WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – Western Division FCU yesterday said its 8,500 members shared a $1 million bonus dividend on New Year’s Day, the credit union’s biggest ever.

LENEXA, Kan. – CommunityAmerica CU, the state’s largest credit union, paid a total of $6.5 million in ownership participation dividends to its members, both old and new.

LAS VEGAS – Members of Clark County CU rang in the New Year with the sound of the chi-ching–a $7 million year-end payout deposited in their accounts yesterday.

WASHINGTON – A senior member of the House Financial Services Committee is proposing an array of credit card reforms that would ban certain practices and add new disclosures on billing, balances and payments.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – US FCU and two not-for-profit groups will open a new type of financial center Monday that will offer financial services combined with financial education and counseling programs aimed at the underserved.

Attorneys for the banking industry argued in federal court Friday that the National Credit Union Administration overstepped its authority in letting Members 1st Federal Credit Union in Mechanicsburg, Pa., extend its membership field to cover the more than 1.1 million residents of a six-county area.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Allan Meltzer, the low-key associate general counsel for NCUA, retired as chief of the agency’s litigation department at year end.

BEAUMONT, Texas – Education First CU promoted James Lackey, its executive vice president, to be its new president and CEO.

HARRISBURG, Penn. – To help kick off its 75th anniversary celebration, POSTMARK CU will pay its members a 5% bonus.

READING, Penn. – Berks Community FCU, which is planning to celebrate is 55th anniversary this March, paid its members a 17% bonus dividend at year-end.

BALTIMORE – Members of Atlantic Financial FCU received a special 10% dividend at year-end, a total payout of $503,000 for 2007.

SUMTER, S.C. – SAFE FCU announced it rewarded its members with a bonus dividend and loan interest rebate of $2 million–double last year’s reward.

HARRISBURG, Penn. – In a scenario reminiscent of recent court challenges, lawyers for banks argued in federal court Friday that NCUA overstepped its legal boundaries when it approved a sprawling, six-county area covering more than 1.1 million people as a “well-defined, local community” for a nearby credit union.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The credit union-sponsored Biz Kids$ TV series got a national audience in its initial airing yesterday, with 279 Public Broadcasting Stations in 43 states showing the new program teaching kids about business.

PASADENA, Calif. – Credit union giant Wescom CU last week said it has eliminated as many as 110 full-time employee positions as it seeks to address financial losses, expected to be as much as $10 million for 2007.

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – Michael Hanson, a former state banking commissioner currently working to convert three credit unions to mutual savings banks, last week was named head of the Massachusetts CU Share Insurance Corp., the nation’s first provider of credit union deposit insurance.

WASHINGTON - Credit un-ions looking to lend the green in 2008 should be thinking green.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Does your list of 2008 resolutions include growing your credit union? Make plans now to be in Orlando, Fla. April 27-29 for a conference dedicated solely to all aspects of growing operations: ROA, lending, membership, product penetration, non-interest income, expense management, and much more. The Credit Union Journal has formally announced the agenda for the first-ever Grow Show featuring an outstanding lineup of experts sharing a wealth of experience and insights. See all the important details on page 12. (c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Shouldn’t the CU community be preparing to kick off a nationwide celebration of the 100th Anniversary of credit unions in the United States in 2008?

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Ohio Credit Union League (OCUL) has launched a financial education initiative called MoneyAndStuff. Release follows a league-commissioned survey that found only 23% of Ohioans make any effort to encourage financial literacy in their families, and that just 5% were taught about personal finance when they were young. OCUL’s research showed that people feel stuck in their current financial situations, with little they can do to help themselves or their children. As a result, MoneyAndStuff.info seeks to act as a financial education resource and offer financial lessons, tips for parents and educational games, and more. In 2006, the Ohio General Assembly required all public high schools teach personal financial education starting in 2010. (c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com