Corporate governance

OGDEN, Utah – America First CU has signed to be the title sponsor of Rocky Mountain Raceway’s ASA Oval, which will be called the “America First Credit Union Super Oval at Rocky Mountain Raceways.”

DENVER – Bellco CU has introduced an online car buying service by Automotive Avenues.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Unitus Community CU pledged yesterday to continue offering free checking and free online services such as bill pay even as many banks are beginning to charge fees for the once-free services.

MADISON, Wis. – A special loan that lowers interest when members pay on time, a small business incubator for Gen Yers and a 60-day return policy for loans are among the new innovations being proposed by the Filene Research Institute’s i3 group.

BILOXI, Miss.-Keesler FCU is adding 300 more products and services a month since adding online account opening, according to the CU that credits not only the technology but how the new tool is deployed.

ROCKVILLE, Md.-With an eye toward vertical growth, National Institutes of Health Federal Credit Union (NIHFCU) has partnered with Women in Bio, an organization for females working in bioscience in Baltimore, Washington and Northern Virginia.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.-Credit unions that believe high fees are the primary reason they have seen an influx of former bank customers becoming new members are wrong, according to a new study.

VENTURA, Calif.-A technology model developed to serve members in Mexico is heading north and will be piloted by a California credit union as a way to reach out to the unbanked and underbanked.

CHELSEA, Mass. – Metro, one of the biggest credit unions in the Bay State, will get access to more than 100,000 students at a dozen area colleges with the planned merger of University CU.

SEATTLE – In the latest mega-merger among credit unions, on Monday Watermark CU announced it is combining with Tacoma’s Sound CU to create a credit union with more than $1.1 billion in assets.

LANSING, Mich. – Auto Body CU, chartered in 1949 to serve workers at the Fisher Auto Body company, in April will be changing its name to Astera CU to reflect a broader marketing effort.

WASHINGTON-CUNA next week plans to unveil a new web-based tool the trade group says "can play a critical role in helping not only to tell the credit union story, but to convince more consumers nationwide to consider-and then join-a credit union."

CHANDLER, Ariz.-First Credit Union has a lofty plan for 2011: to save its members a million dollars or more.

SAN ANTONIO – Firstmark CU this week is launching a brand overhaul featuring a series of television spots imprinted with its new positioning statement, “Great with People. Great with Money.”

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Framingham Municipal FCU is eliminating checking and Internet banking fees and changing its name to Metro-West Community FCU as part of a rebranding around its expanded field of membership serving almost 700,000 residents in communities west of Boston.

ST. LOUIS — Relationship pricing has reduced Gateway Metro FCU's membership by more than 5,000 over the last five years, yet it has also boasted assets by $16 million.

David Barton, who recently turned over the reins of Gateway Metro FCU, spoke with Credit Union Journal about the road he — and the CU — traveled to get GMFCU to where it is today.

BOSTON – As credit unions pile into new avenues of social media they will want to measure carefully the effects of this growing marketing tool, according to a new study released this week by Aite Group.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Metro CU, which built on its local image with a 2009 Super Bowl commercial touting banks’ “Fee Pigs,” scored again with a 30-second spot on Sunday’s local broadcast of the big game.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-After 38 years as CEO, Larry D. Morgan has retired as CEO of APCO Employees Credit Union. During his tenure Morgan oversaw tremendous growth, from $3 million in assets to more than $2 billion, and from 3,200 members to more than 61,000.