About six miles from Peterson Air Force base and nine from the Fort Carson Army Post, the Jet Wing Service Center of Ent FCU has a rock-solid segment of its membership that it not only counts on for loans and deposits, but even some free marketing, as well.

As more transactions roll out of CU branches in favor of e-channels, the role of the branch manager is changing.

The first day Jill McNabb stepped into her role as branch manager for the Bastrop branch of Greater TEXAS FCU, she moved her office to the front of the building.

It's not uncommon for Glenda Evans to step into the middle of a line of members, pull out her smartphone or tablet and show someone how to download and use the credit union's mobile banking app.

It's certainly not the typical CU office, as members occasionally walk by in pajamas while brushing their teeth.

Whether the branch handles 4,000 transactions a month or 28,000, what ensures a CU office of any size runs smoothly are clear lines of communication between the manager and staff.

Twelve years ago Greg Logoteta decided he no longer wanted to "sell ice cubes to Eskimos" and made the move from working at a big bank to running an office of SAFE CU.

When staff approach Scott Callison with a question, they should be ready with some answers of their own.

Lisa Fitzpatrick doesn't mind avoiding mid-day traffic in Linn County, Iowa, and not hearing the slamming of her car door as often.

Sandwiched between the 65th Emmy awards and surprise free concerts by Justin Timberlake and Paul McCartney, the 2013 CUNA Technology, Operations, Sales and Service Council Conference became one of the "stars" on Hollywood Boulevard last week.

Mobile banking is no longer considered a trend-it's an industry staple. However, the way credit unions are using the technology is morphing due to member demand.

Alan Reiner, 30, thought he wouldn't find any career more interesting than missile defense simulations, but the self-described nerd left physics recently to work full-time on an ultra-secure Bitcoin wallet, Armory.

The various stakeholders in the U.S. payments system may need to put their differences aside to stay relevant as technology advances. But whether wide-scale collaboration is practical — or even possible — is open to debate.

The Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University is home to many startups that hope to someday be as successful and famous as Square or LevelUp.

Nacha, the electronic payments association, is advocating security as a reason to adopt faster processing — a move that would require a change in the association's rules that has thus far proven elusive.

A selection of images featuring credit unions' efforts in their communities.

RHINEBECK, N.Y. – Tech-savvy smart phone owners are well aware of mobile wallets – they just are not eager to use them.

eBay's $800 million purchase of Braintree is the latest in a series of acquisitions that are steadily building PayPal into a powerhouse in mobile payments. Most of these acquisitions took place within the past two years.

Terrorists have put a bulls-eye on the U.S. financial system, including payments infrastructure, as a target that fits in with their plans to cripple the country's economy, says Juan C. Zarate, senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The assault on cash in India will continue through a new wallet offering from Mobikwik.