Kansas Corp Offers E-Bill Pay

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — As NCUA prepares to release new regulations governing corporate credit unions later this month, the cooperative movement as a whole found broad consensus on investment and capital requirements while still somewhat divided on the system's structure.

PLANO, Texas — Southwest Corporate FCU has released a new white paper examining the impact of Check 21 on the financial industry in the five years since its adoption.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NCUA is saying it will not dictate the size of the corporate system when it releases its new rule, and will instead focus on capital requirements, investment risk and transparency.

Property Value Snapshots Offered

DALLAS — Asked for their forecasts, credit union economists and analysts told Credit Union Journal they see risk of deflation in the immediate term, inflation in the longer term.

Credit Union Journal asked attendees at ACUMA's recent annual conference here to describe the state of their local housing market, and what steps they are taking to capture more mortgage share.

LAS VEGAS — The credit union share of mortgage lending in the U.S. hit 5.2% as of June 30, which one industry insider said can be viewed as both good news and bad news.

LAS VEGAS — Credit unions have seen a steady increase in share of the mortgage market, but issues surrounding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may complicate the market's future, according to one analyst.

MADISON, Wis.-Nearly two dozen of the cooperative movement's top leaders completed the five-day Advance Leadership Institute program at Harvard Business School. They are: Thomas J. Martorana, CUNA Mutual; Deborah A Kennedy, Pacific Marine CU; Leslie Hensen, CUNA Mutual; Lynn Athens, Spectrum FCU; Tonita Webb, Seattle Metropolitan CU; Lisa Mingoia, Suffolk FCU; Dr. Esmeralda O. Lyn, Nassau Educators FCU; Shama Campo, T&T Police Service CU; Christopher J. Copeland, CUNA Mutual; Jeff Meyer CUNA Mutual; Michael Celichowski, CUNA Mutual; John A. Williams, Andrews FCU; David Bird, Virtual One CU; Joette Mitchell, CUES; Jeffrey Jaksich, WSECU; Gene Creelman, Interior Savings CU; Ronald Miles, Texas Dow ECU; Adam D. Denbo, California Agribusiness CU; Frank Mancini, Connex CU; John Szalyga, Polish & Slavic FCU; Jack Vanderkooy, DUCA Financial Svcs CU Ltd.; Jeff Kennedy, TwinStar CU; Stephen R. Knight, Power Financial CU.

INDIANAPOLIS-Several prominent figures in Indiana's credit union industry were recently honored by the state league for their leadership. Michael Hostetler of Finance Center FCU and Crane FCU VP/CFO Kevin Sparks and Eli Lilly FCU SVP-Sales and Marketing won this year's Emerging Leadership awards. Vicki Garrett, a credit union official since 1975, picked up a Leadership Achievement Award for her long-term success in the movement.

ONTARIO, Calif.-The Richard Myles Johnson Foundation, the foundation for CUs in California and Nevada, recently handed out a pair grants totaling $17,200 for various youth financial literacy efforts. A $10,000 grant went to Educational Employees Credit Union in Fresno to help fund the opening of a student credit union branch that will be operating in conjunction with Educational Employees CU. The $7,200 grant went to Junior Achievement of Sacramento for its classroom presentation program that should educate more than 300 students in 14 different elementary classrooms.

WASHINGTON-The stimulus bill passed earlier this year make wholesale changes to some federal loan programs, resulting in a rebound in Small Business Administration-backed business loans. The SBA has supported $11.3 billion in loans through its two largest programs since the bill was passed in mid-February and the average number of loans approved each week is 50% higher than it was in the weeks prior to the Recovery Act's passage. In the seven weeks before the bill's being signing, SBA's average weekly dollar volume was $165 million; since its passage that number has jumped to $275 million. September brought in the highest volume of loans in a single month, $1.9 billion, the SBA has seen since Aug. 2007.

DENVER — Credit Union of Colorado has steadily improved its growth rate following a name change two years ago that didn't stray too far from its roots.

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — Family First FCU here is now more than a month into operating an auto sales lot next door to one of its branches.

CUBG Hosts 130 At Conference

NCUA Sells Tiny CU Assets To Prosperity FCU

PHOENIX — Like the CEOs of the other big problem credit unions, Arizona FCU's Ron Westad has a dilemma: should he continue to reduce his size to improve his net worth ratio but also hurt his CU's chances to take full advantage of a rebound when it comes?

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee credit union filed suit against CUNA Mutual Group claiming the credit union insurer should be responsible for millions of dollars of failed loans approved under the credit union's former president.

MADISON, Wis. — Recent litigation against some corporate CUs by natural-person credit unions raises the specter of CUNA Mutual group financing both the plaintiffs and the defendants under its various coverages.