ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With assistance from the World Council of Credit Unions, the New Mexico Credit Union League is pursuing a partnership with Alianza, a federation of CUs in central Mexico. The proposed pact follows other sharing arrangements on services and products that have been in place with sister Leagues in California and Texas with south of the border CUs. "We're just in the talking stages now, but our board at our annual meeting this month did approve going forward on a partnership with Alianza," said Sylvia Lyon, president/CEO of the New Mexico League. "This will be an exciting initiative for us." Alianza with 22 members serves the Guadalajara/Jalisco area in Mexico. Talks between the League and Alianza followed a visit by Lyon to Mexico, noted WCCU. If the arrangement is approved, the New Mexico League could pattern its partnership after Texas and California leagues' pacts with Caja Popular Mexicana and the Arizona League with Caja Libertad, respectively. Those partnerships, said WCCU, have led to cross-border shared branching and part of a broader effort to allow CUs on both sides of the border to effectively provide reciprocal service. Lyon said details of the partnership and services are still to be finalized. Separately, the Missouri Credit Union Association has agreed to a partnership with the Barbados Co-Operative and Credit Union League Limited with a formal announcement expected later this month. "Officials of the Missouri League are in Barbados now," noted the WCCU spokesman. Also at the annual meeting of the League, the organization agreed to change its name to Credit Union Association of New Mexico effective Sept. 1. A keynote speaker, Rick Craig, CEO of America First FCU in Riverdale, Utah, urged New Mexico CU leaders to prime their political action programs quickly for the relentless banker attacks. "Don't wait until there is a problem," Craig warned, adding bankers "are conspiring behind your back in New Mexico today. Credit unions have to become involved in the legislature to make a difference." Craig warned attendees not to be complacent and not to feel "a false sense of security." -

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