If you're the CEO or manager of a credit union, then you are likely also a published author. Whether you're a best seller or not may seem to be determined by the size of the credit union's membership, but lots of books that get big advance print runs end up heading to the discount table or being boxed up and returned to the publisher for a credit.

DENVER - The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies' Commission of Financial Services Chris Myklebust introduced a series of bylaw options aimed at fending off hostile takeovers and conversions to mutual savings institutions.

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.

LAS VEGAS - This is not designed to be a feel-good session; this is designed to be a wake-up session. -Mike Hales

LAS VEGAS - The future of the credit union movement might be determined by the strengths of the networks CUs can establish, according to Tony Boutelle.

MOSCOW, Russia - The World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and the Russian Credit Union League (RCUL) will host the first annual Eastern European Technical Congress for credit union leaders here Sept. 10- 12. According to WOCCU, the two-and-one-half days of networking and training will take place at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a historic building just minutes from the Red Square. The congress will focus on building relations among national associations of participating countries and will feature presentations by regional leaders, WOCCU staff and U.S. league volunteers on technical requirements for credit union growth, WOCCU said.

Salaries Rise Faster Than Predicted

LAS VEGAS - An increasing number of credit unions are moving to risk-based pricing and, not surprisingly, are seeing greater insight into assessing risk.

WALL STREET - The nation's biggest banks, which earned billions with last year's initial public offering for MasterCard, are looking to score again with the impending IPO for cards competitor Visa USA.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - This year will be an "introduction year" for card payments for healthcare, according to a new study. Financial Insights, a unit of IDC, said in a new report called "HSA Cards: Their Past, Present, and Future" that Health Savings Account deposits are providing "tremendous growth and providing financial institutions a new source of funding over the next few years."

LAS VEGAS - When it comes to developing products, a credit union needs some answers about members. But as one CU learned about the process, it may be best that the credit union not ask the questions.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Citing provisions of the landmark 1998 credit union bill, a group purporting to represent credit unions filed suit in federal court here last week challenging NCUA's new rules on the conversion to mutual savings bank.

Government Employees CU interviewed six member households on film about every aspect of their finances - with no GECU rep present to ensure honest feedback. Below is a look at what GECU found in three of those households.

TopLine Federal Credit Union, Maple Grove, Minn., promoted Sharon Pollock to e-market manager and named Kathryn Biddle training manager.

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

Since its inception in 1967, NAFCU has led the charge to ensure a solid voice for federal credit unions and to protect challenges to their interests and those of their members.

A credit union's brand is the place it holds in the minds of its members. In the same way, its internal brand, or culture, resides in the minds of its employees. Culture amounts to the written and unwritten rules that govern how employees behave, think and feel. The external and internal brand must be aligned because it's very difficult to deliver an exceptional member experience, without an exceptional staff experience.

If you're the CEO or manager of a credit union, then you are likely also a published author. Whether you're a best seller or not may seem to be determined by the size of the credit union's membership, but lots of books that get big advance print runs end up heading to the discount table or being boxed up and returned to the publisher for a credit.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Whatcom Educational CU said it made nine grants for a total of $10,000 under its annual social responsibility program. The awards went to: Whatcom Center for Early Learning ($1,950); Alpine Safety Awareness Program ($1,000); American Museum of Radio and Electricity ($1,000); Arthritis Foundation ($1,000); Jingle Bell Run ($1,000); Bellingham Senior Center ($1,000); Slum Doctor Program ($1,000); Western Washington University’s Center for Service Learning ($1,000) and Whatcom Museum of History ($1,000).

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Adding more information to credit card disclosures will not reduce consumers' overuse of credit cards, concludes a new university study underwritten by the American Bankruptcy Institute. The results of the study, which was conducted by law and psychology graduate students and faculty from the University of Nebraska, Fordham Law School, Southern Vermont College and Florida International University, fly in the face of the economic model for consumer behavior, the researchers say. That model assumes consumers who possess complete information will act rationally to avoid overspending when spending's costs outweigh consumption's benefits. Instead, the researchers found, emotion trumps rational choice for many consumers, particularly those who use shopping as a form of antidepressant. In fact, consumers who shop to lift their mood acknowledged pain with increased knowledge about the high costs of excessive card use, but they continued to use their credit cards more and spent more through the experiment's simulated shopping excursion than did shoppers not motivated by emotion, the study found.