Lisa Freeman

Just two days after Rick Menton became CEO of Cherokee Strip, all but one member of the loan department resigned. Yet just 18 months later, the $88 million CU boasts 100% loan growth, 10% membership growth and a positive ROA for the first time in five years at .88%.

Though concerned about diluting NCUA's efforts to help small CUs survive and thrive, credit unions largely support the agency's proposal to increase asset-size definition from $50 million to $100 million, with most pushing for going all the way up to $550 million, in keeping with the FDIC's definition.

During the Credit Union Campaign for Consumer Choice — the effort to pass the bill most frequently referred to in credit union land as HR 1151, but more formally known as the Credit Union Membership Access Act — the movement flexed its much lauded grass-roots muscle and generated scads of letters, emails and calls to congressional offices.

The first article in the series looked at the trend of CUs that specifically avoid referring to themselves as credit unions.

A recent Credit Union Journal story asked several credit unions that specifically avoid referring to themselves as credit unions why they made that decision and what sort of results they've seen from it.

WASHINGTON — With all three member of the NCUA Board talking about reinterpreting statutes related to everything from field of membership rules to access to secondary capital, credit union executives were feeling just a little less under the gun at this year's CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference.

WASHINGTON — After a parade of lawmakers all told credit unions at CUNA's GAC this week that they support the community's tax-exempt status, it might be tempting to dismiss this issue, particularly with so many other legislative and regulatory items on the CU agenda — but that would be a big mistake, according to several experts.

WASHINGTON — Credit unions are eager for NCUA to tackle field of membership rules — so eager that even after a late night at the Wegner Awards dinner on Monday, executives flocked to the "open mic" session on FOM with NCUA Vice Chairman Rick Metsger at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday.

At his first Governmental Affairs Conference as CUNA's CEO, Jim Nussle told the crowd that the rules he learned from his father about conducting a choir translate well to his new role at the nation's largest CU trade association.

For small credit unions it's a chilling reality: grow, merge or die trying. So it should come as no surprise that CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference kicked off with a standing-room-only session on small CUs.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Faced with soon-to-be non-existent investment income in 2009, Greenville Heritage FCU had two choices: hike fee income, or completely rebuild its loan program.

As credit union flock to Washington this week for CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference, the focus will be on national politics. But there's plenty of internal politics to discuss, as well.

Clearly, that letter, penned by Tom Pinnow, president of County City CU in Jefferson, Wis., had touched a nerve. You can read it on page 6 of this edition of Credit Union Journal under the headline "If Small CUs Die Off, What Happens to Movement?"

MANCHESTER, N.H. — CUNA is helping America's Credit Union Museum kick off its Legacy Captial Campaign with a pledge of $1 million that will help the museum refurbish and expand.

Moreover, the pro-dividenders argue, the special bonus dividend helps demonstrate the "credit union difference" in a concrete, tangible—and easily publicized—way.

Immediately after NCUA unveiled its eagerly awaited revised risk-based capital proposed rule, some credit union executives took to Credit Union Journal's website to sound off on it.

Are mergers a good thing or a bad thing? Like beauty, it's very much in the eye of the beholder. On the cover of this issue, Credit Union Journal explores this very issue.

So, it is with much gratitude that I can, instead, point you to our "The Year Ahead" special report, in which a number of brave souls offer their insights into what credit unions can expect to see as 2015 unfolds.

Statewide FCU CEO announced that Paul Armstrong will pass the reins of the $100.9 million institution to Casey Bacon.

In this, our annual "Year In Review" edition of Credit Union Journal, it's a time of reflection and retrospection, and so I harken back to opening my very first savings account.