NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.- Credit Union Journal asked both banks and CUs during the Harland Financial Solutions 2011 Connections Annual Conference here,"What are you seeing in loan demand, and what are you doing to drive volume?"

BURNSVILLE, Minn.-Bob Stowell, SVP/COO with US Federal Credit Union here, recently returned from a humanitarian mission to Haiti as part of a group from the Burnsville Morning Rotary Club. Working with Haiti Outreach, Stowell was located in the city of Pignon for three days working on the main project of building a pump house, and also attended the dedication of a well, which has cut to 45 minutes from four hours the travel time necessary to get fresh water. Stowell, who is the incoming district governor for Rotary District 5950, also visited the village of Ronkit, where he began his club's next project: the planning, funding and construction of a school.

LAKE JACKSON, Texas-Moving to a community charter means taking on the big boys, and TDECU likes to do that one at a time.

TEMPE, Ariz.-TruWest Credit Union has lowered its auto loan rates on second- and third-tier credit-and is offering additional incentives for booking loans-all in an effort to boost its portfolio.

ST. JOSEPH, Mich.-United FCU, which is in the process of acquiring nearby Griffith Savings Bank, said it has had all depositors in the troubled Indiana S&L join the American Consumer Council to facilitate the rare credit union deal.

IG'S REPORT CRITICAL OF

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.-One CEO contends that a lot of small western CUs are not unhappy about the fate of the former Wescorp and are not too concerned with their own future servicing needs.

EL CAJON, Calif.-Following the failure of United Resources' bid to raise capital and emerge from Wescorp's shadow, some credit unions are prepared and ready to move on to "Plan B," while others-mostly small CUs-are concerned and wondering what's next.

CUES Names Golden Mirror Winners

The oft-referred-to credit union "community" is really one of "communities." And sitting atop those communities and acting as a United Nations of Financial Co-ops is the World Council of Credit Unions, which has a new CEO at the helm.

The president and CEO of NASCUS says the credit union system, regulators and industry have a valuable opportunity to realign our regulatory framework in a way that supports and enhances the movement into the future.

We are often told things that challenge us make us stronger. I'm not sure if that is true, but I do know that events and people will change a person.

LEWISTON, Maine – A former teller at Great Falls FCU last week was indicted on charges of using an ATM card to steal more than $10,000 from a member’s account.

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Newport Beach attorney on Friday was sentenced to nine months in jail for overdrawing two checking accounts at LBS Financial CU and Wells Fargo as part of a $6-million kiting scheme.

NEW YORK – Brooklyn native and former New York Mets relief pitcher John Franco has reached a long-term agreement with Municipal CU to continue as its official spokesperson.

PLANO, Texas – InTouch CU has selected Geezeo to provide a personal financial management solution and integrated marketing platform.

OGDEN, Utah – Shelley Clarke, who built Goldenwest CU into a $775-million credit union over the past 10 years, is retiring at year end and will be succeeded by vice president Kerry Wahlen.

YAKIMA, Wash. – Officials with newly merged Yakima Valley CU and Catholic CU will call their new $500 million credit union Solarity CU.

CHELSEA, Mass. – Metro CU, which recently entered 14 area college campuses with the acquisition of Boston’s University CU, will get another metro-Boston branch with the planned merger of Secure CU in Melrose.

BOSTON – First Priority CU, which failed in its longtime bid to convert to a bank, has instead applied to state regulators to expand its field of membership to cover more than half of the Bay State.