Corporate governance

BURBANK, Calif.-A "Synergy Department" at Partners FCU has helped drive a Best Practice for growth.

PENSACOLA, Fla.-Spending $20,000 annually on a comprehensive employee training program is a small price to create a pool of talented leaders who are driving CU performance, says Pen Air FCU.

CHARLESTON, W.Va.-Pioneer West Virginia FCU has completed an impressive turnaround.

LAKE MARY, Fla.-After being named Central Florida's best credit union for the fourth time by local media, CFE FCU here set out to do more to raise awareness of its brand via its Facebook page and a Web Hunt game.

RALEIGH, N.C.-With 1.7 million members and $23 billion in assets, State Employees' CU here is the second largest CU in the U.S. But despite its size, SECU still strives to remain innovative in ways other CUs struggle to be. SVP of Education Services Leigh Brady said that SECU's strategy is simple: Listen to the needs of the members.

SAN FRANCISCO-When other financial institutions passed on working with a local agency on a loan program to help drivers purchase a taxi medallion, the $770-million San Francisco Federal Credit Union stepped up.

PLYMOUTH, Minn.-After instituting a new sales and service culture in January and tying it to an employee-incentive program, TruStone Financial FCU here has seen a 56% year-to-date increase in its membership numbers-and that was prior to all the hubbub around Bank Transfer Day.

SANDUSKY, Ohio-Credit unions may struggle with awareness and misconceptions about membership, but one CU believes it's actually lack of relevance that is often the biggest detractor to growth.

CHARLESTON, W.Va.-Sometimes the best thing for a struggling credit union is to start over.

JACKSONVILLE, Ark.-Some credit unions are finding those debit promotions that have ramped up the past few months are reeling in more than checking accounts, they're attracting profitable members.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-Break-ups aren't always a bad thing. That's what Members CU here learned during October when its "Break Up With Your Bank" campaign increased membership by 83% over the previous month.

LAS VEGAS-Just two days after Bank Transfer Day, Credit Union Journal asked attendees of the Credit Union Executives Society's CEO/Executive Team Network conference how much activity their credit unions saw?

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.-Bank Transfer Day was a mixed bag for small credit unions in the Golden State, as most did not have the resources to launch marketing campaigns.

WEST JORDAN, Utah-Despite Bank of America's attempt to wave the white flag by rescinding its $5-per-month debit card fee, consumers poured into Mountain America CU here.

RENO, Nev.-Dennis Flannigan, president and CEO of $103-million Great Basin CU in Reno, Nev., said on normal Saturday it might get five or six new accounts, but on Nov. 5 it had 18 new accounts plus six current members added checking accounts.

SAN DIEGO-San Diego County Credit Union combined Bank Transfer Day with a "Shred Your Big Bank Debit Card" promotion.

VENTURA, Calif.-The $542-million Ventura County CU opened 315 new accounts on Bank Transfer Day. The credit union is usually closed on Saturdays, but increased its hours in response to consumer demand.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.-The Golden 1 Credit Union is reporting "tremendous" growth in membership and new checking accounts since the beginning of October following the BofA debit fee announcement. Scott Ingram, SVP of marketing for the $7.4-billion CU, said, "We had a great Bank Transfer Day."

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.-The $3.3-billion Kinecta FCU saw a lot of activity on Bank Transfer Day, much of it from one determined member.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.-Henry Kertman, a spokesman for the California and Nevada CU Leagues, noted CUNA estimated California has had the largest number of new members for any state since Sept. 29: 90,000 and $624 million in new deposits. He said the leagues estimate credit unions have been seeing 2.5 times the average number of new member sign-ups per week.