COXSACKIE, N.Y. - Just outside the chain-link fence and razor wire of the state correctional facility, two credit unions are vying to serve employees at the state prison.

WOCCU Releases World CU Data

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Telesis Community CU has introduced its new “Hang Ten” certificate, paying an extraordinary 10% Annual Percentage Yield for a five-month term. The certificate is available for new and existing members who open their first Telesis checking account with direct deposit, and can be opened with a minimum deposit of $500 and a maximum of $2,000.

SAN DIEGO - Author and management consultant Arthur Goldsmith kicked off NAFCU’s conference last week with lessons on management. Among the best advice he has, said Goldsmith, whose most recent book is “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There,” is that CEOs must recognize their suggestions become “orders,” and that before replying to just about anything, leaders should take a deep breath and ask themselves, “Is this worth it. Fifty percent of the time it is not,” he said. (c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

BURLINGTON, Mass. - A new website that allows small and mid-sized banks to compete online for consumers’ savings business may be expanded to include credit unions, and a lending component will be added, too, says the site’s founder.

CARSON, Calif - Two credit unions and the Compton Police Department are working together to stop CU robberies. Board and staff members as well as the CEOs of Mid-Cities Financial and Star Harbor CUs attended a robbery prevention training session hosted by a 21-year veteran of the Compton PD who teaches protective services at a local high school. The training demonstrated how “concerned community members can work together for the good of all” and included life-saving techniques, worksite awareness exercises as well as a discussion on how to prevent and respond to possible robberies. CU members also learned about crime deterrent methods and equipment such as weapons-recognition aids and surveillance cameras.(c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Among the nation’s largest credit unions–assets of at least $1 billion–Mountain American Credit Union in West Jordan, Utah holds the most powerful brand, followed by Arrowhead Credit Union in San Bernardino, Calif. and JSC Credit Union in Houston.

Can you really understand the plight of the underserved if you are eating a $17 slice of pie?

TMG Makes ‘Best Place To Work’

Recent CU Journal Views and Opinions writers have correctly addressed the need for credit unions to maintain relevance with their membership. One writer suggested we “wake up and smell the coffee.”

JULY

As consumers tighten their belts, we are focusing our lending efforts on:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - This year will mark the 12th anniversary of one of the most extraordinarily unique projects within the credit union community–Credit Union Journal’s Day in the Life Project. This year our goal is to make it bigger than ever!

There are few moments of truth in our business, but when they come it makes everything we do worthwhile. They come when you get a letter of thanks from a grateful member or when you’re recognized for your work by your peers.

The mortgage lending industry can be likened to commercial fishing, and we see two distinctive types of fisherman competing within the space. The big-bank national mortgage lenders act as a fleet of large, modern fishing trawlers, casting and dragging their huge nets through wide swaths of the lending seas. They have countless branch offices bobbing along suburban streets like an endless line of floats. The second type of lender–local lenders such as community banks and credit unions–function like local fishermen with fewer resources, smaller boats, less bait and a few private fishing holes they try to keep secret.

William Shakespeare probably didn’t have the subprime mortgage crisis in mind when he penned the famous phrase “Neither a borrower nor a lender be,” but his words come close to describing the current environment consumers face when seeking financing to buy a home or automobile.

Indirect lending can be an excellent way to enhance your lending program. Certainly, this is a risk-based program with a great risk/reward situation involved. While many credit unions have entered the market with great reward, some have suffered at the hand of the risk involved.

BOSTON - State regulators said they have approved the expansion of University CU from employees of a dozen area credit unions to include as many as 100,000 students at those schools.

HARRISBURG, Penn. - State regulators have approved a request by NBA CU to reduce its board size from 11 to nine directors and to eliminate its supervisory committee, as volunteers are growing harder to come by.

The Kansas Credit Union Association, Wichita, elected to its board: Erich Schaefer, chairman; Mark Keilig, vice chairman; Larry Damm, secretary/treasurer; Don Homan and Garth Strand.