Corporate governance

BLUE BELL, Penn. – State regulators approved an application from Norristown Bell CU to convert from a multiple group credit union to a community charter serving the 800,000 residents of surrounding Montgomery County.

HESPERIA, Calif. – Vons CU plans to open a new branch inside a Vons supermarket here, just as local Arrowhead Central CU is selling its branch to out-of-state credit union giant Alaska USA FCU.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Alaska USA FCU on Saturday completed its acquisition of four branches from Arrowhead Central CU, even as NCUA was taking over the troubled one-time $1.1 billion credit union.

APPLETON, Wis.-Sometimes instituting a sales culture at the credit union comes at the expense of service. But Community First Credit Union made the move and has not only increased product penetration, but member satisfaction scores, as well.

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. – Wings Financial CU, the state’s largest credit union, said yesterday it has agreed to acquire Highgrove Community FCU, a troubled one-time $42 million credit union.

VIENNA, Va.-At a time when many financial institutions were making loans more difficult for consumers to get, Navy Federal Credit Union took a different tack.

TAMPA, Fla.-GTE FCU is hoping is efforts to capitalize on a local icon will generate some real monkey business. The $1.6 billion credit union launched its "Mystery Monkey Tour" based on a rhesus monkey that has achieved cult status in southwest Florida as it has roamed around the area for the last year, narrowly avoiding capture multiple times.

LANSING, Mich.-Credit unions are doing anything but taking the summer off when it comes to advertising, especially on the airwaves.

SEATTLE - A short film documenting last September's "Kites Over Washington" viral ad featuring 131 man-sized kites representing each of the state's credit unions won a regional Emmy award in the special event category.

PANAMA CITY, Fla.-Innovations CU has been taking a page from its namesake, promoting itself with a pair of "flash mobs" designed to get the attention of Generation Y.

ATLANTA-Credit unions have seen a membership surge in the first half of 2010-now one company is offering a strategy to retain them in the second half-and beyond.

BROOKFIELD, Wis.-Credit unions appear ready to step up again with investment in technology to meet strategic goals-including meeting a projecting increase in self-service.

PLEASANTON, Calif.-A credit union's ability to address five key business drivers will separate the successful from those that can't compete in the coming years, according to Harland Financial Solutions.

SAN ANTONIO-One of the best ways credit unions can offset decreasing revenue projections for Q3 and Q4 of 2010 is to increase cross sales of non-core products.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Pyramid CU was approved by NCUA to convert to a federal charter that will cover more than 1 million residents in surrounding Pima County.

ALASKA:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska-In contrast to the hunkered down position of many CUs over the past two years, Alaska USA FCU has been aggressively expanding its operations into a third state: California.

NEW ORLEANS-Alaska USA FCU has looked at 23 potential credit union mergers over the past 16 months. But according to CFO Norm West, it has rejected most of those potential suitors as not fitting the criteria it looks for in mergers.

FAIRBORN, Ohio-To retain members and grow, Wright-Patt CU believes credit unions must move closer to one-to-one marketing-which is why the credit union recently upgraded its MCIF to provide near real-time data.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Constellation FCU was granted one of the broadest TIP charters – for tradewide, industrywide or professionwide – to cover almost 500,000 federal government employees or retirees in the Washington metropolitan area.