Nevada credit unions were girding for more bad news this fall as regulators began to clamp down on balance sheet calamities in both Reno and Las Vegas and as managers sought to deal with shuttered branches, staff cutbacks and rising delinquencies.

The latest evidence of continuing troubles for CUs as well as banks came from the Nevada Division of Financial Institutions, which acknowledged last week it has been issuing more "letters of understanding and informal desist orders" to halt unsafe practices and forestall conservatorships.

Declining to name the number or location of any of the troubled CUs, George Burns, commissioner and head of the division, reiterated views shared by many that the depressed economy is negatively affecting CUs as the state undergoes a continued high rate of foreclosures, falling home prices and 13% unemployment.