to study the organization's structure and governance has released its preliminary findings, chief among them that CUs want better advocacy and more choice from their trade association.

NEW YORK — The October deadline for shifting EMV liability may still be months away, but even with several years of lead-up time, there is widespread skepticism in the payments industry about whether the change will help combat fraud.

Achieva Credit Union in Dunedin, Fla., has agreed to buy Calusa Bank in Punta Gorda, Fla.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Mark down Achieva CU as the latest credit union to buy a bank. The $1.1 billion credit union announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Calusa Bank, a Florida state-chartered bank with $165 million in assets.