SAN DIEGO - Tighter margins, pressures on cost containment and regulatory compliance are issues credit union CEOs face every day, but many executives do not realize those same concerns have an impact on their CUs' human resources departments.

PITTSBURGH - Pennsylvania's State Banking Secretary, Victoria A. Reider, is calling on the state legislature to stop what she called "abusive lending practices blamed for many foreclosures."

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Performance is measured in countless ways, but the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. That's why Credit Union Journal wanted to take a closer look at how some of the top-performing credit unions got there.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A member of a gang that robbed Palisades FCU of $219,000 while wearing laboratory coats and surgical masks was convicted in federal court last week on charges of attempted bank robbery and conspiracy.

One if by land, two if...you're trying to sum up all the terrific advice, strategies and knowledge shared during the Credit Union Journal's recent Business Development & SEG Conference in Boston. In this, the second of two columns, I try to offer at least a few of the tidbits that were part of the two days of meetings.

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WEST JORDAN, Utah - When Gordon Dames arrived as the new CEO of Mountain America in 1991, the credit union had ended 1990 with a loss of nearly $560,000 on less than $300 million in assets.

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:

WASHINGTON - South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson received a National Cooperative Business Association Honored Cooperator Award for his long-standing support of cooperative business.

MADISON, Wis. - CUNA's "Top 20 Research Insights" delves into one of the biggest challenges facing credit unions: membership growth.

MAY

The El Paso Times.com ran a feature on how the poor are charged more to borrow money from payday lenders, citing a loophole in Texas law. By registering as "credit service organizations," the lenders evade Texas' small-loan law, enabling them to charge rates 20 times as costly as a high-interest credit card. Those rates, when annualized, are between 300%-1100%. State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh filed a bill to limit payday interest rates to 36% annually. The story noted that West Texas CU offers a low-fee payday loan for $10 for a $500, two-week loan. CEO, Rufino Carbajal, acknowledged the program isn't a big moneymaker. Of 201 loans totaling $77,515 in the first quarter, the CU barely broke even. "There's quite a bit of losses in that program," he said. "But the key was to be able to get some people into the main credit and savings accounts."

MADISON, Wis. - Nominations are being sought for the third annual CUNA Operations, Sales & Service (OpSS) Council's Best Practices Awards. The awards were created to identify, recognize, and share new approaches and solutions with universal application in the credit union movement.

TUKWILA, Wash. - When BECU implemented higher interest rates on some of its checking and savings products in the Autumn of 2006, the move was expected to cause a splash in its Seattle-area markets. What the credit union did not expect was that the new product offerings would soon be cited as an example for the entire credit union community to mimic.

MAY

LA CROSSE, Wis. - Two local credit unions have joined with 10 area banks to offer $5 million in low-interest loans to help improve the downtown. Interest rates for loans through the Downtown Mainstreet Inc. will be the current prime rate of 8.25% minus 2%, fixed for five years.

SAN DIEGO - With little warning, an outbreak of Avian Flu could rapidly infect millions of Americans, leaving credit unions without staff, expertise, members and revenue.

Catholic Federal Credit Union, Saginaw, Mich., announced that Vicki Hill was honored by Warrior International Ministries for Black History Month, Jeanne Lawrence was named collection department supervisor, Alicia Petricevic was named marketing assistant and Susan Ross retired.

MINOT, N.D. - A suspect in January's armed robbery at Ray Cooperative CU pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and carrying a firearm while committing a crime of violence. Justin Rieniets, 23, admitted to pointing a gun at a teller then making off with $7,500-escaping on a snowmobile. An alleged accomplice is scheduled to go on trial later this year.

SAN DIEGO - Here are four trends in human resources every credit union should be paying attention to, according to Tammy Trudelle, VP-HR at Fort Worth Community Credit Union, Bedford, Texas and the outgoing chair of the CUNA HR Training HR/Training and Development Council.