JULY 2006

NJCUL E-News

Published by the New Jersey Credit Union League, www.njcul.org

To submit items to NJCUL E-News, email sswedo@njcul.org
or call 609.448.2426 x121.

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In this issue:

1. E-News Monthly. Pass it on.
2. 2006 Awards Program Deadline Approaching
3. 18th Annual Golf Outing a Huge Success...
   3rd Annual NJCUF Outing Coming Soon!
4. New Jersey's Credit Unions: The Difference YOU!
5. New NJCUL General Counsel & Director of Regulatory Compliance
6. A Sweet Combination - 2006 New Jersey-Pennsylvannia Leadership Conference
7. Got Convenience? Shared Branching Can Help
8. As Hurricane Season Begins, CUSC Offers New Disaster Recovery Product: CURe promises to aid in business continuity
9. Looking to Expand? IBT Can Help
10. Legal Ease
11. NJCUL Offers Fantastic Educational Programs
12. Mid-States/Empire Merger Complete
    

2. 2006 Awards Program Deadline Approaching
Booklets for the 2006 NJCUL Awards for Credit Unions and Individuals went out in early June. Don’t miss the deadline! Entries must be received at the NJCUL office by September 1, 2006. If you have any questions, contact Sandy Langere by email at slangere@njcul.org or by phone at 800-792-8861 ext. 115. Visit the home page of our Web site to download a copy of the book: www.njcul.org.

3. 18th Annual Golf Outing a Huge Success … 3rd Annual NJCUF Outing Coming Soon!
The New Jersey Credit Union League's 18th Annual Golf Tournament was a huge success, raising more than $17,000 for political action. Pictures from the tournament will be printed in the next issue of the Exchange publication. But if you’re longing to get out on the green soon, you won’t want to miss the 3rd Annual New Jersey Credit Union Foundation Golf Outing on September 5, 2006 at the Knob Hill Golf Course in Manalapan, NJ. Click here http://www.njcul.org/pdf/njcufgolf2006.pdf to download a brochure and registration form.

A very special thank you goes out to the generous sponsors of the June 6th event:

4. New Jersey’s Credit Unions: The Difference YOU!
The NJCUL Advertising Cooperative is about to embark on an exciting adventure with a new statewide credit union branding initiative. Licensing a very special campaign from the Utah League of Credit Unions, New Jersey’s Credit Unions: The Difference YOU is coming soon! Find out how your credit union can reap the benefits … and get some really cool free stuff:

The festivities begin at 2 PM at one of these locations near you …

Tuesday, August 15 - NJCUL Ed Center CENTRAL
Wednesday, August 16 - Jersey Shore FCU SOUTH
Thursday, August 17 - North Jersey FCU NORTH

RSVP is required (so we can make sure we have enough goodies for everyone). Call Sharon Dilling at 609.448.2426 x 110 or send email to: sdilling@njcul.org to reserve your space.

5. New NJCUL General Counsel & Director of Regulatory Compliance
Robbie Thompson has joined the NJCUL team as the league’s General Counsel & Director of Regulatory Compliance. If you have a compliance question, need direction on where to turn for legal resources or just want to say hello, call Robbie at 609.448.2426 x126 or send an email to: rthompson@njcul.org. Find out more about Robbie in the next issue of the Exchange.

6. A Sweet Combination – 2006 New Jersey-Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
Credit Union leaders from around New Jersey and Pennsylvania gathered at the beautiful Hershey Lodge & Convention Center for the 2006 Leadership Conference.

For the fourth year in a row, New Jersey teamed up with the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association to provide the best in educational and vendor programs. We wish to thank the vendors listed below for their support of the conference:

7. Got Convenience? Shared Branching Can Help
Do you want to reawaken dormant membership relationships? How about delivering new accounts, cross-sell services, and even retain members who relocate? Is it your credit union’s goal to be your member’s financial institution? Then check out shared branching! Credit unions that participate in shared branching find they are able to serve more members in new locations. Credit unions rank the highest in customer satisfaction and lowest in convenient locations; lack of convenient locations continues to be a major barrier confronting credit unions today. Break through the barrier! For more information on shared branching, call Chris Zahne at 609.448.2426 x104.

8. As Hurricane Season Begins, CUSC Offers New Disaster Recovery Product: CURe promises to aid in business continuity
The news is out: this hurricane season is going to be a rough one. To help credit unions prepare, Credit Union Service Corporation (CUSC) now introduces Credit Union Recovery (CURe), a shared branching enhancement that offers credit unions two options that will allow facilities to continue serving members even in the face of disaster. To find out more call Chris Zahne at 609.448.2426 x104, or click here.

9. Looking to Expand? IBT Can Help!
If your credit union has been thinking about expansion plans, whether to support a growing member base or increase convenience for existing members, IBT can help. IBT’s retail branching solutions include site analysis and demographics, space planning, project management, design and build, merchandising and performance training for all types of branch locations – in-store, storefront and traditional brick and mortar. In addition, IBT can help secure locations in your target markets through strategic partnerships with local, regional and major national supermarkets and wholesale clubs.

IBT’s also offers strategic consulting services to assist with diversity programs, including branching solutions for the underserved market, and shared branching concepts.

IBT is a CUNA Strategic Alliance Partner, providing New Jersey Credit Union League members with enhanced services and special discounts to meet their retail branching needs.

Current available retail space includes locations in Sommerville, Woodbridge, North Brunswick, Lawrenceville, Trenton and Robbinsville.

For more information and a complete list of available retail space for in-store and storefront locations in New Jersey, contact Jim Merrill, 609.448.2426 x120 or visit IBT’s Web site at www.ibtenterprises.com.

10. Legal Ease
Each month, there is a report to the NJCUL Board of Directors by the Board’s Counsel, Stephen J. Edwards, Esq. The topics for June 2006 include:

1. CHANGE IN BANKRUPTCY LAW TRIGGERS DECLINE IN FILINGS
Following last October's restrictive changes in Federal bankruptcy law, the raw number of bankruptcy filings has declined sharply.

2. NCUA AMENDS REGULATION OF COURTESY OVERDRAFT PROTECTION
The NCUA is amending its regulation of courtesy overdraft protection programs.

3. SOCIAL ENGINEERING STILL PRESENTS SECURITY THREAT
In addition to attacking machines, erstwhile hackers can employ social engineering techniques to gain access to a network by tricking or persuading employees to divulge passwords or other sensitive information.

To read the entire report, click here.

11. NJCUL Offers Fantastic Educational Programs
Branch management, IRA Basics, Valuing Cultural Diversity, Lending and Counterfeiting prevention are just a few of the exciting topics available to members of the New Jersey Credit Union League through our Education and Training Department. For more information and a complete schedule, http://www.njcul.org/creditunions/education.asp or call Donna Hulick at 609.448.2426 x109.

Mid-States/Empire Merger Complete
Empire Corporate Federal Credit Union and Mid-States Corporate Federal Credit Union officially merged. With the completion of the merger, a newly combined corporate was created – Members United Corporate Federal Credit Union. Headquarters are in Warrenville, IL, with all existing branches of both Empire Corporate and Mid-States Corporate remaining open. For more information, visit their Web site at www.membersunited.org