Data mining tools in First Neshoba Federal Credit Union's new core processing system has helped it quickly identify members in need, the Mississippi credit union said. The CU*BASE core processing platform from CU*South includes member-relationship tools that have identified members who lost employment at casinos in the Philadelphia, Miss., area, enabling the $12.9 million CU to reach out and help. That includes short-term loans to help with basics such as utility payments. "You can't always just lend by the numbers. These are people you know and trust, and you have faith that they will repay that trust when they are able," said Jason Martin, the 5,000-member credit union's CEO. First Neshoba had been using a system from Gulf Data Services, according to its NCUA 5300 Call Report. The new platform was installed by CU*South, a Mobile, Ala., CUSO that is part of the CU*Answers network based in Grand Rapids, Mich. "We did some analysis of the credit union's memberships using the tools built into CU*BASE, and helped them identify over 1,000 members who fit a common profile," said CU*South CEO Leo Vaulin. "When the jobs disappeared, their accounts became inactive. These people are still members of the community, and we're working with First Neshoba to develop programs that would bring them back into the credit union," Vaulin said.

Texas League to Blog On Overdraft Protection

The Texas Credit Union League will be focusing its online blog this week on a topic getting lots of public and lawmaker attention: overdraft protection. In an e-mail to its members, the league said it will be devoting its 30-minute "Blog Talk Radio" program on Sept. 14 to "Overdraft Protection: Not a Loan but a Financial Tool" The league said President/CEO Richard Ensweiler, joined by Carolyn Jordan, senior vice president of Neighborhood CU of Dallas, will take questions from the public on "the concerns and the quality" the service affords members. The 30-minute session invites listeners to post questions and participate though an online chat that reviews "the facts and the myths associated with this option." The league urged the public to tune in to the discussion "about a product hailed by some as a lifesaver, and opposed by others. The duo will also get to the root of the issue, and that is financial literacy or the lack thereof."