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A home is invaded, the homeowner murdered and the entire house ransacked. This is an unfortunate tragedy that is all too familiar.

The concept of "best practices" is routinely used when discussing benchmarking operational approaches. Establishing benchmark best practices are reliable methods that over time prove to have desirable outcomes.

SOUTH BEND, Ind.–Whether just nervous or not that bright, a would-be robber walked past a police cruiser outside a branch of Teachers Credit Union here and handed a note to a teller, even though a uniformed police officer was sitting just a few feet away. After being alerted by the teller of the note, the officer, Cpl. Ron Glon, then asked the robber if he was serious, according to the South Bend Tribune. The man said that he was. He was also asked if he knew he could be arrested, charged and imprisoned for the robbery, and he again confirmed that he was. The suspect said he was aware of the risks but that his drug dealers had told him to produce the money or they would kill him. The officer arrested the man, and police are investigating whether the claims about drug dealers also were true.

SAN ANTONIO–As part of a membership drive here, Security Service FCU is offering five members the chance to win not just $5,000 for themselves, but another $5,000 for the school of their choice. The $4-billion Security Service’s “It’s So Easy” campaign is giving away five first place awards to any new members who open a checking account with the credit union before year-end. Each winner then will select a school within SSFCU’s field of membership to receive a matching $5,000 donation. To further entice consumers to make the move, a free “SwitchKit” is available online at the credit union’s website.

OCEANSIDE, Calif.–Police responding to a report of a robbery at a credit union ATM discovered another person being robbed when they arrived. Police believe the two suspects, one of whom has since been apprehended, also were involved in the first robbery at the ATM at a branch of Navy FCU here. Police gave chase in the early morning hours and captured one man hiding in a backyard; a gun was found close by. The man was identified by both robbery victims; the other suspect remains at large.

RICHMOND, Va.–A scam e-mail purportedly from Virginia Credit Union on Friday landed in the Inbox of an unlikely recipient–a Credit Union Journal reporter who lives 3,000 miles away. The e-mail is addressed to “Dear Customer”–certainly a dead giveaway it is not from a CU–and claims a message is waiting from “Customer Service” at Virginia Credit Union. Mark Hubbard, VACU’s public relations officer, told the CUJ the credit union experienced a “spike” in phishing attempts directed at its members in early June, which led to increased security. VACU updated its website with information on phishing and identity theft and established an e-mail address for members to send suspicious messages (reportabuse@vacu.org). Hubbard said all forwarded e-mails are reviewed by VACU's technology and security personnel, and it works with authorities to shut down any websites people are directed to as quickly as possible. “The best defense is to constantly remind people not to give out any account information to any person who calls or sends an e-mail.” The scammers, he explained “will send a message to anyone. They’d like the recipient to be a member, as that adds legitimacy to the message, but all they are looking for is account numbers and don’t care how they get them.”

MANSFIELD, La.–Christmas came early for patrons of one ATM here. But now authorities want the gifts back. An ATM at Eagle’s Truck Stop was dispensing $20 bills in place of $5 bills, distributing an extra $7,000 in cash before the error was stopped. Local police reported 26 people received the extra money over a five-day period. The ATM actually was unplugged by a supervisor at the truck stop who heard customers talking about the excess cash they were receiving, but someone plugged the machine back in and others continued to use it. Authorities were unsure whether any of the recipients of the money was involved in any way with the extra payments. Local police added charges may be brought against those who received the extra funds if the funds are not returned.

CALGARY, Canada–With China holding great promise for the growth of credit unions, the World Council of CUs announced it will convene its 2008 World Credit Union Conference in July of next year in Hong Kong. The announcement was made during the 2007 World CU Conference, which currently is being held here in Western Canada. People's Bank of China Deputy Governor Madame Wu Xiaoling is tentatively slated as a feature speaker. As reported in the Credit Union Journal, the World Council this year has sent several delegations of U.S. credit union executives to China to explore its rural credit co-ops. CUNA Mutual has explored the market, as well, and former CUNA President Ralph Swoboda has been quite active as a liaison between the U.S. and China.

HAVERHILL, Mass.–The $99-million Northeast Community Credit Union here has announced plans to merge with a local bank. The bank, Haverhill Bank, is a $160-million mutual. The two institutions said plans call for completing the merger by year-end, pending a vote by members of both institutions. Current plans call for Haverhill Bank President Thomas Faulkner to remain Chairman and CEO of the merged institution; NCCU Treasurer/CEO Peter DiBenedetto is to become treasurer and president. One issue that could arise is whether NCUA’s recently unveiled rules related to charter conversions are relevant in this scenario. The bank and the credit union cited efficiencies to be gained in making the announcement, but said there are no plans for layoffs, with expectations the staff size will shrink through attrition. The credit union was founded in 1934 as Haverhill Italian-American Credit Union.

NEWTON, Kansas–When management of the $3.9-million Chisholm Trail FCU opened the doors here Wednesday morning they discovered robbers had visited overnight. The credit union reported that its safe had not been opened, but it was still inventorying other items to see what else might have been taken. The burglar or burglars pried open a door, causing an estimated $400 in damages. Local police said they have no suspects at this time.

NEW YORK–Just one day after NAFCU published analysis indicating the housing sector remains weaker than many analysts had expected, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 284 points Thursday, with analysts citing concerns about the housing markets and related financing markets as the primary reason. Wall Street also is expressing concern that lenders will tighten credit further, according to analysts. The Commerce Department reported new home sales were down 6.6% in June, and several home builders, including D.R. Horton and Pulte Homes, reported losses.

WASHINGTON–The federal agency that has for years been warning credit unions and their members about various Internet-based scams has now found itself the target of just such an attempt at defrauding consumers. Phishers have sent bogus e-mails to consumers claiming to be from the Federal Trade Commission and asking recipients to reveal personal financial information. Also targeted as part of the scam: the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department. Earlier the IRS had reported receiving 23,000 complaints related to phishing scams claiming to be from the tax collector and offering information on an unclaimed tax refund. J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, released a statement calling the latest scam attempts “unprecedented both in terms of sophistication and the volume of reports we have received.” Credit unions should be alert that many members may be victimized—Consumer Reports recently estimated that 8.2% of household have provided personal information to phishers over the past two years.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.–California and Nevada credit unions will get discounts on Sprint Nextel service and equipment, and provide discounts to their members, as part of an agreement between the California Credit Union League and Michigan CU League’s League Services Corp, LSC (CUcorp). CUcorp has an alliance with the national wireless provider. The National Credit Union Member Discount Plan will offer participating League member CUs a 15% discount on monthly recurring cell phone charges as well as discounts on accessories and equipment for corporate accounts. CUs, their employees and members can obtain the plan’s benefits wherever Sprint Nextel products are sold. Credit union members can receive a 10% discount on all monthly recurring charges, such as service plans and features. Members can receive the discount simply by stating they are a member of a CU, even if their credit union is not participating in the program. The California CU League joins the leagues from Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Utah, and Washington in participating in the program. There are 240 CUs currently participating with more than 85,000 members receiving benefits, the CCUL said.

MADISON, Wis.–While nine out of 10 small credit unions during 2006 provided pay increases for staff, those raises were smaller than at other credit unions, according to new research released by CUNA. Those small CUs, defined as having between $1 million and $35 million in assets, provided pay increases for management staff of 3.58% during 2006, compared to raises of 4.05% for credit unions overall, CUNA's 2007-2008 Small Credit Union Staff Survey found. "Search firms are predicting a sizeable increase in executive search assignments this year, especially among executives in the financial services industry," said Beth Soltis, senior research analyst for CUNA's Center for Research and Advice. "The high cost of replacing employees and the difficulty in finding skilled job candidates make retention strategies critical. Credit unions may want to discern who their key players are and build retention strategies around them."

DUBLIN, Ireland–Ireland’s credit unions have won a favorable ruling and a judgment of 2 million Euros in this country’s Supreme Court. Ireland’s Competition Authority had brought an action against the Irish League of Credit Unions alleging anti-competitive practices in the ILCU’s voluntarily funded Savings Protection Scheme for member CUs. The court rejected the Competition Authority’s position, saying it had failed to “provide a convincing analysis of ILCU’s activities as being anti-competitive.” Prior to the court ruling, the ILCU had requested the Competition Authority withhold any more action until it could revise the Savings Protection Scheme. Liam O’Dwyer, president of the Irish league, told local media “millions of euros” had been wasted as a result of the Competition Authority’s pursuit of the action. The court ruling means the Authority must reimburse the ILCU.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.–The Treasury Department has issued a background paper on business taxation and global competitiveness that calls for the credit union tax exemption to be included on a list of tax preferences that could potentially be eliminated. That led to a quick response from NAFCU, which is urging Treasury to be consistent with earlier statements in support of the tax exemption. "Treasury's inclusion of credit unions on a list of 'corporate' tax preferences is incongruent with public policy goals and contrary to past statements by Treasury officials and President Bush regarding the unique role credit unions play in our economy and the administration's continued support for the tax exemption," said NAFCU President Fred Becker. NAFCU has pointed specifically to a statement by then Assistant Treasury Secretary for Financial Institutions Emil Henry at a NAFCU-hosted event in which he said, "The president recognized the important role that credit unions play and pledged in 2000 to maintain credit unions' tax-exempt status. As I stand here today, I can wholeheartedly say that the administration continues to support credit unions' tax exemption." A 2004 GAO report found the CU tax exemption costs the U.S. Treasury approximately $1 billion per year, versus an estimated $108 billion in tax deductions claimed by the banking industry.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.–The NCUA Board unanimously voted to issue a proposed rule that would allow credit unions to create investment vehicles that use foreign currency. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is aimed at helping credit unions help members who live abroad, allowing them to make investments using foreign currency. As expected, the board also adopted amendments to parts 748 and 749 in a final rule on the Catastrophic Act Reporting and Records Preservation. Also on the docket was the mid-session budget review. Total budgeted operating costs for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2007, are projected to decrease by $739,637 or 0.5%, which includes all increases, decreases, new requests, and revised estimates.

BELLEVUE, Wash.–Coinstar, Inc., best known for taking a long-time free service at credit unions–coin counting–and turning it into a profit center for retailers, has acquired Group Ex Financial Corp., a provider of electronic money transfer services between the U.S. and Latin America. Coinstar subsidiary Coinstar E-Payment Services made the purchase. Group Ex Financial, based in La Mirada, Calif., operates a network with approximately 1,650 send agents in 23 states servicing 13 countries. Upon close of the transaction, which is expected as soon as all regulatory approvals are obtained, the Coinstar Money Transfer service will be offered at more than 31,000 agent locations in 143 countries, the company said. The purchase includes a $60 million cash payment upon closing with a contingent payment of up to $10 million within 15 months if certain performance hurdles are met.

ARLINGTON, Va.–Existing home sales declined for the fourth straight month, according to data gathered by the National Association of Realtors and analyzed by NAFCU. Noting June’s decline of 3.8% is the slowest monthly pace since November 2002, NAFCU said the decline is slightly worse than what most economists expected, indicating a continued softening of the housing market. NAFCU said it expects the median home price to continue to drop this summer and then gradually rise by year-end. As credit unions have increasingly turned to real estate loans to make up for stagnant auto loan growth, all eyes have been on how the weakening housing market, combined with big rate adjustments in adjustable rate mortgages, will impact credit union real estate lending.