SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Members on hold when they call Redwood Credit Union now hear a message declaring "Thanks a Billion." It's part of a yearlong celebration RCU has launched to mark its entry into the Billionaires Club earlier this year. President/CEO Brett Martinez stresses the milestone "would not have...

BOULDER, Colo. - Most discussion about risk-based lending focuses on what it means to members with poor credit. But more than 10 years ago, planners at Premier Members Federal Credit Union - then IBM Rocky Mountain Employees FCU - were concentrating on borrowers with A+ and A paper. The question...

SAN ANTONIO - In a sense, Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union was ahead of the game when the Patriot Act rolled out. "Interestingly enough, we were already looking at fraud detection," explains Charlotte Norton, vp/member services. "We were not using CheckFree or anything like that as part of the new account...

TUCSON, Ariz. And DENVER, Colo. - Risk-based lending has brought dramatic changes to credit union business models, according to Ron Parker, partner involved in the credit union practice at the Tucson, Ariz., office of Clifton Gunderson. The CPA firm handles work for some 250 credit unions of all sizes. Parker...

Credit Union Times Correspondent-at-Large Eileen Courter lives in Sun City Center, Fla., which is located between Tampa and Sarasota. She and her husband are members of the Sun City Center Community Response Team and were part of several CERT Teams called in to travel to nearby Hardee County to assist...

SAN DIEGO - Brett Everhart believes too many credit unions take a defensive approach when they offer members an investment resource. "It doesn't have to be that way," Everhart declares. He's program manager of North Island Financial and Insurance Services at North Island Credit Union. "You shouldn't figure you need...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - At Schools Financial Credit Union, President/CEO Jim Jordan doesn't hesitate to use the "B" word. No, not bank. Business. "It's a business," Jordan declares. Yes, most successful credit unions - including SFCU - can brag about their service. But Jordan figures it takes more than that to...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - As the third anniversary of 9/11 approaches, architects and builders are still wrestling with techniques to make structures more secure from terrorist attacks. Financial institutions, including credit unions, have for decades - indeed, centuries - taken steps to thwart armed robbery. But they may now...