Approximately 4,000 people are on hand in DC this week for the Credit Union National Association's Governmental Affairs Conference. Here's a look at some of those in attendabce at the opening exhibit hall.

WASHINGTON – CUNA Mutual announced this morning it is partnering with Fiserv to make mobile lending technology available to credit unions.

NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz announced a Regulatory Modernization Initiative aimed at providing regulatory relief for credit unions. It was initiated in part to support President Obama's Executive Order 13579 urging regulators to revise or repeal outdated or insufficient regulations. Providing smart regulatory relief should be a priority for all regulators.

PHILADELPHIA - Three East Coast credit unions have launched a new CUSO called UnityXchange that is creating a trading platform where credit unions and banks can solicit and buy into loan participations based on member business loans.

LANSING, Mich.-A 71-year-old retired General Motors assembly line worker is the winner of the credit union $100,000 Save to Win sweepstakes through his credit union, Astera CU.

WILMINGTON, Del.-Barclaycard US is courting customers who are frustrated by hidden bank charges with a credit card that lays bare not only its fees but also its profitability for the issuer.

BEDFORD, Texas-Advertising outlays by financial institutions have been steadily climbing since the third quarter of 2009, rebounding from the sharp pullback that occurred amid the recession.

WASHINGTON-The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is embarking on an ambitious study to better understand community banks in this country, but observers may be surprised at which institutions made the cut.

MENLO PARK, Calif.-Facebook is becoming a payments contender a lot faster than it has led observers to believe.

WASHINGTON-It looks like a long shot, but small banks are not giving up their quest to bring back rules that they say have helped keep business deposits in local communities.

CUPERTINO, Calif.-For small merchants who want to accept mobile transactions, Apple makes the go-to machines, the iPad and the iPhone.

ORLANDO-Regulators have bombarded mortgage servicers with a flurry of new regulations and government programs in the past year, heaping on tasks and costly reviews. Now they're asking to hear the mortgage companies' complaints.

MESA, Ariz.-Visa Inc. had a few concerns about how consumers would react to three Arizona CUs issuing prepaid gift cards carrying its brand through their ATMs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa--Some tweaks to its travel-related fraud-protection strategies helped an Iowa credit union last year reduce its credit card charge-offs by 16%.

PETERBOROUGH, N.H.-The separate purchases of two banks by credit unions in recent months may have established a precedent that others could follow.

FRANKENMUTH, Mich.-When members of Frankenmuth CU file for bankruptcy, the credit union steps in to provide a helping hand and pick up a good car loan at the same time.

The financial services industry, which includes credit unions, has been through the wringer the past few years. It's been a tough ride, but there is an ever-increasing light at the end of the tunnel.

Even with last year's modest 1.2% loan growth rate pushing the loans-to-assets ratio down to 59.4%, credit unions were able to generate a 40% increase in net income over 2010.

HARRISBURG, Penn.-Wells Fargo's expansion of its $7 monthly checking fee into six new states will only keep Bank Transfer Day momentum going, predict several CU CEOs, including one who laments that someday credit unions will likely join the big bank in adding checking charges.

President and CEO of the Credit Union National Association, Bill Cheney discusses the shift of the credit-union movement.