CHICAGO — It took five years, but consumers finally are making their mortgage payments before credit card payments, according to recent analysis from TransUnion.

Though the "Great Recession" may be over, its shadow haunts thousands of consumers whose credit scores took a hit due to job loss, missed payments or even a strategic default.

With the average age of credit union members currently at 47, capturing a younger demographic has been a topic of interest within the credit union community for some time now.

LAS VEGAS — Even in this beaten-down housing market some home owners actually have equity, meaning home equity loans — a lending category that largely was forgotten in the aftermath of the housing crisis — are coming back.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued version 1.0 of its Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.

With mortgage interest rates hovering above historic lows and competition fierce, home lenders are scratching and clawing for every loan they can close.

Is "backward" the new "forward?" In at least one critical regard for credit unions, the answer is yes.

While it looks like credit unions will dodge the taxation bullet again this year, bankers won't stop attacking their not-for-profit status. It's a fight that still has a long way to go.

CUNA has appointed a seven-member committee to begin the search for a new president.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NCUA has chartered its first credit union of 2014, with the new CU expected to open its doors this June.

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Board Gov. Jeremy Stein on Thursday submitted his letter of resignation to President Obama.

WASHINGTON — With cyber attacks on the rise, members of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Wednesday issued warnings to financial institutions.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Making loans to startups is a risky business. But one credit union has introduced a new micro-loan program that it says leverages technology — and a small group of businesspeople — to increase the chance the new enterprise will succeed.

SAN ANTONIO — Chief Operating Officer John Kirk has been named interim chief executive officer at Alamo FCU, replacing Max Villaronga, who left to become head of El Paso Area Teachers FCU in El Paso, Texas.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle reached a rare accord Wednesday during a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing, pledging to further investigate allegations of retaliation and discrimination among employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Matteawan FCU has merged with Hudson Valley FCU, the two credit unions announced Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., unveiled legislation on Wednesday to increase fraud protections for debit card customers.

OSHKOSH, Wis. — A trio of Wisconsin credit unions have decided to merge — a rare event in itself, made all the more unusual in that none of the three are struggling.

ONTARIO, Calif. — To help credit unions build their auto-lending portfolios in an increasingly competitive marketplace, CU Direct has formed the North American Automotive Marketing Council.

That's the main takeaway from a recent Federal Reserve Board report that found the number of U.S. consumers using mobile phones to access their financial accounts rose by five percentage points last year.