ALEXANDRIA, Va.-The National Credit Union Administration was ranked 30th in a new analysis of government agencies according to a number of employees earning a salary of more than $180,000 annually.

Just 3 U.S. Banks Make Strongest List

Biller Direct Competition Heats Up

WASHINGTON-Responding to progress credit unions and banks have made in Congress to delay or derail new interchange caps that are included in the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd Frank Act, the National Retail Federation is rolling out a major, nationwide, 60-day lobbying, grassroots and media campaign aimed at ensuring that the law goes into effect as scheduled.

SALEM, Ore.-Oregon Employees FCU here is the first credit union to give members a free online file cabinet that they can use to store any electronic document for life.

SEATTLE-Salal Credit Union here wants foursquare and Yelp users to "check-in" to a branch, then check out the CU's free checking accounts.

LIVE OAK, Texas-Randolph-Brooks FCU (RBFCU) here used foursquare to spark donations to United Way in January, said Natalie Tate, public relations director at the $4.2-billion CU.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.-Solving a core-system problem may be as easy as downloading an app created by a fellow Open Solutions client, according to Redstone FCU here, one of the first credit unions to develop applications for the core provider's new DNAappstore.

LATHAM, N.Y.-Rubber duckies wearing eye-patches hurl themselves at angry pirate monkeys in "Duck Pirates," the first Android and iPhone video game created by a credit union.

AUSTIN, Texas-There's a new player in the mobile banking game, but credit unions may well recognize some of the founders of the just-launched FI-MOBILE, Inc.

MULBERRY, Fla.-Magnify Credit Union's new origination system makes faster, higher quality consumer loans and cross-sales-at a fraction of the cost of previous technology.

Akcelerant, Allied Integrate Svcs.

WRG, Geezeo Sign Agreement

Ministering To Members' Needs

2 New DNA Solutions Debut

LARAMIE, Wyo.-UniWyo CU here can't decide what's best about its new personal financial management (PFM) software: that PFM offers members the best in online money management, or that the CU's core vendor delivers the software integrated with the data processing and Internet banking platforms.

A one-hour give and take at the THINK11! Conference offered a variety of differing perspectives on where opportunities and threats for credit unions may lie, along with examining how to encourage more creativity from CU staff.

Matt Weidler, IT Asset Coordinator with Evangelical Christian Credit Union of Brea, Calif., has been named the winner of the first annual CO-OP THINK Prize for his idea to allow members to access ATMs using their cell phones.

In what is annually the best line-up of speakers at any credit union gathering, CO-OP Financial Services' annual THINK Conference delivered on its name last week in Anaheim.

One can hope that the NCUA will recognize that banks are simply being required to look more like credit unions when determining appropriate levels of real capital for their industry.