Performance reports

MODESTO, Calif. – Self-Help FCU, the recently formed national charter for the iconic North Carolina-based community development group, said Friday it has acquired Community Trust CU, a struggling $43 million serving low-income communities in California’s Central Valley.

WASHINGTON – The FDIC closed three small banks on Friday, bringing the number of bank failures to 40 so far this year as the recession and delinquent loans erode the health of financial institutions.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Several more large credit unions were cleared to acquire troubled smaller ones, NCUA reported Friday, continuing a trend.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. — Members United Corporate FCU, which reported a $511- million loss last month, said Friday it is embarking on its second round of lay-offs, eliminating 39 full-time positions and closing its Minnesota office.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — What does Q3 and Q4 hold? Apparently, more mergers.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The points of pain have many CUs turning to point of sale.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The next six months will keep credit unions focused on cost-cutting and efficiency improvements, which elevates the importance of using strong benchmarks before making adjustments, suggests Cornerstone Advisors.

ONTARIO, Calif. — Despite two of the Big 3 automakers having filed for bankruptcy, Credit Union Direct Lending predicts that CU auto loan volume will remain level for the rest of the year and increase significantly in 2010.

GLASTONBURY, Conn. — Delaying IT purchases, especially those that spur growth or drive efficiencies, could lead credit unions to experience a downturn longer than what's delivered by the economy, suggests one person.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Corporate CU Stabilization Plan is breathing life into 2010 marketing budgets, according to one person.

VISTA, Calif. — Corporate credit unions' problems are expected to drive greater demand for in-house item processing in the remainder of 2009.

ST. LOUIS. Mo. — Forecasting that the recession will continue through Q3 and Q4, Enterprise Car Sales says that outlook is good for credit unions' used car loan portfolios.

AUSTIN, Texas — With credit union loans flat and deposits up, how to effectively manage a growing investment portfolio is the issue Amherst Securities Group expects CUs to wrestle with for at least another year.

LOS ANGELES — If CUs seek to cut executive benefits to cope with an economy one analyst predicts will not recover this year, they should pay attention to a certain section of the IRS code.

CINCINNATI — A slowly improving economy will not open the branch expansion floodgates this year, but more CUs will begin planning today for new locations in 2010.

PORTLAND, Maine — As credit unions deal with the fallout from the corporate system failures and the general economic downturn, a number of them are eyeing mergers, or even charter conversions as a way to protect member capital.

NEW YORK — Following a major bailout and the seizure of two major corporate credit unions, the unanswered question remains: what does the future hold for corporate CUs?

INDIANAPOLIS — The second half of 2009 will keep CUs focused on services that reduce their expenses and manage risk, reports Allied Solutions, which predicts that involuntary unemployment insurance coverage could see even greater interest.

WEST PALM BEACH — As credit unions celebrate their first 100 years here in the U.S., the financial crisis has some worrying about how they'll survive to see the next 100 years, and all options are on the table: converting to a bank charter, mergers and even a total overhaul of the system could be in the near future for corporate and natural person credit unions alike.

WASHINGTON — Changes to accounting regulations surrounding mergers, particularly the move from the pooling method to the acquisition method, can make the process daunting but it should not be the reason credit unions abandon a planned merger.