PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Greylock FCU introduced a subprime auto loan that will reset to a lower rate if the borrower reestablishes good credit.

WASHINGTON - The Senate Banking Committee has signaled its willingness to begin studying regulatory relief proposals for credit unions and banks again, but the signal is a long and arduous process that is not likely to culminate in this Congress.

BYNUM, Ala. - AOD Federal Credit Union lies midway between Birmingham and Atlanta, in east central Alabama, an area with moderate growth and low unemployment.

LIMA, Peru - Credit unions in Peru rolled out a comprehensive program in 2006 with World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to increase financial services access for the rural poor in that country. Executives from various credit unions and financial associations in the U.S. and Australia have visited to review the program's methodology and effect.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - CUES elected its new board officers: Chair-Mark Hawkins, CEO, Altura CU Riverside, Calif.; Vice Chair-Carla Altepeter, CEO of CitizensFirst CU Oshkosh, Wis.; Treasurer-Dale F. Schumacher, CEO, Tampa Bay FCU, Tampa, Fla.; Secretary-Frederick D. Healy, CEO, Workers' CU, Fitchburg, Mass. The rest of the directors include: Carol A. Humenick, SVP-community and government affairs, Citadel FCU, Thorndale, Pa.; Craig Esrael, CEO, First South CU, Bartlett, Tenn.; Lary B. McCants, CEO, IBM Southeast Employees FCU, Boca Raton, Fla.; Teresa Y. Freeborn, CEO, Xerox FCU, El Segundo, Calif.; and Michael Hale, CEO, Andrews FCU, Suitland, Md. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - CU Journal gives readers the opportunity to weigh in on a variety of issues. Below are the results of serveral recent online polls. To add your two cents or see past surveys, visit www.cujournal.com.

BLANTYRE, Malawi - The World Council of Credit Unions hosted its 8th Annual Africa Congress here, where it welcomed the Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League as its newest member.

AUSTIN, Texas - Don't let his prediction that the number of credit unions in the U.S. will shrink to approximately 5,000 by the year 2020 fool you-former NCUA Chairman Dennis Dollar said he is quite bullish on the future for CUs.

BOSTON - Numerous credit card issuers are taking advantage of "inadequate laws and weak oversight by regulators (and) quietly collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in profits selling nearly worthless predatory credit cards targeting vulnerable consumers, including those with bad credit," according to a report from the nonprofit National Consumer Law Center (NCLC).

AUSTIN, Texas - University FCU has made a $250,000 donation to the capital campaign of Concordia University. The funds are to be used to help build a new campus in northwest Austin. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

WASHINGTON — Congress moved last week to pass a variety of new standards aimed at reining in abuses in the subprime mortgage market-but the standards will, if enacted, affect all mortgage lenders, including credit unions.

The Des Moines Register provided coverage of the return of financial institutions to the small town of Kellog, Iowa, which has had no financial services since a bank left town four years ago. The town of 600 people will now be served by Hedrick Savings Bank, which is joining a branch of Citizens Community CU. The Ft. Dodge-based CU told the newspaper it expects to draw most of its members from those who already belong to the grain co-op.

CMG Mortgage Insurance Company, San Francisco, Calif., announced that Janet Huffman and Sue Rogers have earned accredited mortgage professional designation.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - Credit unions have already given up their tax advantage, they just don't realize it.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - NCUA last week completed the first collective bargaining agreement with its fledgling employees union, giving covered employees, most of them examiners, 5% raises for the life of the three-year pact.

In the July 15 issue, CU Journal explored the advantages larger CUs have over their smaller brethren. In this series, focus is on thriving, medium-sized CUs.

DUBLIN, Ireland - This country's credit union's used International Credit Union Day to announce the creation of a nationwide ATM and electronic payments service. The system was developed and tested by CU Solutions Ltd., after five years of work and about $1.4 million in development costs. Any member with a CU Moneycard will be able to access funds at any of Ireland's 4,000 ATMs. Members will also be able to use the system to set up payroll deposit and other payments using CU Easy Pay. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

WYOMISSING, Penn. - Bellco CU announced it once again will offer its members its own branded credit card. The credit union went live on Nov. 5 with two new Platinum credit card programs-one with rewards, one with a great rate-both meeting the individual needs and wants of the members. The $60 million-CU exited the market a few years ago when it sold its program to U.S. Bancorp's Elan Financial unit. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

NEW YORK - Marketing strategies need to reflect what motivates consumers and triggers purchases, according to one expert at CUNA Mutual Group.

Is your credit union good at telling the 'credit union' story? Have you found a unique and effective way to communicate to members and prospective members just what it is you are and why you're different? Then take a moment and enter the Frankie Awards. Just e-mail fdiekmann cujournal.com and share what you've done and how it's worked, along with any related materials. For a look at what previous Frankie winners have done, go to www.cujournal.com and search 'Frankie' in the search box. Deadline is Nov. 16. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com