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LIVE OAK, Texas-Years ago Randolph-Brooks FCU rerolled calculator tapes and used the other side. While that old savings trick is nearly as obsolete as the machines themselves, the simple philosophy of not wasting resources runs deep through the $3.6-billion credit union and is fueling its record expansion.

LIVE OAK, Texas-Randolph-Brooks FCU has numerous cost-reduction efforts underway. Here are a few that have significantly contributed to the millions the CU has shaved off its operating costs.

ATLANTA-Credit unions looking to improve efficiencies should first make sure they have a scorecard to track results.

Lean Six Sigma combines the speed improvements that come from using Lean principles with the quality improvements that come from using Six Sigma.

HARRISBURG, Penn.-Credit unions of all sizes scrambled to stay in compliance with a bevy of new regulations proposed or enacted in 2009 and are bracing for more in 2010. As a result, many smaller credit unions have had to get innovative in meeting compliance demands.

LOMBARD, Ill.-Other "sexy" issues like healthcare, jobs and terrorism are likely to put consumer protection legislation on the backburner once again, according to Bill Handel VP-Product Development at Raddon Financial Group, who believes a bill with significant changes to overdraft practices will not be seen in 2010, if at all.

BROOKFIELD, Wis.-Fiserv recently released Relationship Advance, a new product that allows credit unions to provide a short-term, open-end line of credit linked to members' checking accounts.

WILMINGTON, N.C.-Changes to Reg. E and future overdraft reform are beneficial for credit unions, according to Robert C. Giltner, a consulting partner at Velocity Solutions.

RALEIGH, N.C. – State Employees’ CU reported another successful year, even as the recession was spreading across the state creating one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. – Nearly a full year after we said goodbye to 2008, Members United Corporate FCU finally was able to close the books on it as well, posting a $1.2 billion loss for the year in a financial statement released on New Year’s Eve 2009-10.

FOREST GROVE, Ore.-Merger Solutions Group President David Bartoo shares this merger advice for credit unions looking to acquire another via merger.

MOLINE, Ill.-For a credit union to get more business from its members, it has to get more out of its employees first.

AUSTIN, Texas-Two traditional sources of fee income-ATM and NSF fees-are unlikely to return to previous levels in the coming year.

WASHINGTON-In 2010, credit unions will have to do much more than rely on consumers' flight to safety to grow membership and drive deeper relationships.

LAS VEGAS-With its CEO back after a brief departure, Silver State Schools CU is working with American Share Insurance (ASI) and the Nevada Financial Institutions Division to turn around the troubled credit union, including a plan to provide a cash infusion into the institution.

FOREST GROVE, Ore.-While credit unions under $20-million in assets continue to be primary merger targets, those very small shops-around $1 to $2 million-may not find many consolidation partners in the future.

ATLANTA–In remarks over the weekend Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said it was regulatory failure and not lax monetary policy that led to the bursting of the housing bubble and the resulting deep recession.

WASHINGTON–The start of the New Year meant the end of a U.S. Treasury short-term credit facility as well as the end of a GSE mortgage-purchasing program. The Treasury ceased purchasing mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHLBs on Dec. 31; the government agency bought about $220 billion in assets from those entities.

LAS VEGAS–Silver State Schools Credit Union, which could receive a cash infusion from its deposit insurer, American Share Insurance, in the near future, could be profitable by next year.

CAROL STREAM, Ill.–The confidence of small business owners in the economy improved slightly in December, according to a survey by Discover Financial Services.