WASHINGTON -- The fiscal cliff/debt ceiling debacle, sequestration, and government shutdown were three of the biggest economic stories of 2013, but a pair of observers says they didn't have much impact on credit unions as a whole.

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Three bills targeting credit unions that were introduced in the Oregon state legislature in January were squashed, but the Northwest Credit Union Association continues to gear up its advocacy efforts.

ATLANTA -- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created a great deal of uncertainty among credit unions this year about the future of employee healthcare.

SAN DIEGO -- Mission Federal Credit Union says its "Mission Fed Money Match" program has been a great success and will be continued and expande d in 2014.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- A revamped version of a credit card that gives back to the community is still not seeing the kind of numbers necessary to declare the refurbished card a success or failure.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa -- Member efforts to change leadership at Family Community Credit Union appear to have been checked.

WASHINGTON -- The Durbin Amendment's sting, for the majority of credit unions, continued to be less painful than expected throughout 2013.

A Look Back At Credit Unions In The News In 2013

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama announced last week that he intends to nominate Mark McWatters to fill the third seat on the NCUA board.

Thanks to new regulations, and those that may be coming down the road, many credit unions ratcheted up their concerns about non-interest income this year.

MADISON, Wis. -- Credit unions may soon be able to leverage new technology in the fight against elder financial abuse.

Hard to ignore the "insight" [SAFE CU CEO Henry] Wirz has about the future of credit unions and the deterioration of the credit union brand.

PHILADELPHIA -- What do Santa and credit unions have in common? The people-helping-people philosophy.

From the outset, 2013 was marked by an ongoing onslaught of new rules proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

They could not have come into this life as quietly as they departed this year, could they?

MADISON, Wis. -- The Federal Reserve's announcement Wednesday that it will begin paring back its bond buying had no immediate impact on interest rates, a good sign for lending next year according to CUNA.

NORWICH, Conn.--Warren Scholl, CEO of CorePlus CU, plans to retire in May 2014.Scholl has led the CU since 2001. During Scholl’s tenure, the credit union has grown from $62 million in assets to more than $200 million. Overall, Scholl has spent 36 years in the credit union industry.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The number of credit unions classified as "low income" continues to rise.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- With Target reporting that its stores have been hit with a massive credit and debit card attack involving up to 40 million accounts, credit unions across the nation are moving to inform their members and gather more information on the security breach.

WASHINGTON -- Federal financial regulators have extended the comment period on their proposed policies for assessing financial institutions' diversity policies and practices.