ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This year PSCU believes credit unions should tighten member authentication standards at the branch and call centers.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — There are almost limitless fraud threats to credit unions, but for one person the biggest threat is actually at the credit union.

NEW YORK — United Nations FCU made a big splash in the world of credit cards in 2010 when it became the first U.S. issuer of a globally compliant, microprocessor payment card.

ONTARIO, Calif. — It is amazing-and sad-to Salvador Mendoza that many of the same banking scams used for years are still working today.

LINDEN, N.J. — Stricter authentication rules around e-signature and detecting check fraud sooner-at the teller line-will go a long way toward reducing the CU's fraud loses in 2011, according to John Levy.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It's time credit unions beef up fraud prevention skills around Apple technology and start collaborating locally with CU fraud experts.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — When it comes to fraud, credit unions' desire to provide superior member service actually helps scam perpetrators, according to Harland Financial Solutions.

TUKWILA, Wash. — At $9 billion in assets BECU is a big target for fraud, and it has nine people divided into several teams staffing its security risk department.

LOS ALTOS, Calif. — A solution that creates a behavior "baseline" for members has been found to be effective in battling the online threat presented by malware.

MADISON, Wis. — The top fraud risks facing credit unions in 2011 are home equity line of credit wire fraud and card skimming, reported CUNA Mutual Group.

While the market downturn of the past three years has had an impact on mortgage lenders of all sizes, it has also provided an opportunity for many credit unions to emphasize the difference between their level of service and that perceived of the larger, national firms.

DALLAS – Members of Southwest Corporate Bridge FCU have approved a reverse merger of the remnants of the failed corporate into Georgia Corporate FCU, one of three pending corporate combinations. In balloting that began at a special meeting held online last week 93% of the 540 voting members of Southwest approved the merger. The vote represented just 39% of the one-time $13 billion corporate’s 1,300 members. Southwest Corporate Bridge represents a shell of its former self after its main asset, its investment portfolio, was liquidated by NCUA following the agency’s Sept. 24 takeover of Southwest and two other corporate failures, Members United Corporate FCU and Constitution Corporate FCU. Consequently, the new corporate will use the Georgia Corporate charter, though Southwest will dominate the board of the new entity, with eight of the nine seats. One of the first steps of the merger plan, which has been submitted to NCUA for approval, is a road show to raise perpetual contributed capital under NCUA’s new corporate regulations. Two other corporate mergers are in the works; Virginia Corporate FCU is being merged into Mid-Atlantic Corporate FCU in Pennsylvania; and Alabama’s Corporate America CU is preparing to combine with Louisiana Corporate CU.DALLAS – Members of Southwest Corporate Bridge FCU have approved a reverse merger of the remnants of the failed corporate into Georgia Corporate FCU, one of three pending corporate combinations.

It remains to be seen whether the historical superiority of credit unions will hold up in the current environment. Early indications suggest it may persist, but the jury is still out.

Faced with the many challenges this crisis brings, how will the industry regain momentum and prosper? Innovations in processing payments may be the answer.

If you currently feel that too many loans are denied at your credit union, I suggest the following.

As this issue of Credit Union Journal is the last to be published in January, let's close out by acknowledging a story from 2010 that hasn't engendered a lot of discussion: No credit union converted to a bank charter.

WASHINGTON — NAFCU last week launched efforts aimed at repealing the Dodd-Frank Act's debit interchange amendment, calling on Senate leaders to eliminate the provision they approved just last year.

SLEEPY EYE, Minn.-SouthPoint FCU ranks at the very top of its peer group for cross selling, and the credit union says it owes that good fortune to not paying employee incentives.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Lawmakers here have been asked to support a bill that would allow credit unions and banks to offer prized-based savings contests, similar to the one staged by Michigan credit unions last year that awarded $100,000 to one saver.

SAN FRANCISCO — Mission SF Federal Credit Union says it needs $200,000 over the next two months to keep its doors open, and it is putting out feelers to potential investors.