MONTAUK, N.Y. - Montauk CU is one of the few credit unions that has an open field of membership, whereby anybody in the U.S.-or the world for that matter-is eligible to join. But members must reside in the New York and New Jersey area.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Patriot FCU said it paid its 41,000 members a Membership Bonus Dividend for the second straight quarter. The $200,000 second quarter payout follows a $500,000 bonus for the first quarter.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - St. Mary's Bank joined the Cooperative Development Institute and other organizations to host a Cooperative Enterprise conference at Southern New Hampshire University last month.

ECUADOR - Thirteen credit union leaders from four countries have returned from the World Council of Credit Unions' (WOCCU) inaugural Cooperative Learning tour in Ecuador.

MADISON, Wis. - Could it be that the long-awaited, much- vaunted "community charter effect" is finally being felt, helping to push credit union membership growth numbers up?

OGDEN, Utah - Federal Credit Union of the Year, assets $150 million or more

WASHINGTON - The United Nations Financing for Development Office of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs has invited World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to participate in its worldwide study of microfinance regulation.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Federal credit unions converting to mutual savings banks must facilitate communications between members during the balloting and allow members to receive communications with other members electronically, NCUA said last week.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Volunteer of the Year, Assets $150 million or more)

WASHINGTON - The American Bankers Association and America's Community Bankers, which are in the process of merging, called on the Bush administration last week to reject a proposal to merge the regulators for banks and S&Ls.

MADISON, Wis. - Dr. Robert Hoel, Filene Research Institute Fellow in Residence and former executive director, studied 3,390 credit unions in three asset ranges: $10 to $35 million, $35 to $50 million, and $50 to $100 million, over a five- year period beginning in January 2001. His findings will be published later in 2007.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Leaders from Vietnam's financial institutions spent a week visiting credit unions here. Central Communications CU, Independence, Mo., hosted three Vietnamese delegates as part of the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program. The program is designed to help Vietnamese leaders learn about the U.S. financial system. Central Communications President Phil Weber and Missouri CU Association SVP of Public/Legislative Affairs Peggy Nalls met with representatives from the Western Rural Bank, National Economics University and the State Bank of Vietnam.

WASHINGTON - It would take 313 years at the Treasury's 2007 estimate of $1.4 billion for the annual credit union tax exemption amount to equal the total amount taxpayers forked over to deal with the savings and loan crisis, according to results of a new CUNA analysis of the recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on banking activities.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - CUNA Mutual Group believes it has a very strong story to tell regarding the bottom line benefits it can bring to credit unions with its ALM capabilities and investment management of excess credit union funds.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina Postal Credit Union has implemented Priority Payday Checking for its United States Postal Service members to help steer members clear of predatory payday lenders.

PHENIX CITY, Ala. - There is nothing retiring about the average IRA balance at Mead Coated Board FCU, which leads the U.S. at $69,249, according to Callahan & Associates.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nearly 30 specialists from across a broad range of investment categories and from some of the best-known financial services firms in the country are now in place at CUNA Mutual Group and are being credited with adding more than $60-million to the company's bottom line in 2006.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Volunteer of the Year, Assets Less Than $150 million

Study Shows How Banks Profit From Rel. Lending