NAIROBI, Kenya - Forty-eight attendees from seven African countries attended the inaugural African SACCO Regulators' Roundtable here.

MADISON, Wis.-For the first time in history, global credit union assets have now surpassed $1 trillion.

HOUSTON - In a move that reflects its concerns for the environment, the $235-million Green Bancorp will rename its sole subsidiary from Redstone Bank to Green Bank. According to reports published in the American Banker, bank president Bob New said he and his executives could see that the general public was increasingly interested in the environment.

CONCORD, Calif. - State regulators have issued a cease and desist order against financially ailing Cal State 9 CU, which racked up $9.1 million in losses in the first half of the year.

ADR Teams with Wolters Kluwer

SCFCU Recognized By SCBIZ

HealthAmerica CU, Jacksonville, Fla., named Delia Johnson human resources and training manager.

HOWELL, Mich. - Student branches are nothing new to credit unions, including LOC Federal Credit Union, which already supports 10 limited-service student operations, But the opportunity the $120-million community credit union was given to establish a branch from the ground up in a new state-of-the-art high school here may be a first.

MANTEO, N.C. - Representatives of North Carolina State Employees CU are talking with Dare County officials to expand the giant credit union's affordable housing program for teachers, piloted in nearby Hertford County earlier this year.

ERIE, Penn. - Erie Federal Credit Union said it has received a $10,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation to fund its financial education program.

LAS VEGAS - Every credit union seeks to minimize risks in its balance sheet, and participants in a WesCorp-led workshop here learned how to spot potential problem areas.

PORTLAND, Ore. - When Shirley Cate joined Providence Health Systems Federal Credit Union as CEO in July, she discovered the financial institution and its sponsoring employer had similar missions-missions she felt would help the $70-million credit union grow. The fact that Providence Health Systems is also Oregon's second largest employer doesn't hurt, either.

When you think of J.D. Power & Associates it's near-certain you also think of automobiles and the customer satisfaction ratings the various manufacturers are always extolling.

Why should credit unions do research? First, according to W. Edwards Deming, father of TQM, there can be no improvement without measurement. Further, without measurement, there can be no innovation because innovation is irrelevant if it's not improvement. Research provides the baseline from which to judge improvement, innovation and success.

Postal rates are changing. First Class mailing items have gone from 39 cents to 41 cents, and the cost for other types of business mail are also going up, including rates on non-standard pieces like 9" x 12" envelopes and even "bulk rate" for pre-sorted automated mailings.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The NCUA Board yesterday approved the merger of Southwest Corporate FCU with Northwest Corporate FCU, one of several pending corporate combinations.

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Harrisburg Housing Authority rebutted charges yesterday that its one-time director violated federal rules when he also acted as CEO of the housing agency’s fledgling community development credit union, Greater Harrisburg Community CU, which folded last year. In a public statement, the HHA said the close sponsorship of the CDCU at the direction of then-CEO Carl Payne while Payne served as executive director of the housing agency, did not violate federal conflict of interest statutes, as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development alleges. Payne was indicted earlier this year on federal charges that he illegally funneled $500,000 in HUD funds to the seven-year-old CDCU, which was shuttered in January 2006 by NCUA. Among other things, Payne was charged with lying about $134,000 he was paid from HHA funds for running the credit union. In a letter to HUD yesterday, the housing authority said the $834,000 in provided the CDCU during its brief existence was legal and “clearly benefitted a significant number of public housing residents.” The letter asserted that HUD rules expressly encourage housing authorities to engage in partnerships and business arrangements to provide services, like credit unions, to public housing tenants. The 66-year-old Payne is awaiting trial on the charges in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

TEMPE, Ariz. – Altier CU said it promoted Harry Mateer, its chief financial officer, to president and CEO. Mateer will manage the strategic direction of the organization and will oversee all departments and branches within the $200 million credit union, formerly SRP CU. Mateer holds an economics degree from Thiel College in Greenville, Penn., and an MBA from Kent State University in Ohio.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota CU Network joined with several other groups in the state in an effort to combat expanding lottery and sweepstakes fraud. Residents all over Minnesota are being swindled in phony lotteries or sweepstakes. The MnCUN says such scams are responsible for an estimated $8 million to $10 million in losses to Minnesotans. The league has joined with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, AARP, Better Business Bureau, Minnesota Board of Aging and the Minnesota Bankers Association to raise awareness and facilitate better communication. The league will be collecting information from state credit unions that can be entered into a database with other, similar information. The coalition is targeting fraud that asks potential victims to send in payment to receive a prize or enter a drawing for a prize.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – CO-OP Financial Services yesterday said it has contracted with Transaction Network Services to provide ATM and host connectivity managed network services. CO-OP said it signed with TNS because of the company’s expertise in providing connectivity services to the ATM industry and its ability to support the evolution of CO-OP's product offerings. CO-OP President Stan Hollen said he hopes TNS will deliver four objectives: reduce telecom costs; provide a broader range of service options, including wireless and DSL VPN services; achieve greater network resiliency to maximize uptime; and bring the latest services to market. CO-OP expects TNS' network expertise to support the development and launch of new CO-OP products.