NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Credit union members nationwide saved more than $2.4 million on mobile phone service in 2006 with discounts from Sprint Nextel's partnership with CUcorp, the wholly owned subsidiary of the Michigan league. CUCorp President Drew Egan said 187 CUs in 17 states participated by offering members significant decreases in cell phone services as well as a portability, nationwide coverage and calling plans.

BOSTON - Make sure you're on hand for what has annually been the best forum for strategies on growing membership and then building walletshare among those members when the Credit Union Journal hosts its annual Business Development & SEG Conference April 12-13 at the Boston Hyatt. In a special treat this year, join us for dinner at America's Credit Union Museum on April 11 in Manchester, N.H. Sign up now, as the meeting always fills up fast. Details can be found at www.cujournal.com. Then get ready to grow your membership.

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.

WASHINGTON - CUNA focused its campaign finance activities on helping the two political parties to rebuild their campaign funds, depleted by the recently completed mid-term elections.

WASHINGTON - Rejection doesn't faze Richard "Duke" Strosser, CEO of Del-One FCU.

"Credit unions can't just be a Salvation Army with a lending program. They have to be good businesses as well as having a social mission."

LOMBARD, Ill. - Raddon Financial Group says it has developed a new measure that reaches directly to the bottom line for those who use its consulting services: the Loyalty Index.

BEDFORD, Mass. - Two-factor authentication should find a receptive audience among consumers, according to a new survey.

SECU Offering New Mutual Funds

Online Registration Now Open For CUNA Mutual's Discovery Conference

As the new CEO of Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union, I see the legacy of this organization's first two CEOs, John Arnold and Francis Lee. They and the other leaders of the corporate credit union network through the years have created an innovative and efficient system of support for the credit union movement that evolved as credit unions evolved, resulting in corporate credit unions becoming the trusted partners of their member credit unions. I would submit that now credit unions need a trusted partner more than ever in today's market as financial services become more sophisticated and their related implementation more complex.

APPLETON, Wis. - In mid 2005, Prospera Credit Union and Goodwill Industries of North Center Wisconsin became partners in an effort to turn "bad money" into "GoodMoney" by helping consumers break free of their financial dependence on area payday lenders.

For more information on this topic, visit cujournal.com by searching the following bolded terms in the archive and search any of the keywords for related stories reported by the Credit Union Journal.

PORTLAND, Ore. - While many Americans have heard of methamphetamines and identity theft, they might not think to use them in the same sentence-but they should, according to one law enforcement veteran and crime consultant.

ASHEVILLE, N.C.-The Asheville Citizen Times ran a story about the growth of credit union shared branching, highlighting the ability of members at Premier Federal Credit Union to do basic transactions at any of more than 2,400 other CU locations in 45 states by joining a network. The story failed to identify the network, however, but quoted Rita Willis, Premier's regional branch manager saying, the CU handles about 500 such transactions a month, mostly from vacationers and part-time residents. The story noted that shared branching may be CUs' competitive answer to the banking industry's extensive network of branches across the country, citing the Charlotte-based Bank of America's 5,700 banks and 17,000 ATMs.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Credit Union Journal asked state leagues: tell us about the perceptions of whom credit unions are supposed to serve that you encounter in the media, the public and in politics, and how you address those perceptions.

WASHINGTON - Beginning in 2008 credit unions visiting Washington for CUNA's GAC will have to find new haunts, hangouts and traditions.

WASHINGTON - A year ago the buzz around CUNA's Government Affairs Conference was of two Texas credit union giants that had just deserted the credit union charter and a still larger one in Michigan that was preparing to convert to mutual savings bank.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - How do voters define the term "modest means?" According to one survey, as "working people."

MADISON, Wis. - She's been called everything from "Ms. Credit Union" to dynamic mentor, role model and teacher of the people-helping-people philosophy. It's not uncommon to hear her name and words such as "amazing" and "inspiring" in the same sentence.