The following are members of Credit Union Journal’s Technology Panel.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - Daniel Penrod is an industry analyst for the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues. The Credit Union Journal sought his assessment of the credit crunch and the problems in the mortgage lending space.

DETROIT - A former loan officer for Wyandotte CU, who was convicted of stealing $1.5 million for opening 413 phony loans he profited from, was barred from the credit union industry, NCUA said.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Credit union participants in the failed Centrix Financial subprime auto loan program are reluctant to turn over the loans for sale–just yet.

Much focus has been placed on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s misguided plan to bail out subprime ARM borrowers facing initial resets. But not much has been said about the “Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act” (H.R. 3648), which would eliminate the taxation of losses on foreclosed homes as ordinary income. Under the existing tax code, a homeowner whose home is foreclosed and sold at a loss is liable for income tax on the loss, presumably to offset the tax break the lender will get.

Now that the benefits of online banking are well understood to most computer-savvy banking consumers, what’s the next step in banking convenience?

Despite the omnipresence of webcams, one eternal question remains unanswered: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make noise? We may never know. What we do know, however, is that if a credit union name tied to the forest falls, it can make a great deal of noise. Just ask the former Weyerhaeuser Employees Credit Union in Longview, Wash.

WASHINGTON - CUNA last week called for a moratorium on implementation of certain provisions of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. In a letter to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), CUNA President Dan Mica said the trade group has concerns over the pending implementation plan issued by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Board. While saying it supports the law’s intent on cracking down on illegal online gambling, Mica wrote that credit unions are also concerned over “unforeseen regulatory burdens” on credit unions and other financial institutions.

EL MONTE, Calif. – At least two credit unions and several area banks are now reporting their customers are victims of a debit card scam linked to an ARCO gas station, where authorities believe the card information and PINs were skimmed at the pump.

HOUSTON – Cardtronics said its initial public offering last week raised $110.1 million, which the independent operator of ATMs plans to use to pay down existing debt.

SAN DIEGO – The hybrid automobile market has reached the point of maturity so that at least one company, Credit Union Leasing of America, is rolling out a leasing program for hybrids.

SAN ANTONIO – Baptist CU named Nick Holguin, a long-time credit union executive, as its new president and CEO.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Authorities were hunting over the weekend for a man who went up to the teller of Covenant Health FCU and placed what appeared to be a stick of dynamite on the counter and demanded money.

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. – To help celebrate its heritage, Navigant CU has agreed to help underwrite a new exhibit in 250 safe deposit boxes in the city’s Museum of Work and Culture, which will store family mementos that will help tell the history of this one-time mill town.

DENVER – State regulators assumed control of Zion United Community CU Friday, the third financially troubled Colorado credit union taken under conservatorship this year.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Two more suspects, including the victim’s widow, were arrested last week in connection with the April slaying of a young sailor while he was doing his business at the Langley FCU ATM.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Eastman CU plans to pay its members an extraordinary dividend of $4 million–the 11th year in a row the credit union has made the holiday payout.

WARWICK, R.I. – One unlucky member of Greenwood CU who lost a wad of cash containing $762 by the credit union ATM Saturday may see a change of fortune this morning–if he bothers to check with the Warwick Police.

BEAVERTON, Ore. – Credit unions from Oregon and Washington raised $105,000 to benefit three local hospitals with the Oregon CU Association’s annual Credit Unions for Kids live auction.

DAYTON, Ohio – A man arrested last week for the robbery of Wright-Patt CU who was let out of jail to attend a funeral and never returned, was back behind bars on Thursday.