Check out America's CU Conference speakers' podcasts

MADISON, Wis. (5/5/08)--Two new podcasts are available that feature samplings of speakers who will be presenting at the 2008 America's Credit Union Conference & Expo in New York City June 29-July 2. The conference is presented by the Credit Union National Association.

Mark Adams will present "Play to Your Strength: Real Championship Coaching." Adams is a former basketball coach, a broadcaster for ESPN and a professional speaker.

In his podcast, Adams says that "playing to your strengths" means that, to face challenges, people need to focus on what they're good at doing. He challenged individuals to move 10% of their lives away from their weaknesses toward their strengths or talents.

Credit union professionals should focus on some activity that they can do over and over again to develop their talents, and then meld those talents with the fundamentals of personal service, Adams said.

To find inspiration, credit union managers must motivate themselves, and hold themselves accountable first before looking to others in the industry or community, Adams said.

The second podcast features David Merman Scott, author of "The New Rules of Marketing & PR." He will present a breakout session called "Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing, Online Media: How to Reach Your Members Directly." He also is a featured speaker in the Executive Book Series. Attendees who sign up for the series will receive his book and seven other books.

courtesy of cuna.org

CUs have power outages after storms hit Kansas City

KANSAS CITY (5/5/08)--Some Missouri credit unions experienced power outages late Thursday and early Friday after storms bringing a tornado and straight-line winds swept through Kansas City, said the Missouri Credit Union Association (MCUA).

There were no reports of credit unions suffering serious damage as of Friday afternoon, said MCUA (CourierNet May 2).

Missouri Family FCU, Independence, was without power for most of Friday morning but power was restored at 12:30 p.m., President Stan Boursheski reported to MCUA. About half of the building remained without power Friday late afternoon.

MCUA said it had not been able to make contact with several other credit unions in areas that suffered significant damages.

Homes and businesses were damaged, predominantly in the northeast Kansas City area.

courtesy of cuna.org

Officer's gun discharges in CU, wounds fellow officer

CONCORD, N.H. (5/5/08)--A Concord, N.H., police officer was shot inside an under-construction branch of Granite State CU Thursday when another officer's gun discharged.

The officer was treated and released from a local hospital. "We're glad nobody was seriously injured," Denise Caristi, president/CEO of Granite State CU told News Now.

Four officers were inside the branch around 4:30 a.m. when the incident occurred. The officer, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot in the chest.

"We're not sure why the officers were in the building," Caristi added. "The state attorney general's office is investigating."

There was no damage to the branch, and construction is still on schedule, she said. The credit union branch is scheduled to open this summer.

Granite State CU is located in Manchester, N.H. It has $205 million in assets.

courtesy of cuna.org

Mica outlines next step for CURRA

WASHIGNTON (5/5/08)—The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) met Friday with House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and his staff to address the next steps for the Credit Union Regulatory Relief Act (CURRA, H.R. 5519).

CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica said the session was productive and discussions lasted about an hour. Mica noted after the meeting that the bill now is in the hands of the committee chairman.

"There is nothing more we can do at this time for CURRA," Mica said. "Our focus has turned completely to the broader Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act, known as CURIA in both the House and Senate." The package has 149 sponsors in the house and was introduced in the Senate just last week by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.).

CUs' key relief bill introduced in Senate

WASHINGTON (5/2/08)--Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced a Senate version of the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (CURIA, S. 2957) Thursday, putting the key credit union legislation a giant step forward in the legislative process.

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) lauded Lieberman's action saying the senator has "demonstrated determination and conviction in his support for consumer-owned credit unions" by introducing his bill.

CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica said, "Through his action, consumers have the hope of more choices in services, as well as the promise of continued strength, for the credit unions that they own and direct.

"Our sincere thanks and gratitude to Sen. Lieberman. We look forward to working with him, and other senators, as this important legislation gains support and eventual passage in the Senate," said Mica.

It was at the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference in March that Lieberman said he recognized the importance of the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act to credit unions and pledged to be an original sponsor of a Senate version of H.R. 1537. The House bill currently sports the names of 149 members of the House as its official sponsors.

Among changes proposed by the bill, which is substantively identical to the House version, CURIA would:

• Clarify the 1998 Credit Union Membership Access Act to allow all credit unions, regardless of charter type, to serve those in underserved areas. The bill would also update the definition of an underserved area, incorporating definitions from the Community Development Financial Institutions Act and the New Markets Tax Credit;
• Increase the current cap on loans to members for business purposes (MBLs) from 12.25% to 20% of assets, allowing credit unions to assist more members start and expand small businesses and to promote economic growth. The bill would also exempt loans under $100,000 and those to nonprofit religious organizations from the MBL calculation;
• Establish additional consumer safeguards in the event of a credit union conversion to another form of financial institution; and
• Reform the National Credit Union Administration's original prompt corrective action system to a risk-based approach more closely resembling the current Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. capital standard for banks.

courtesy of cuna.org