St. Vrain Valley CU, Longmont, Colo., announced that Orlando Ortega was named volunteer of the year by the Credit Union Association of Colorado.

WASHINGTON-In a sign of future troubles, the loan delinquency rate for credit unions moved up in November to almost 1.3%, from almost 1.2% the month before, according to CUNA.

TEMPE, Ariz.-For many of us, the memory of our first loan lingers on like a bad dream that never seems to go away. That was the experience more than 40 years ago for a young man applying for his first car loan deep in Cajun country. He was physically sick a week before the loan interview took place at the Calcasieu Marine National Bank in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

WASHINGTON-Credit unions were be put on the defensive at last week's opening of the 111th Congress with the introduction of 20 new bills that would allow bankruptcy courts to restructure at-risk mortgages.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA said last week it has reassigned the supervision and examination of Alaska and Nevada credit unions in order to allocate more resources to troubled credit unions.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA said the initial offering of the CU System Investment Program, aimed at pumping new liquidity into the neediest corporate credit unions, will result in $4.9 billion being provided this week.

3 More CUs Announce Annual Dividends

MADISON, Wis.-UW Credit Union's fundraising drive for the University of Wisconsin and Madison Area Technical College raised more than $1.5 million.

APPLE VALLEY, Calif.-High Desert FCU, which was taken into conservatorship by NCUA in October, continues to post losses and capital has declined to nearly 2%, but management insists the credit union is not looking for a merger partner or a purchase and assumption agreement.

As I was growing up, my mother was the CEO of a credit union, so in a way I've been in the credit union industry my entire life. From an early age I can remember the sense of family and community I felt among staff and members alike when I would visit my mother's credit union. Everyone was friendly and knew each other by name, and it was a very comfortable and welcoming place to be. Most importantly, I noticed that the people working at her credit union had a sincere desire to help their members with their financial needs - a true commitment to the credit union philosophy of "people helping people."

LOMBARD, Ill.-Credit union special dividends and year-end bonuses may be down slightly this year, observed industry experts, who suggested that those that have managed to increase dividends may drive long-term growth.

It was a warm Friday evening in July 1997, and we had just returned home from the World Council of Credit Unions forum in Vancouver, BC. We greeted Rachel, our long-time friend and co-owner of the cooperative house we shared in Brooklyn, New York.

If the current economic situation makes you want to forego marketing your credit card portfolio-think again. 2009 offers an unprecedented opportunity for credit unions to gain market share, reach out to worthy consumers who need credit, and build a more loyal membership base.

In 2009, for secondary capital, I would forecast:

NPS, net promoter score, as typically implemented through the "likely to recommend" zero to 10 question, remains a buzz in credit union marketing, primarily because it is simple to implement and easy to understand. It is also highly actionable...if one goes beyond the numbers.

It only occurred to me after I had climbed into the back seat of the rental car with three strangers that this might become one of those stories tucked inside the local news section of the paper. Dead man found on side of road. No ID. Nobody reported missing.

MADISON, Wis.-Credit union marketers are feeling the economy's squeeze on their budgets, and facing a new year's challenge of clearly demonstrating the marketing function's ROI.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-Was 2008 a tough year when it came to lending? One person doesn't expect early 2009 to offer much relief.

PHILADELPHIA-One lender here is expecting the new year to offer growth in student lending and perhaps mortgages, but auto will be weak.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.-Could a return to manual loan underwriting in 2009 be a key to lending success.