FORTH WORTH, Texas – American Airlines FCU paid members a $10 million special dividend at year-end, one of the biggest member payouts for the year.

There are four words that kill growth at any credit union: Always, Never, Everybody and Nobody.

The Crash Network, which gained notoriety in 2009 for "crashing" CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference, is in the final stages of rebranding itself as The Cooperative Trust.

Dems Place Deposit In CDCU Ahead Of Convention

The new year brings new scrutiny to how long the debit interchange window of opportunity will remain open for credit unions.

Efforts by big-box retailers to avoid interchange fees will further eat into CU debit revenue this year, asserts one person, and potentially create a position between a "rock and a hard place."

WASHINGTON--Consumers continue to pay down debts across a number of loan categories, according to data released last week.

DMCU has offered its "No Credit Check Easy Loan" since 2007, but sought to "raise the ante" this year when it more than doubled the amount of funds available as part of the specidl program.

Bob Hoefer became president and CEO of Dupaco Community Credit Union in 1971, and during his career has overseen growth to 12 branches, 63,000 members and more than $955 million in assets. He shares his thoughts in this exit interview.

The Government Accountability Office, the accounting arm of Congress, last week said that NCUA's loss projections for the corporate credit unions' meltdown were unreliable and as a result it is not possible to estimate the ultimate losses related to the corporates.

The numbers make clear how broad the gap is between the yield on investments and the yield on loans. Bridging that gap in 2012, notes one person, will come down to credit union staff.

Establishing a consistent lending experience across all delivery channels will help credit unions garner a bigger share of their members' loan business this year.

When it comes to lending in 2012, one person is advising that capturing business loans from the big banks could be the biggest opportunity available.

Pointing to a "backlog" of consumer credit needs, Dennis Dollar is cautioning credit unions to avoid becoming too risk averse in 2012.

In 2012 expect to see only more usage of automated analytical and business intelligence tools to better manage lending portfolios, address risk, and get more quality loans out of their members.

Mobile banking has seen remarkable advances in recent years, but largely has not included lending. Expect that to change as soon as 2012, according to Mark Nelson, Loanliner sales specialist for CUNA Mutual Group.

One person has some advice that many credit unions haven't heard in awhile: Lending should pick up in 2012, meaning adequate deposits must be on hand to keep pace.

It may not be a strategy that works for all, but Red River Employees FCU here is planning to take a bit more risk with its lending in 2012.

As the auto lending market continues to get tougher, credit unions have to find more ways to stand out beyond simply offering a low rate.

Instead of cutting rates to battle tough consumer lending competition, CUs will need to gain greater relevance in the minds their members and communities in order to generate more loans.