I could not agree more with Bill Morrow's story regarding defending against Identity Theft. One of our CUSO companies here at MaPS Credit Union in Salem, Oregon, is in the business of protecting credit unions from making bad hiring decisions.

I enjoyed the article and tips under the title, "MANAGEMENT: Navigating Troubled Waters: Experts Share Strategies." (CUJ Sept. 29).

The Clarion-Ledger featured faith-based credit unions in a news story about a local school district employee who was able to move into a new home thanks to Hope Community CU in Jackson, Miss., which helped her obtain a $15,000 grant to use toward a downpayment. "Mississippi often leads the nation in the amount of charitable giving yet typically we don't think of that in terms of where we bank," HCCU CEO Bill Bynum was quoted as saying.

It should be no secret to anyone in credit unions that strategic planning is a major focus of regulators, as well as a very necessary process needed to ensure the growth and viability of an institution. Proactive leaders effectively use the strategic planning process to develop and analyze the organization's overall goals and strategies, and document a "road map" for implementation.

As we all know too well, credit union members and consumers are struggling on several fronts. A tight economy and high fuel costs are making some people desperate for a deal on a more fuel-efficient car. And desperation can make for vulnerable consumers.

What role should customization, trending and peer comparison play in research and what is their relative importance? The first rule in any research is that it should be driven by the organization's goals and objectives. In this case, using Stephen Covey's advice to "begin with the end in mind" means determining the questions to which the institution needs answers in order to advance and excel. The implication is that customization has the highest priority in research design.

WASHINGTON - Federally insured credit unions will not be charged a premium to increase the coverage of the National CU Share Insurance Fund to $250,000 per account, but the confidence-building effort could come at a cost later.

Since the introduction of Check 21 legislation, financial institutions have been implementing remote capture strategies from a number of sources. Clearly the most widely adopted application has been corporate capture, but branch capture and ATM capture are becoming more widely adopted.

SAN DIEGO - State regulators said last week they have approved the merger of Financial 21 Community CU, a $133-million credit union that was wounded by an ill-fated foray into subprime auto loans, into California Coast CU, the San Diego giant's second large merger in the last few months.

Pentagon FCU, Alexandria, Va., named Brett M. Decker senior vice president of its charitable foundation.

WASHINGTON - Even with Congress approving the massive government bailout of the financial markets, the CU lobby was making a final pitch for its regulatory relief package.

EVENTS

MIRAMAR, Fla. - Tropical Financial CU announced a special rate for businesses and commercial real estate borrowers who want to refinance their loans.

EUGENE, Ore. - SELCO Community CU said it has opened a second Lending Outlet, a subsidiary operation that offers consumer loans and other services aimed at low-income people.

CAMP PENDLTEON, Calif. - Pacific Marine CU said it has partnered with Financial Service Centers Cooperative to make a shared mobile branch available to this sprawling military base, which covers roughly 200-square-miles and is home to more than 60,000 military members and their family.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A state court refused to tie the foreclosure of a troubled $9-million condominium project financed by CEFCU to a lawsuit between developers of the project.

DALLAS - The three most important words for credit unions today: liquidity, liquidity, liquidity.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Bailouts, mergers and failures, oh my!

Yolo ATMs Now Envelope-Free

Ultimately, the effect of the bailout will be to: