Southeast Corporate FCU's Birdwell To Retire

IRVINE, Calif. — The marketing advantage credit unions have enjoyed over banks during the recession could be slipping away.

Given the digital, information-laden age in which we live, it is odd that so many electronic fund transfers are still carried out via data message strings that contain very little information. After all, businesses today are so data savvy they can predict consumers' spending habits even before they make purchases based on the historical data collected about them.

Democracy forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements.

Here are several questions organizations should ask themselves to prepare for IAT:

Going into 2010, the top brand challenges for credit unions will be:

SEATTLE-More than 100 man-sized kites lit up the sky over the city's north side during rush hour last week, the latest viral ad campaign launched by the CUs of Washington.

RIVERSIDE, Calif.-If Bernie Titus, CEO of the soon to be merged from existence Service Plus CU, has one regret, it is straying away from the CU's roots. Service Plus was founded as Riverside Campus FCU in 1960 by members of the University of California, Riverside. In 2003, members elected to convert to a California State charter with an expanded field of membership to include those that live, work, worship or attend school in Riverside County.

WASHINGTON — Credit unions may be hard-pressed to fend off new efforts to bring them under the Community Reinvestment Act, in light of another study questioning their commitment to serving the underserved.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – A local man who robbed two credit unions last year was handed the maximum sentence of five years in state prison under his plea bargain with the District Attorney's office.

TOOELE, Utah – HeritageWest CU announced the departure of its long-time CEO Steve Christensen and the promotion of Bruce Bryan, its chief operating officer, as his successor as president and CEO of the $300 million credit union.

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Workers’ CU is the latest credit union to offer its members web-enabled cellphone banking.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Telhio CU plans to open its sixth branch next week, which will feature dialogue banking, which places the teller and member side-by-side at a banking kiosk instead of separated by a wall.

DORCHESTER, Mass. – The state Division of Banking said yesterday it has approved an application from Boston Firefighters CU to expand statewide with a so-called TIP (for trade, industry or profession) charter serving any professional firefighter in the Bay State.

PENSACOLA, Fla. – PenAir FCU said yesterday it has contracted with PrimeVest Financial Services to provide its members with full-service brokerage services.

McLEAN, Va. – Long-term mortgage rates slipped slightly this week near record lows reached this spring, according to Freddie Mac.

SHORELINE, Wash. – Police shot to death an armed robbery suspect and arrested a second suspect after they allegedly held up an Alaska USA FCU branch inside a Safeway supermarket yesterday afternoon.

MADISON, Wis. – CUNA Mutual Group announced yesterday it is now offering Management and Professional Liability insurance, a new policy designed to protect credit unions and the personal assets of their directors, officers, volunteers and employees from a growing number of litigation exposures related to operating a credit union.

SACRAMENTO – State regulators said they have received applications for two more credit union mergers, and have approved the merger of troubled Service Plus CU into SchoolsFirst FCU.

SEATTLE – More than 100 man-sized kites lit up the sky over the city’s north side during yesterday’s rush hour, the latest viral ad campaign launched by the Credit Unions of Washington.