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.

GREAT FALLS, Mont.-CUs were included as part of a story in the Great Falls Tribune about the increase in postage rates. First Liberty CU was quoted as saying the postage boost to 41 cents mail will have an affect. "This increase will cost our small branches in other towns more because they don't have access to that service," LeAnn Lashley, of First Liberty Credit Union, told the Great Falls Tribune. Lashley told the newspaper the CU has been exploring methods to provide statements via e-mail.

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).

MOON TOWNSHIP, Penn. - Clearview FCU, the region's largest CU, is embarking on an ambitious expansion, adding as many as 15 branches over the next three years.

WASHINGTON - Even the most optimistic of credit union advocates can understand why some in the movement might be concerned about the future of credit unions.

MOON TOWNSHIP, Penn. - Clearview FCU, the region's largest CU, is embarking on an ambitious expansion, adding as many as 15 branches over the next three years.

Throughout 2007, the Credit Union Journal, in conjunction with ENCORE Card Services, are profiling the credit unions of each U.S. state and D.C. Rather than appear in alphabetical order, the states are being featured in the order they became states. For info: visit www.encore-ecs.coop.

DENVER - Credit union executives around the country were holding their breath last week to see if insurers for Centrix Financial, the reconstituted subprime auto lender, would continue paying claims on loan defaults, which have risen to almost 40% in recent months.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Employees have a "take this job and love it" attitude at Pacific Service Credit Union here, in part because technology makes their work easier.

MADISON, Wis. - Business development, net interest margin, and outstanding credit union lending programs are the focus of three new CUNA Council white papers.

MAY

LATHAM, N.Y. - Representatives from the New York State Credit Union League and Sunmark FCU appeared in support of a state Senate measure designed to help families on the verge of losing their homes to predatory lenders.

WALLINGFORD, Conn. - The Credit Union League of Connecticut said it is likely to join the class action lawsuit being filed against TJX Corporation for last year's data breach that put private member data at risk, resulting in significant costs to credit unions.

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.

Comment

Comment

WASHINGTON - When contemplating the maneuvering around the CU Regulatory Improvement Act (CURIA), especially the provisions regarding credit union conversions to banks, I was reminded of an old Jimi Hendrix sing called, "When 6 Turned Out to be 9."

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.

In March I attended an invitee-only seminar on branding at George Washington University in Washington. The speaker was Dr. Kevin Lane Keller, the E.B. Osborn professor of Marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Dr. Keller is also a consultant on branding for many of the Fortune 500 and is author of the two best selling books on branding ever sold.

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).