An Appreciation Day-In Belgium
SUITLAND, Md.-Andrews FCU held a Member Appreciation event at its Chievres, Belgium branch as part of the credit union's year-long 60th Anniversary celebration.
In addition to food and fun activities, service members and families were also invited to record messages to stateside family members and loved ones deployed downrange, including Iraq and Afghanistan, as part of the Armed Forces Network "Hometown Greets" Program. A total of 28 messages were taped during the celebration.
The pre-recorded messages will air on television stations throughout the United States during the upcoming holiday season. Additional messages will be recorded later in the month at other U.S garrisons, including Brussels, Belgium and Schinnen, The Netherlands.
NCUA Offering Electronic Took Kit
ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA has opened a call center and posted online an electronic tool kit to help members and credit unions better understand the insurance protection NCUA provides for member accounts. "With the well-publicized turmoil in the financial markets, consumers need assurance that the federally insured funds in their credit unions are safe up to the insured limits," said NCUA Chairman Michael E. Fryzel. The NCUA Insurance Call Center, operating from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (EDT) Monday through Friday, has insurance experts available to answer questions about the coverage provided by NCUA share insurance. The toll-free Insurance Call Center number is 1-800-755-1030, extension 1. The tool kit is available at www.ncua.gov/ShareInsurance/Index.htm.
For Sale: A (CU-Owned) Theater
LOS ANGELES-A famous, classic Hollywood movie theater that is essentially owned by credit unions is for sale. The El Capitan Theatre, built in 1926 for live, dramatic presentations and restored several times since then, has been put up for sale for $31 million by CUNA Mutual Group. CUNA Mutual has owned what has sometimes been called a "movie palace" since 1994 after its previous owner decided to walk away from the building following damage stemming from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The purchase price includes a six-story office building above the El Capitan that includes the studio where "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is filmed. The El Capitan was earlier restored by Disney which uses it to debut kids films, and is located across the street from another well known Hollywood landmark, Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
Hearing Encourages Texas' CUs
AUSTIN, Texas-State-chartered credit unions here say they are encouraged following a hearing by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission that several proposals that would have increased the regulatory burden will not be adopted. The Commission, which is charged with reviewing whether various departments and other state budget items are still needed, indicated it will recommend that the Texas Credit Union Department continue operating for another 12 years. Separately, the Texas league said it believes the Commission will reject a plan to end consolidated filing of IRS form 990, and would have instead required individual filing by the 218 state-chartered CUs in the state. TCUL CEO Dick Ensweiler said many small CUs do not have the personnel or financial capacity to do so. The commission also indicated it does not favor the monetary penalty component of the proposal, as well.
NJ CUs Get Update On Initiatives
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.-Credit unions in New Jersey were provided an update on events at their state league during its annual meeting here. In addition to a reorganized board and other governance changes (CU Journal, Sept. 29), NJCUL CEO Paul Gentile shared with league members news of the league's first satellite office in the Trenton, N.J., the state capital, the retention of a contract lobbyist, and the initiation of a political element at chapter meetings. Gentile said the league is focused on two legislative areas: opening up municipal deposits for credit unions and enhancing the state charter (as just 17 of the state's 220 credit unions are state-chartered).
The league is also moving forward with a branding campaign by partnering with the state's largest university, Rutgers, to advertise during sporting events. Separately, it has been sponsoring radio spots and using online messaging, with Gentile indicating th NJCUL may move away from "The Difference: You" campaign due to flux in the markets.
"Credit unions will always have political challenges, regulatory challenges, and business challenges," Gentile told the meeting. "Those things will never change and we can meet those challenges one at a time, but what we can't afford is a cooperative challenge. The credit union movement works when we work together. That is our core advantage. There has been some splintering in recent years, but I think with the financial crisis we're seeing the words 'financial cooperative' have never meant more and credit unions will be re-energized to cooperate."
He also called for more cooperation in support of corporate credit unions, urging CUs to keep their money with corporates as an indication of support.
In other New Jersey news, CEO of the Year went to Tom O'Shea, CEO of FAA Eastern Region FCU; and Volunteer of the Year to Robert Weir, director with Seaport FCU.
AFCU Expands Auto Services
LEBANON, N.J.-Affinity FCU here has expanded its partnership with the Hunterdon Auto Resource Center, which was formerly Whitehouse Auto Mall. In conjunction with its recent, biannual car sale, AFCU said it had expanded its auto advisory service through a partnership with LugNutz, which offers member access to specialty auto advisors who can provide unbiased advice on choosing, financing, and insuring automobiles. The service also offers onsite car repair, maintenance and upgrades though the Hunterdon Auto Resource Center. The expanded Auto Resource Center includes the LugNutz service.
Branch Proves To Be Most 'Green'
TITUSVILLE, Fla.-It's a bit warmer inside a branch of KSC FCU here following a competition among branches to "go green." The Titusville branch won the competition that, according to KSCFCU, required that each branch submit a written plan approved by the management team. It had to specify any devices that were planned to be powered-off along with their strategy for winning. It was used to make sure they stayed within the rules of the contest and would not endanger the security, safety or operation of the CU and stayed within preset temperature ranges, the credit union said.
The winning branch was selected after saving the most energy over the same period one month earlier. In the case of the Titusville branch, where the temperature is now set at 75 degrees, it saved 35 kilowatt hours a day. Their efforts won them a "Go Green" lunch served by the CEO, and a framed Board Resolution honoring the staff for their efforts, as well as a tree planted near their building in their honor.(c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.http://www.cujournal.com/ http://www.sourcemedia.com/
