Fintech

A California company called NEFT wants to provide the online meeting place where debt-laden borrowers get together with lenders and credit bureaus to negotiate repayment plans. Backed by some prominent investors, NEFT says it offers carrots to get all the parties to participate.

SEATTLE — Tiny Northwest Baptist Federal Credit Union on Friday merged into $633 million Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union. The combined credit union will hold $635 million in assets and serve 45,000 members with a total of 7 branches throughout the Greater Seattle area.

Bonus dividends offer positive PR opportunities, but only a relatively small number of credit unions issue them, according to a study by credit union consultancy Callahan & Associates.

NEW YORK — The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions announced the expansion of Juntos Avanzamos (Spanish for "Together We Advance"), a designation for credit unions committed to serving and empowering Hispanic consumers.

Hudson River Teachers Federal Credit Union, a $51-million institution based in Mohegan Lake, N.Y., has changed its name to Hudson River Financial Federal Credit Union, effective immediately.

United Educational Credit Union, a $123-million institution based in Battle Creek, Mich., announced it will re-brand itself as "BlueOx Credit Union," effective January 1, 2016.

One CEO sums up industry frustration this way: 'Why ask the hard questions if you ignore the tough answers?'

The Virginia credit union's website offers concrete reasons for becoming a CU member instead of a bank customer.

In updating cards with EMV technology, Visa and MasterCard have neglected an important element of what makes the security standard so successful elsewhere. The need for PIN verification is clear.

Many card issuers are well on their way to the migration to chip cards or have a plan to do so. But many merchants are still completely unaware of the shift in fraud liability taking effect Thursday.