LANSING, Mich. – NuUnion CU said yesterday it has implemented Proofpoint Inc.’s Messaging Security Gateway system to protect its messaging systems from Spam and viruses, while preventing breaches of privacy regulations and confidential member information. The Proofpoint system automatically scans for personal financial information, such as Social Security numbers and credit card information. The $825 million credit union also has deployed Proofpoint’s Spam Detection, Virus Protection and Zero-Hour Anti-Virus modules.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Arrowhead CU said yesterday it has implemented Cardiff’s TeleForm system to automate the processing of its hundreds of thousands of member and market research documents. The system allows the $1 billion credit union to process twice the number of documents with superior accuracy, speed and efficiency compared to its old system. The Cardiff Intelligent Document suite automates all aspects of paper, online and mobile based document. Cardiff is a unit of U.K.-based Autonomy Corporation plc.

SHERMAN, Texas – Employees at Texoma Educators CU got some help with their wardrobe, a $20,000 grant from retailer Lands’ End to provide them with branded apparel. The credit union and two other winners were chosen for an apparel makeover by Lands’ End from 5,000 entries. The funding will help the $60 million CU, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, launch a new branding campaign which will be emblazoned on employees’ clothing. The new brand will be shown on Polo shirts, Broadcloth shirts and sweater vests in colors that mirror the credit union’s brand colors and match the credit union offices’ new interiors. The rebranding also will include a new website and logo, redesigned brochures and renovated offices. The other winners of the Lands’ End makeover are Hershey Theatre and Melitta USA.

PASADENA, Calif. – Wescom Credit Union announced a milestone Monday–the opening of its 50th Southern California branch in the city of Santa Barbara. The newest Santa Barbara office is the fourth Wescom branch in Santa Barbara County and the second to open in the city. Wescom said the expansion is part of an ongoing strategy to significantly increase its number of branches by 2010. It said it has more than doubled its number of branch locations over the past five years in an effort to serve its large field of membership, which stretches from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County. “Our most important motivation in building new branches is to make it easier for members to do business with Wescom,” Darren Williams, Wescom’s president and CEO, said in a press release. “At the same time, branch visibility increases awareness in the community at large. We place our traditional branches in busy retail areas, and more than a quarter of our branches are in supermarkets, which gives them exposure to a large number of non-members.” Currently, Wescom has 31 traditional branches and 19 in-store branches.

WASHINGTON – CUNA reported yesterday its political action committee had its slowest month of the year in July as Congress took its annual summer vacation. The credit union PAC made only 20 contributions for a total of $41,500. Funds raised were $133,000, enabling it to build up its campaign warchest to almost $300,000. The biggest contributions last month went to: Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ($9,000); California Democrat Joe Baca, one of the first sponsors of CURIA; Ed Perlmutter, the freshmen Democrat from Denver ($2,500); Betty Sutton, freshman Democrat from Ohio ($2,500); and Albert Wynn, Maryland Democrat ($2,500).

OLYMPIA, Wash. – CUNA took the unusual step yesterday of issuing a statement endorsing private deposit insurance for Washington state credit unions. The step was unusual because, while CUNA was the original progenitor of a private insurance system–its state leagues once operated a network of two dozen private insurers–the national trade group traditionally refrains from lobbying state issues, leaving that to the leagues. But a private insurance system has been rejected by Congress, and more recently within the credit union movement by NAFCU. CUNA President Dan Mica alluded to this in a letter sent last week to the Washington Department of Financial Institutions in which he endorsed the state’s efforts to reinstitute the private insurance in the state. Mica suggested and “some within the credit union movement” are opposing private coverage to mask “an underlying distrust of state regulation.” Washington was one of more than two dozen states that offered private insurance for state chartered credit unions until the 1990 crisis in Rhode Island, after which the insurer in Washington and all but one other folded up. More than a dozen states still allow state chartered credit unions to offer private insurance through an entity that qualifies as the equivalent of the National CU Share Insurance Fund. American Share Insurance, the only surviving private deposit insurer, still covers about 200 credit unions, most of them in Ohio.

LOS ANGELES – Hundreds of Lees from all over the country–united by their Chinese surnames–marched down Broadway Sunday with the gaiety of a Chinese New Year’s parade to convene their unusual family reunion, the 19th national convention of the Lee Family Association. Formed more than 150 years ago in San Francisco as a family bond and a refuge from rampant discrimination against Chinese immigrants, the Lee Association anchored Chinatowns across the country, even operating its own credit union–the first family to sponsor its own credit union. The Lee FCU, chartered in Washington, D.C., in 1962 was the first credit union based on a true family common bond, and now has more than $30 million in assets centered in seven cities. Membership is open to anyone who is a Lee or is related to a Lee. The family bond is so uncommon, loan charge-offs are very rare. “We know each other so people don’t ever default on loans,” said Cesar Lee. The Lee Family Association was founded in San Francisco in 1866 and local branches were organized in Sacramento, Stockton and Los Angeles, as well as New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., and several other cities that had large Chinese populations. This year’s convention, which ends today, represents 100,000 Lees living in the United States and also draws representatives from China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. There are estimated to be more than 100 million Lees worldwide.

Welcome to Credit Union Journal's 10th Annual Factbook & Buyers' Guide, a comprehensive overview of the CU community and the vendors serving it.

Association of Corp. CUs

MADISON, Wis. - The average pay increase for CU management broke the 4% barrier during 2006, topping wage increases of just less than 4% in previous years, according to a CUNA survey.

Credit Union City St Deposits($000)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - In ensuring your credit union's success in 2008, make sure you don't miss out on some of the best tools available in research and strategic planning.

Credit Union City St Assets($000)

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

State Associations Non-CUNA Affiliated

PURCHASE, N.Y. - A growing number of women use debit cards to manage personal and family finances, according to the results of the "Women in the Financial Marketplace" analysis, part of the Yankelovich MONITOR 2006/07 study.

FEDERAL REGULATOR

JANUARY

MENASHA, Wis. – A desperate member of Prospera CU was charged with extortion last week after he left a note at the credit union threatening to explode a bomb if the credit union didn’t pay him $3 million. The suspect was deeply troubled after losing his job a few days earlier, and his wife is terminally ill, according to police. Officers used surveillance camera footage to identify a suspect and then surrounded his home and talked him into surrendering. Police say no explosives were detected.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Members 1st FCU said it has contracted with Techman Solutions Co. to implement the company’s Contraxx enterprise management solution. Contraxx is a comprehensive contract management solution managing the contract lifecycle, from initial request and contract creation, obligations management, and compliance enforcement. Techman Solutions is based in Pittsburgh.