WASHINGTON – The $350 million NRL Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Washington D.C., achieved a 23% increase in the number of its Platinum Cards by drawing member attention to the CU Rewards program that is attached to the card. The credit union staff held a lobby decorating contest to help draw in members. Lobbies were decorated with vacation themes to highlight the travel related points that CU Rewards offers. Staff would also wear Hawaiian style clothing on Mondays and Fridays. The staff that won the contest decorated their lobby in a tropical theme which suggested a swimming pool, banana and palm trees, and Caribbean steel drum music playing in the background. The credit union reported its card portfolio as having $15 million in outstanding balances in March 2004 and a penetration rate of almost 45%.