SAN DIMAS, Calif. – Financial Services Centers Cooperative has delayed the introduction of its self-service kiosks in 7-Eleven convenience stores, one of the largest expansions of the credit union switch ever. “We’ve pushed it back to the end of June,” said Sarah Canepa Bang, president of the shared branch network, of the planned April roll-out. “But our credit unions have gotten lots of information and everybody seems really excited.” The program will provide FSCC credit union members with surcharge-free access to self-service Vcom kiosks at 1,700 7-Elevens across the country by the end of June, and another 200 by year-end. All other credit union networks will have surcharge-free access to the kiosks, creating the broadest expansion of credit union access ever. The kiosks will be located in 19 states, with large numbers centered around the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Washington, D.C. markets. FSCC is currently planning a marketing campaign to notify both credit union members and non-members of the availability of the new 7-Eleven ‘branches’.

WESTMINSTER, Colo. – In announcing its merger with WesCorp FCU, SunCorp said yesterday the move is aimed at delivering value to its natural-person credit union members. “The board clearly saw WesCorp as the best partner to help us maintain and grow the level of quality service and innovative products that SunCorp members need for success in today’s competitive marketplace,” said SunCorp PresidentTom Graham in a released statement. SunCorp said it is now planning a series of town hall meetings throughout its Rocky Mountain market with member credit unions. SunCorp., formally Systems United Corporate FCU, said a member vote will occur in June or July, adding it will retain its Denver and Salt Lake City offices. San Dimas, Calif.-based WesCorp, formally Western Corporate FCU, is the largest corporate with $28 billion in assets. SunCorp, itself the product of a 2001 merger with Rocky Mountain Corporate CU, reported it provides services to more than 500 credit unions and CUSOs across 20 states.

DENVER – First Data Corp., which just completed one acquisition and is in the process of being acquired, said yesterday it has agreed to acquire FundsXpress, the Austin, Texas, provider of online financial services to credit unions and banks. Got that. First Data, which recently spun off its Western Union unit, last week completed its acquisition of Wells Fargo’s ATM network, called Instance Cash Services. Completion of that deal came as First Data was agreeing to be acquired by private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for $29 billion, one of the biggest deals ever. Now, First Data has agreed to acquired FundsXpress, a privately held provider of services like electronic bill payment and online security. Financial terms of the FundsXpress deal were not disclosed.

RESTON, Va. – Shares in student loan giant Sallie Mae soared again yesterday, by 18%, as the former government sponsored enterprise announced a deal to go private for $25 billion, one of the biggest corporate takeovers ever. Sallie Mae shares closed near an all-time high yesterday at $55.05, still well below the $60-share-price being offered by buyout firms J.C. Flowers & Co. and Friedman Fleischer & Lowe and banking giants JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America. Shares in other student lenders , which may also be takeover targets, also surged yesterday, with Nelnet gaining almost 15% to close at $28; CIT Group rising 5% to $55.62; and Student Loan Corp., a private lender controlled by Citigroup, rising 5% to $201, even as the company was reporting a 5% decline in first quarter earnings. Congressional leaders vowed yesterday to closely scrutinize the Salle Mae deal, in light of last week’s settlement with New York authorities on improper marketing charges and since the vast majority of the company’s $140 million student loan portfolio is guaranteed by the federal government. As part of the settlement, Sallie Mae agreed with the New York Attorney General to make a $2 million payment into a fund to help educate students on financial aid availability. Separately, another student lender, San Francisco-based Education Finance Partners, agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle charges it paid kickbacks to 60 colleges that referred students to them for loans.

LOS ANGELES – When USC FCU sold its credit card portfolio to MBNA it chose the monoline bank because it didn’t want to be competing with the giant lender on other products, but then MBNA was sold to Bank of America, which competes with the $300 million credit union in almost every market. So it was with some apprehension that the credit union viewed yesterday’s announcement that Sallie Mae, its partner on its $100 million student loan program had been sold to a group on investors including–Bank of America. The Sallie Mae deal conjures up the whole MBNA deal, said Gary Perez, president of USC FCU, one of the largest student lenders among credit unions. He worries that not only will the banking giant gain access to its members’ information, but also that key services provided by Sallie Mae, like servicing and securitization, will be affected. “The purpose of selling (the credit card portfolio) to a monoline was that we wouldn’t be selling to a competitor,” Perez told The Credit Union Journal yesterday, likening it to ‘sleeping with the enemy.’ While Sallie Mae had grown from a credit union partner on student loans to a major competitor, its business was mostly restricted to student loans, said Perez. BofA and JP Morgan Chase, one of the other partners in the huge Sallie Mae takeover, compete with credit unions in every market, he noted.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - One may be the loneliest number, but it is the key to success at Conservation Employees' CU.

The top 50 CU credit card lenders(by outstanding loans) 4Q 2006

WASHINGTON - The new 36% cap on loans to military personnel would be limited to just the three types of loans targeted by anti-predatory loan forces, under a proposal issued for comment last week by the department of defense.

LINCOLN, Neb. - "Bank" is no longer a four-letter word in Nebraska.

WASHINGTON - The new 36% cap on loans to military personnel would be limited to just the three types of loans targeted by anti-predatory loan forces, under a proposal issued for comment last week by the department of defense.

Patriot FCU Gives Members Bonus

BATON ROUGE, La. - Neighbors FCU reports it set out two years ago to marketedly improve service levels to members and now reports that a mystery shopping program has shown the investment has paid off. When compared to 21 financial institutions that participate in a similar program, Neighbors ranked as top performer in overall service, top performer in competitive comparison, top performer in use of members name, and runner-up in emotional connection with the member.

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MADISON, Wis. - With environmental issues making headlines, anything credit unions can do to show they are committed to keeping their small part of the world green makes good business sense.

MEMBER PLEADS GUILTY IN FRAUD

BILOXI, Miss. - While the news crews have left and America's attention has turned elsewhere, Hurricane Katrina remains very much a day-to-day reality for residents and credit union employees along the Gulf Coast.

CU: Conservation Employees' CU

Your members visit your credit union to carry out very private business. Many of them have the ability to log-on to their personal computers to make these transactions in the privacy of their home, yet they choose to make a face-to-face visit.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Credit unions don't just wait for Earth Day to come around to be "green." Here are some examples of credit unions promoting green loans throughout the year.

WASHINGTON - For most credit unions what first comes to mind when thinking of funds being paid out by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) is the dividend check paid on the 1% deposit when the fund is performing well.