SALEM, Ore. – Often saddled with processing and manpower expenses beyond their reach, small Oregon credit unions this month are being armed with two new tools from the Credit Union Association of Oregon to make their job easier: creation of a statewide vendor directory and the introduction of a legal services retainer. Production of the vendor directory and the debut of a legal retainer through a Salem law firm is the work of the Small Credit Union Committee of the Credit Union Association of Oregon which has been working on the projects for months. "The vendor directory will be out in hard copy Aug. 15 and is available to all credit unions, whether big or small, and will contain a list of all vendors that credit unions in Oregon are using including form suppliers, collectors, online services and so on," explained James Brandt, CUAO compliance officer. The directory is designed to assist CEOs and other members of management "in identifying potential partners." The book will have information sorted by credit union and by type of company (DP, paper supplies, Visa processor). The plan is to update the directory "with feedback and additional information" every six months. At the same time the Committee through the League has hired the firm of Farleigh, Wada, and Witt to provide limited legal services under a retainer tied to CUAO dues.