DEARBORN, Mich.-Plenty of credit unions offer year-end dividends. But DFCU Financial Credit Union has gone one step further and is showing non-members the type of bonus dividend they could earn by joining the credit union.

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WICHITA FALLS, Texas-NCUA claims the manager of TexDot-WF FCU looted as much as two-thirds of the assets of the tiny credit union through phony loans, forcing the federal regulator to shutter the 55-year-old credit union last month.

SALT LAKE CITY-Losses are starting to spread to credit unions in an otherwise healthy market, with several Utah credit unions, including the state's second largest, Mountain America CU, which reported a whopping $22.2-million loss for the third quarter.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-With losses growing among the corporate network, NCUA moved aside the director of its Office of Corporate CUs last week.

FRAZER, Penn.-Organizers of a credit union-owned payment card have postponed the pilot of the secure card until next year, while they work to raise money for the project in a very difficult financing environment.

Seven and a half years ago I attended a League Marketing Workshop. I had just started working at the credit union. I didn't have a single brochure, never done a promotion, nothing, nada, zip, zilch. As the first marketer of my credit union, I was charged with the task of creating it all from scratch. I was very young and, quite frankly, scared to death. It wasn't easy being green.

NOVEMBER

Have you found an effective way to tell your credit union's story, or the credit union story itself? The 4th Annual Frankie Awards are now calling for entries. The awards recognize credit unions that have found an innovative way to explain what they are, how they're unique, and why it should matter to members and non-members alike. As always, the Frankie's have kept the barriers to entry conveniently low. All you have to do is send an explanation of how you've been telling your story, and attach any supporting marketing materials. The Frankie Awards are priced at the credit union-discounted price of FREE! Deadline is Dec. 31. Send your entry to fdiekmann@cujournal.com.

If you knew nothing of credit unions, would you take a morning or afternoon off to travel to an "Expo" and find out more?

Transactions Soar At CUSO

WILKES BARRE, Penn.-Dozens of credit union volunteers fanned out days before last week's elections across Pennsylvania's 11th House district to knock on the doors of voters, many of whom had received mailings in the previous days touting 12-term incumbent Rep. Paul Kanjorski in one of the tightest races of his political career.

MANCHESTER, N.H.-America's first credit union, St. Mary's Bank, will celebrate its centennial-and the 100-year milestone of the birth of the credit union movement-on Nov. 24, 2008. Credit Union Journal will be on hand to recreate that historical moment when Joseph Boivon accepted the very first deposit using period re-enactors.

CUNA Takes Charge Of '30 Under 30'

WASHINGTON-While credit unions lost some friends and added some new ones in last week's elections, the major impact of the widening of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate is expected to be an increasing focus on major consumer protection initiatives that have been opposed so far by credit unions.

MANCHESTER, N.H.-To draw national attention to St. Mary's Bank's 100th anniversary, employees from the credit union headed to the "Today Show" in New York City and captured a few minutes of fame.

FRANKFURT, Ky.-State-chartered credit unions were dealt a blow when the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that state law does not allow for geographic fields of membership, jeopardizing community charters already granted at least six state credit unions.

NEW YORK – Three Russian nationals pleaded guilty last week to helping engineer a $5 million ATM theft scheme, as much as $2 million of which was stolen from Citibank accounts.

HARTSELLE, Ala. – Three Montgomery men were arrested last week after they tried to pull a $250,000 check fraud at Redstone FCU.

DENVER – First Data Corp. announced this week it has terminated an agreement to acquire InComm, a marketer of stored-value gift and prepaid cards.