The head of Alabama-based Corporate America Credit Union, Thomas D. Bonds, is speaking out this week on recent corporate developments, venting some strong views and projections.

For one, the president/CEO of the $3.5 billion Birmingham CACU acknowledged that while it ranks among stable and unconserved corporates, his corporate has had merger discussions with unidentified peers and has hired an international consulting firm to assess its ability to pursue partners. A major conclusion: Consolidation would work without impairing CU services though no agreement is at hand.

On another issue, Bonds said the move by some industry segments to look at banks, including the recent Iowa proposal with the National Cooperative Bank, is probably unwise and could result in banks using CU service income to lobby against the tax exemption. "Doing business with banks is dealing with the dark side," he argued.