EL PASO, Texas - These are tough days for many lenders as the housing market is flat in many markets and competition is keen in all markets.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Bank Insurance & Securities Association (BISA) roared into South Florida and kept the need-for-speed motif going for three days.

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Seems that nobody in credit-union-land wants to make the first move when it comes to implementing the new Microsoft Vista.

MIRAMAR, Fla. - A major shift within the banking industry has made the time right for credit unions to strengthen their positions, particularly within the small business community, according to one person.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Credit unions have apparently avoided the crisis spreading through the subprime mortgage market, according to NCUA.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The credit union trade associations are putting pressure on NCUA to intervene in what California-based Continental FCU has described as a "hostile takeover" bid by Minnesota-based Wings Financial FCU.

PORTLAND, Ore. - OnPoint Community CU and Countrywide Financial unveiled a joint mortgage venture that will market the mortgage lender's products and services directly to members of the state's largest credit union.

NCUA Board: NCUSIF Checks Are In The Mail

LOS ANGELES - Members already expect free service and easy enrollment when they sign up for bill pay, so credit unions are having to add a little icing to lure them in. And the icing they are using? Pricey iPods and furry stuffed animals. So say credit unions that are signing up more bill pay users than many of the nation's other financial institutions.

Hearings

FISHERS, Ind. - Forum CU said it will pay $26,000 over the next three years to help renovate the Hall of Champions wings in Hamilton Southeastern's two high schools. School officials will work with Forum CU to determine what signs will be placed. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Members of Think FCU last week approved the conversion of the $1.2 billion credit union to mutual savings bank, the third billion-dollar-plus credit union to switch to a bank.

BOSTON, Mass. - Simple passwords for online banking security is passé, and now, a study by researchers at Harvard and MIT finds that a popular method where users are asked to select an image, such as a dog or chess piece, that they should see every time they log in to their account, also provides little protection from scammers. When the image doesn't appear, users are supposed to realize that the site may be fraudulent. The popular system is used by BofA, ING Direct and Vanguard, among others, including some credit unions. But when researchers tested the hypothesis using 67 BofA customers using computers where the images were removed, 58 keyed in their passwords anyway. Researchers said they could not recommend using the images as a protective measure against identity fraud.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Philosophical issues aside, conversions and consolidation (friendly and otherwise) in the credit union movement really come down to one primary issue: stagnation.

MARCH

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Dave Mowat, CEO of one of the most innovative credit unions in the world, Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity), is leaving in June to become president and CEO of ATB Financial, Edmonton, Alberta.

FREDERICK, Md. - Police apologized and dropped bank robbery charges against a man they wrongfully charged with last August's robbery at Spectrum FCU. James Jones, 40, sat in jail for four months after he was identified by witnesses as the man seen robbing the credit union in a surveillance video. But Jones was released and the charges dropped after another man confessed to the crime. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

ROCKTON, Ill. - Wal-Mart Stores opened its second high-efficiency Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is expected to use 20% less energy that one of its typical Supercenters.

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.

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. - In what the CEO of the targeted credit union is describing as a "hostile takeover," Wings Financial FCU has taken its bid to merge with Continental FCU, El Segundo, Calif., directly to CFCU's members, urging them to pressure their board to return to the merger negotiating table.