SECU admitted that the HLPR mortgages are not attractive to the secondary market so the loans are kept in-house, but that it is important for the credit union to give back to the community.

Just this month, NAFCU President/CEO Fred Becker appeared on local news channel 8 in Virginia telling consumers how to avoid getting caught in identity theft scams, particularly around the holidays. He took the opportunity to explain how NAFCU and member credit unions are educating members on these schemes where criminals try to elicit personal financial information to obtain access to the victims' funds.

He advised shoppers this holiday season to adopt a “culture of security” where personal information is need-to-know; be especially wary of “shoulder surfing,” cell-phone photography and vishing; and remember you are more likely to be victimized shopping in a store than online.

MSNBC.com Financial Editor Jean Chatzky featured credit unions as ideal for small savers. “If you tend not to have a lot of money in the bank at one time, interest is not your biggest concern because you won't be earning that much of it anyway,” she explained. “Instead, fees are your biggest concern.”

“Credit unions are like not-for-profit banks,” Chatzky said. “They have an even smaller, more individual presence than small banks. Some have a system of branches, some do not. But they're known for charging lower fees and offering higher rates of interest than banks. The catch is that you have to be a member to get a good deal.”

Credit unions are also the wise choice for a car loan, she reported. The average rate on a 48-month new car loan at a credit union is 6.16% vs. 7.49% from a bank, Chatzky said at the time. On a 48-month used car loan, the average is 6.41% vs. 8.09% at a bank.

Hardly a week–at times a day–went by when Hampel or another CUNA economist was not on television talking about consumer spending or mortgages. CUNA's Wolff said the group made an effort over the last year to present them as subject matter experts to various news outlets with an eye toward getting CUNA and credit unions out in the overall message.

On Jan. 12, Hampel appeared on Bloomberg Television, discussing the December 2006 retail sales. He was also able to throw in that the lagging sales were backed by the saving and borrowing patterns of credit union members.

Later he appeared on Bloomberg Television with gloom and doom about the mortgage market. In October, he was cited as an expert on the nation's lagging savings. Another story on the same subject that cited Hampel turned up in USA Today. Then he was on CNN Money.com advising on who should and should not do a reverse mortgage. He appeared on the popular CNBC show Closing Bell with host Maria Bartiromo in August.

CUNA's efforts appeared to culminate this year with the release of its eighth annual survey of consumer spending plans at the holidays in conjunction with the Consumer Federation of America. The report found, “By a wide margin, the strongest negative influence on holiday spending plans this year is the high cost of gasoline and home heating.” It also found a wide national media audience from ABC, NBC, CBS, ABC Radio, NPR, CNN, Fox Business Network, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Reuters, PBS Nightly Business Report, and Hearst Argyle television attended the event. Later in the afternoon, CUNA's Hampel also had an interview on CNBC TV regarding the survey.

CUNA and NAFCU, as well as several individual credit unions were noted in Money Magazine's “The best little deal in banking.” Referring to credit card rate, the story quoted an employee of Torrington Municipal and Teachers Federal Credit Union as explaining they “look at the whole picture,” not just a credit score.

CUNA and NAFCU also both had letters to the editor and op-eds placed in non-industry publications as well.

In a related effort, CUNA also launched its Home and Family Finance radio show on Radio America network's most popular weekday programming reaching an audience of more than four million.

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