SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - One or more thieves used a blowtorch to break into an Orange County Teachers FCU ATM here.

Looking at the remainder of our 2007 budget, we need to cut our expenses. Can you suggest ways we can use technology to find cost savings, including within IT itself?

ARLINGTON, Va. - The NASCUS board has elected George Reynolds, senior deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, to replace Ohio Department of Commerce Acting Deputy Superintendent of Financial Institutions Ken Roberts, who resigned as NASCUS' chairman-elect.

When the cliché "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" comes to mind, it is inevitably used in the context of something visual: modern art (the collector vs. the Average Joe); a purple house (Prince vs. his neighbors), or Lyle Lovett (Julia Roberts vs. most of the rest of the world).

Charlottesville, Va. - FirstFed Financial Corp. topped SNL Financial's annual ranking of the 100 largest thrifts.

CUDE Corps Seeks Applicants

Credit Union Journal Subscribers can access all content from the print edition every Monday simultaneously with its publication at www.cujournal.com. Additional resources include:

SDMCU Chooses TFactor

I'd like to thank Credit Union Journal for your very insightful article on service to people of "modest means" (CUJ Feb.26). Quite honestly, I have gotten frustrated by the arguments offered by the leader of middle class organizations that are quite removed from large numbers of Americans that have traditionally been neglected by financial institutions. Perhaps it's time that we begin to consider other perspectives, including from those that are committed to serving the disenfranchised in our society.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Attorneys for the state Banking Department and the Department of Revenue told the state's High Court last week the bankers ought to end their legal challenge to the credit unions' tax exemption and pursue their efforts to get credit unions taxed before the state legislature, instead.

MADISON, Wis. - A new study by the Filene Research Institute indicates there is a strong correlation between high performing credit unions and exceptional boards.

AKRON, Ohio - Some members got mad when Buckeye State CU here started asking them to authenticate themselves online using the Passfaces three-step, face-recognition process (see related story).

Mid-Hudson Valley FCU, Kingston, N.Y., announced that Scott Jordan was recognized as one of the Top 40 Under 40 by the Chamber of Commerce.

ONTARIO, Calif. - Representatives from two countries met here to discuss an issue they have in common: membership growth.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Continental FCU here just moved away from the "Microsoft monopoly" and into the 21st century of electronic communications with an intranet and web community platform that allows employees coast to coast to share files, schedule meetings and post updates to a homepage-all at a bargain-basement cost.

Looking at the remainder of our 2007 budget, we need to cut our expenses. Can you suggest ways we can use technology to find cost savings, including within IT itself?

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Credit unions are taking a "nanny-cam" approach to controlling the wild frontier of the Internet and data storage, using monitoring technologies to prevent employees from goofing-off or doing bad and stupid things with member data.

Credit Union Journal Subscribers can access all content from the print edition every Monday simultaneously with its publication at www.cujournal.com. Additional resources include:

SEATTLE - The Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle reported strong earnings for its first quarter. The Seattle bank reported net income of $10.6 million for the quarter, up 32% from the same period last year.

WASHINGTON - To combat the sluggish membership growth that has plagued credit unions for the last few years CUNA has created a Membership Growth Task Force to identify and address the underlying issues that have kept growth stagnant.