SAN FRANCISCO-Online money management tools could act as a beacon for high-income, high-debt people who are looking for help during the financial fallout, according to a panel at the CUNA Technology Council (CTC) Summit.

The following are members of Credit Union Journal's Technology Panel.

HONOLULU-As part of the launch of its new brand, Hawaii Central CU is holding the state's first-ever Fastest Text Messaging Contest.

WARREN, Mich.-Two suspicious packages left outside of credit unions in Eastpointe and Warren were found harmless and employees and members at the two credit unions were allowed to return to work. Warren police evacuated between 50 and 60 people from Peoples Trust CU branch in Warren after a suspicious package which included death threats to the police, was found unattended outside. But the package turned out to be discarded trash. Eastpointe police also evacuated the area around a Michigan First CU branch when an unattended package attracted attention. The package turned out to be a briefcase. The two incidents appear to be unrelated, according to police.

MINNEAPOLIS-Fast-growing Teacher FCU, the state's sixth largest credit union, said it is changing its name to TruStone Financial CU.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tinker FCU, State ECU, Nassau Financial FCU and Envision CU were honored as winners of the 2009 CUNA Technology Council Best Practices Awards at the Council's 14th Annual Summit.

SAN FRANCISCO — Make the most of the tools you already have as your company's technology spending slows down, suggested a panel including Microsoft, BECU and Harland Financial Solutions at the CUNA Technology Council (CTC) Summit.

Mountain America CU, Salt Lake City, has named Don Youngberg as manager of one of its branches in Taylorsville and Carolyn Hambleton manager of the West Valley branch.

WASHINGTON-Bank regulators shuttered two banks in Florida and one in Oregon last week to make a total of 72 bank failures so far this year.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA said it transferred $1.8 billion on deposit with the emergency loan fund, the Central Liquidity Facility, from the failed U.S. Central FCU and bought U.S. Treasury securities with the funds.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA announced it is extending the expiration date of its Temporary Corporate Share Guarantee Program, which is guaranteeing all deposits in corporate credit unions, for another three months, until Dec. 31, 2011.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Is the record number of CU liquidations in 2009 a reflection of regulatory agencies acting quickly-or too late?

The last year painfully illustrated the dilemma most credit unions have been facing for some time now. Even when financing becomes available, finding qualified individuals is about as daunting of a challenge today than at any time in recent history. The slightest imperfection in a credit report can derail a loan process.

The history of the finance industry has been punctuated with ups and downs, with many of the "downs" providing the necessary impetus for strong organizations to rise to the top. During the recession in 2000, 40% of the organizations that had been top performers fell out of that bracket, leaving a huge void for new organizations to fill.

August

PSCU-FS, Corporate One Team Up

MADISON, Wis. — Credit unions across the country are scrambling to comply with the open-ended lending segment of the CARD Act that goes into effect on Aug. 20.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A new partnership with Mid-Atlantic Corporate FCU subsidiary MY CU Services means that iPay Technologies is now the supplier of online bill pay services for more than half of the nation's credit unions that boast such a service.

It's time for financial institutions to demand compensation for doing the work of government agencies. Anyone else feeling a little put out by the raft of regulations and compliance issues we face every day? It's long overdue that we get serious about regulatory effects on our bottom lines and the cost to the member. It is time for a concentrated effort, by the affected, to demand compensation for the efforts we make that are mandated by government, but rightfully the responsibility of government agencies that get off scott free while we do their work.

Core conversions are often long, painful and full of headache-evoking processes, and sometimes just the dreaded thought of it all could end the decision to convert. To ensure a successful conversion, credit unions should follow seven basic steps. Each step requires different documentation and tasks that must be completed before moving to the next step, and quality gates should be included in the conversion process to establish important milestones and ensure completeness.