HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Taking full advantage of its field of membership, First Entertainment Credit Union sent out a series of promotional mailings that parody movie posters to sell savings options. First Entertainment, which as the name implies serves much of California's entertainment industry, is sending one card to members every two weeks to remind members of its offerings and also build top-of-mind awareness. It has created five cards in all.

FCUL Teams Up With eZforex

WASHINGTON - A new venture headed by America Online founder Steve Case and backed by several banking giants unveiled a payments system last week they say will bridge the gap between credit/debit cards and Internet-based transactions.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - In the wake of what some are calling a credit crisis, Affinity FCU is offering its new "Loan Health Check From Affinity"-think of it as a check-up for member's credit health.

PASADENA, Calif. - LA Financial Credit Union and the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers will team up during the coming season to promote literacy-especially financial literacy-in students throughout Los Angeles County.

SAN DIMAS, Calif. - WesCorp FCU said credit ratings service agency, Standard & Poor's (S&P), affirmed its long-term credit ratings (AA-/Stable/A-1+) and gave the corporate credit union a "stable" outlook.

LANSING, Mich. - Though the GM autoworkers strike was short-lived, credit unions serving GM employees were ready to help members make ends meet had the union action been in it for the long haul.

Raleigh, N.C. - State Employees' CU advocates homeownership not only for its members, but also for the area's wildlife population.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. - Members United Corporate FCU has launched a new, wholly-owned subsidiary, Members Health Network, LLC, which will help facilitate the introduction of Health Savings Accounts at credit unions.

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CU Journal explored the advantages larger CUs have over their smaller brethren. Now, CUJ focuses on how some small CUs are not only surviving, but thriving.

Throughout 2007, the Credit Union Journal is profiling the credit unions of each U.S. state and D.C. Rather than appear in alphabetical order, the states are being featured in the order they became states.

SAN DIMAS, Calif. - The stock market jolted up following the Fed's decision to cut rates by 50 basis points, but at least one industry could see a longer-term benefit from the move: credit unions.

BATON ROUGE, La. - A member of KeyPoint FCU was convicted of a business loan fraud that enabled her to obtain almost $3 million in federally guaranteed loans allotted to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

SAN ANTONIO - Frost National Bank SVP Patti Bliss is leading an effort to provide teller help to deaf customers by deploying video conference technology.

NEW YORK - Executives attending the Lehman Brothers Fifth Annual Financial Services Conference here in the Big Apple learned that while Wilmington Trust Corp. is seeking to expand its commercial banking network in the Mid-Atlantic region, it won't do it by acquisition.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - In order to boost member debit card usage and separate itself from some heavyweight competition, United SA Federal Credit Union here is increasing dividends for accounts with as little as one penny in an account.

BOSTON - A federal court approved a $120-million settlement between TJX Cos. and consumers last week over the biggest data breach ever, leaving its suit with banks and credit unions still unresolved. Under the proposed settlement filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Massachusetts, about 455,000 consumers who can show they were harmed by the breach of their financial records will be entitled to as many as two $30 dollar shopping vouchers at one of the company's nine retail chains; three years of free credit monitoring; and an invitation to a one-day 15%-off sale at the stores.

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of Texas House members urged the Financial Services Committee to hold a hearing on the credit union regulatory relief bill, known as CURIA.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Over the popular objection of credit union executives, the NCUA Board last week approved new rules to open up the internal books, records and minutes of board and committee deliberations to rank-and-file members.