In my view, the funds going to the corporates from the NCUSIF and resulting levy upon CUs is:

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah-Count Kris Mecham among those who support the concept of a plan to help corporates, but who also questions NCUA's current proposal.

AUSTIN, Texas-NCUA's corporate rescue may force credit unions to make some tough ALM choices this year. But one securities firm says that investing in longer-term instruments should not be one of those.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-NCUA's decision to cover corporate losses and inject $1 billion into U.S. Central may turn a number of natural person credit unions balance sheets from black to red over the next two years according to one of the administration's past chairmen.

ATLANTA-CDC Federal Credit Union has begun participating in the "Buy and Build" mortgage program - and suggests that "every credit union should be doing this."

VERNON HILLS, Ill.-Baxter Credit Union (BCU) recently expanded its "Green Auto Loan" program, whereby borrowers who purchase a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle receive the benefit of reduced interest rates.

WASHINGTON-FedChoice has replaced its monthly newsletter with FedChoice Financial Concierge Quarterly, a magazine designed to educate, guide and provide solutions on a wide array of financial topics from refinancing a mortgage to how to save money on car maintenance.

LOS ANGELES-Los Angeles Federal Credit Union (LAFCU) staged a "Vacation with a Low-Rate Visa," promotion giving members the chance to receive 2.9% APR on Visa Convenience Checks and a free trip to Hawaii.

Among the retired CU CEOs and regulators who are offering their insights at CUretiredexecs.com are: Eldon Arnold, Ed Baranowski, Bruce Campbell, Nancy Mattox, Brian McDonnell, Patrick McGrady, Lu Morrow, Juri Valdov, Lindsay Alexander, John Tippets, Judy McCartney, Pat Calhoun, Brett Hales, Armando Cavazos, Ron Snellings and former NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Helping small credit unions has been occupying much of Holly Herman's time since serving as NCUA chief of staff under JoAnn Johnson.

CUES Launches School Of Risk

CLEARWATER, Fla.-Debit card volume is likely to grow as consumers seek to better manage tight budgets and avoid credit cards. But analysts are cautioning that credit unions are going to need to get more aggressive with their own debit card strategies if they plan to compete with banks.

Calyx Adds Hazard Insurance

CLEARWATER, Fla.-Card Services for Credit Unions, which supports more than 3,100 credit unions card portfolios, acknowledged that charge-offs are increasing. That's why the company is recommending that in addition to integrating bankruptcy scores into risk assessment, CUs should step up collections, picking up the phone for a courtesy call in 10 days rather than 30, said President Bob Hackney.

DALLAS-Who should credit unions be targeting to grow their card portfolios?

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-Credit unions that manage their exposure as they expand their card base may benefit significantly, according to Glenn Schechter, director of credit services for the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based PSCU Financial Services.

Summit CU, Madison, Wis., named Rhonda L. Clayton mortgage loan officer.

WASHINGTON-A fired Fannie Mae contract worker pleaded not guilty to charges he planted a virus designed to destroy all the data on the secondary mortgage market giant's 4,000 computer servers nationwide.

MADISON, Wis.-The Filene Research Institute, in conjunction with Ohio University and a handful of credit unions, is poised to launch a new way of teaching young people real financial skills such as evaluating a car loan, paying rent on a budget, and investing for the future via a three-dimensional Internet application.

What is consumers' No. 1 source of information about where to bank? It's not marketing, advertising or brochures: it's word of mouth.