WASHINGTON - CUNA continued to sprinkle campaign contributions last month on sponsors of the CU Regulatory Improvements Act, or prospective CURIA sponsors, as the list of signees to the bill topped 100. At press time the number of CURIA cosponsors had grown to 106. But there was still no word as to when a hearing might be held on the bill, which has been introduced in each of the last three congresses.

ORLANDO, Fla. - What is a good hire? What are the costs involved in hiring a new employee? What is a behavioral interview?

NASHVILLE, TN - While the Pension Protection Act of 2006 was enacted to help employees do a better job building their retirement funds, it is also creating new fiduciary responsibilities and opportunities for employers.

MIRAMAR, Fla. - CUNA's "Little Guy" is taking his show on the road.

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Credit Union League and the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) co-hosted the first National Grant Writing Workshop here.

WASHINGTON - CUNA continued to sprinkle campaign contributions last month on sponsors of the CU Regulatory Improvements Act, or prospective CURIA sponsors, as the list of signees to the bill topped 100. At press time the number of CURIA cosponsors had grown to 106. But there was still no word as to when a hearing might be held on the bill, which has been introduced in each of the last three congresses.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve announced last week it plans to trim another 1,740 jobs in its check processing operations as increasing numbers of checks are being processed online. As part of the ongoing consolidation that has halved the number of Fed processing sites to 22 since 2003, the central bank said it has selected Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta and Dallas as regional check processing sites that are expected to provide a full range of processing services through 2011. Other sites will have their operations scaled back.

LAS VEGAS - It's not just an honor to be named to the Great Place To Work Institute's list of top employers-it also helps attract the best employees, and in turn boosts member service.

ORLANDO, Fla. - What is a good hire? What are the costs involved in hiring a new employee? What is a behavioral interview?

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - NCUA has put together a "Q&A" explaining its proposed amendments to the Prompt Corrective Action rule on its website at www.ncua.gov. Here are excerpts from that document.

WASHINGTON - The American Bankers Association and America's Community Bankers, the lobby group for the S&Ls, are seeking to finalize their decade-long courtship and announced last week they have tentatively agreed to merge, again.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Banking call centers rank second only to those of catalog retailers in customer satisfaction, though more than half of bank customers say they would defect over a bad phone experience, according to a new survey.

CRI Teams With Frost Financial

COLORADO SPRINGS - Air Academy FCU is billing its new payday loan product as a smart solution to the short-term cash problems of its members, many of them Air Force cadets.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - As baby boomers inexorably head toward retirement, financial-planning services will be a priority need among credit union members-and a wealth of opportunity for credit unions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - There are more opportunities for CUs to significantly lower their benefit costs and provide tax-advantaged retirement solutions to executives and staff alike.

CINCINNATI - The Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati announced last week it is making $250 million in low-cost funds available to its credit union and bank members to help troubled homebuyers refinance their mortgages. Assistance under the FHLB's HomeProtect Program at the FHLB's cost of funds to lenders, and will be available to borrowers whose homes are at risk of foreclosure.

Meetings

SAN FRANCISCO - Great Place to Work(r) Institute, Inc. is currently seeking nominees for its 2008 "Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America" list, published annually by Society for Human Resource Management in HR Magazine.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Not all credit unions have "forgotten" about the signature loan.