BankThink

As the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and a longtime economics professor at Princeton, there is little doubt Paul Krugman knows more about financial services than most.

Call it a not-so-subtle indicator of the nation's mood-when you land at Washington's Reagan National Airport you are greeted by souvenir stands at which the most prominent t-shirt on display reads, "I love my country, it's the government I'm afraid of."

Your members typically won't have a very good understanding of what title insurance covers or what it costs. Yet title insurance is one of the largest expenses when closing on a purchase or refinance.

The timing of NCUA's "solution" (to the troubled corporate CU system) is somewhat suspect, but at least the trade group hit the nail on the head regarding corporate investing.

Should natural person credit unions continue to support corporate credit unions? A better question may be: can credit unions trust corporate credit unions to operate in their best interest?

Jon Stewart, whose "Daily Show" has channeled consumer anger over banks and credit card industry practices before, devoted the opening segment of last night’s show to the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. (Or, per Gawker.com, “Jon Stewart Sums Up Everything That is Wrong with America in Under Four Minutes.”)

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have been stepping up their repurchase requests since being put into conservatorship by the government in September 2008, as they try to manage the mountain of delinquencies on their books.

What has been most amazing about all of the snow in Washington, D.C. in recent weeks hasn't been the record depths of the white stuff, but the fact that any snow could accumulate at all given all the local hot air.

As a troubled credit union in one of the "sand" states, I can safely say that the past two-and-a-half years have been rich with learning.

Streamlining unclear rules - and thus easing the cost of regulatory compliance - can help promote CUs' growth and their ideals of encouraging savings, building strong communities, and investing in a resilient American economy.