Credit unions have been breathing something of a sigh of relief over the bullet that has been dodged to date with subprime mortgages. Most credit unions didn't make the "Easy to Get Into, Bear To Get Out Of" home loans, so while rising rates and payment adjustments have led some companies to shutter operations and some homeowners to sell their shutters, most CU portfolios have not felt the pain-at least directly.

LEWISTON, Idaho — Valerie Guenther began working at Lewis Clark CU in 1978 as the manager's assistant when the credit union claimed less than $1 million in assets and was operating out of the manager's garage.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. - Kinecta FCU became the latest credit union to make a major incursion into check cashing with the acquisition of a family owned check-cashing chain in the Los Angeles area last week.

VIENNA, Va. - With the opening of four new branches in Atlanta, Navy Federal Credit Union has found a way to grow its membership while sticking close to its military heritage.

BURLINGTON, Mass. - Eastern Corporate FCU held an "e-tirement" party to celebrate the end of its paper check processing.

WASHINGTON - CUNA's senior lobbyist Dean Sagar, who helped draft the landmark 1998 credit union bill, HR 1151, abruptly resigned last week after a brief, but checkered tenure with the trade association.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart has provided one early glimpse into how it will price products as it aggressively expands to offer financial services.

Fiserv To Acquire CheckFree For $4.4B

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. - Wings Financial Federal Credit Union announced it has partnered with St. Paul, Minn.-based Sun Country Airlines to serve the carrier's more than 1,000 employees.

CALGARY, Alberta - When operating in an area of conflict, Randy Spears knows the first step is to establish security and guard the perimeter. Only then can business proceed with any degree of seeming normality.

Over the last five years branch networking has exploded. As more and more credit union branches are built, I've noticed one consistent flaw. Most credit unions are skipping the final, most critical step in opening a new or remodeled facility-educating their employees.

BURLINGTON, Mass. - Eastern Corporate Federal Credit Union (EasCorp) is piloting a new Consumer Deposit Capture (CDC) program that allows consumers and small businesses to electronically scan checks and send them to their credit unions for collection.

BRIDGETON, Mo. - Jennifer Allemann, public relations specialist for Vantage Credit Union, is one of 10 finalists in People magazine's "America's Worst-to-Best Dressed" contest.

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TAMPA, Fla. - Suncoast Schools FCU's Suncoast for Kids Foundation has awarded an $11,000 grant to the Braille Institute of Florida to buy a high volume embosser that will be used to transcribe textbooks for blind children.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - NCUA's General Counsel's Office has issued a clarification of an earlier opinion letter on permissible credit union political activities. The earlier opinion and the clarification were in response to a CUNA request for clarification on a November 2006 NCUA opinion letter of the same issue. In its clarification, the agency said it does not have jurisdiction over federal election law governing credit union political activities; the Federal Election Commission does. But NCUA does provide suggestions on ways credit unions may legally participate in political activities, such as advocating for the election or defeat of federal candidates or soliciting funds for federal candidates when communicating directly with their members. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. - More than half of all Americans do not have an emergency savings fund, defined as equal to three months' living expenses, according to a new survey.

WASHINGTON - Campaign contributions from CUNA continued to find their way to key sponsors of CURIA-the CU Regulatory Improvements Act-as the credit union lobby works to convince Congress to move the five-year-old bill to a hearing or vote. To date, there has been no hearing scheduled on the bill, even as more than 125 House members have signed on as sponsors during this Congress, the third try for the bill.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - This year will mark the 11th anniversary of one of the most extraordinarily unique projects within the credit union community-Credit Union Journal's Day in the Life Project. This year our goal is to make it bigger than ever!

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Members First CU said it will host its second annual "E-Recycling Week" Aug. 6-11 during which members and residents are urged to bring items such as personal computers, business computers, cell phones, servers, printers, monitors, keyboards and network equipment to be recycled and disposed of properly. The credit union has partnered with Ohio Computer Recycling and Fireproof Records Center for the event. Shredding services will also be available for those wanting to destroy personal financial or sensitive documents, with a shredding truck on-site. Those who bring computer material(s) will be given an authorized certificate of disposal. There is no cost to members; it's $5 for non-members. Members First reported that during E-Recycling Week in 2006, more than 700 computer items were brought in to be destroyed, along with 851 pounds of documents for shredding. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com