Community 1 FCU, Greenville, S.C., announced that Rick A. Leonardi was elected president of the Piedmont Chapter of Credit Unions.

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. - The board of Continental FCU again rejected an acquisition offer from the much-larger Wings Financial FCU, setting the stage for a protracted battle over credit union's first hostile takeover fight.

MADISON, WIS. - That interest rates affect deposits is well known. But how interest rate changes affect deposits may be misunderstood by many credit unions, according to a new study from the Filene Research Institute.

DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN - During a recent visit to the United States to learn about the U.S. banking industry, Tajikistan banker Izatoullo Lalbekov became so impressed with the CU industry that he asked if he could become a member.

WASHINGTON - Authorities are investigating a new computer virus, traced to Russia, that has stolen PINs, passwords and identifying information and other personal data from thousands of credit union and bank accounts.

CU: Sharonview FCU

MADISON, WIS. - With credit unions in the U.S. disappearing at a rate of approximately one per day, one analyst is suggesting the CU community look to a strategy that has driven success elsewhere: franchising.

APPLETON, WIS. - A member of Fox Communities CU thought his number came in when he received a check in the mail for $36,624 from a mutual fund company Thrivent Financial Services.

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.

PORTLAND, MAINE - If there is one thing that most of those interviewed for this report agreed on it was that credit unions are, indeed, at a crossroads.

DALMUIR, U.K. - The World Council of Credit Unions has renamed its newly remodeled conference room here as part of a tribute to Rose Dorman, a credit union leader who shaped credit unions throughout Scotland and England. Dorman died last year.

CU: Sharonview FCU

HARRISBURG, PENN. - A joint effort between the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking to position credit unions as a solution to the growing problem of payday lending practices is gaining momentum.

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. - The board of Continental FCU again rejected an acquisition offer from the much-larger Wings Financial FCU, setting the stage for a protracted battle over credit union's first hostile takeover fight.

Has The Carl Icahn Era For CUs Begun?

WASHINGTON - Members of Lafayette FCU presented the credit union with a petition signed by 821 members seeking a special meeting to recall the board members who voted in favor of converting to a mutual savings bank charter.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - New research from the Brookings Institution Urban Markets Initiative found millions of Americans could benefit from the credit industry using new and readily available information such as utility payment history to calculate credit scores.

AMSTERDAM - Wolters Kluwer NV, the provider of a variety of systems and e-learning for financial institutions, said it has received bids from five entities, most of them private equity funds, for its education division.

LAS VEGAS - In an era of tepid member growth and flat yield curves, some credit unions have discovered innovative ways to bring people in their doors and get them to open accounts.

WASHINGTON - Three days after finally introducing the new credit union regulatory relief bill, its chief congressional sponsor, Rep. Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania, underwent triple heart bypass surgery, halting further progress on the bill until at least next month.