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

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In this issue:

1. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT CONVENTION!
2. NJCUL GOES “GREEN” AND YOU COULD WIN SOME “GREEN”
3. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CUCE DESIGNATION
4. LEAGUE OFFERS BSA BOARD TRAINING
5. WHERE DO I FIND ANSWERS TO LEGAL/COMPLIANCE QUESTIONS?
6. SAVE THE DATES: PLAN FOR EDUCATION NOW!
7. TAKE A BITE OUT OF FALL: A QUICK BITE
8. A GREAT CAUSE, A BEAUTIFUL DAY
9. NJ CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION PUTS YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO WORK
10. SUPPORT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK
11. COME TO A ROUNDTABLE … BRING A COLLEAGUE!
12. VISA GIFT CARDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO YOUR CREDIT UNION
13. THINKING ABOUT JOINING THE SHARED BRANCHING NETWORK?
14. COMMUNITY CHARTERED CREDIT UNIONS CONFERENCE
15. PREPARE FOR INTERNATIONAL CREDIT UNION DAY
16. NJCUL CREDIT CARD DATA-BREACH INTRODUCED
17. STATE SALES & USE TAX EXEMPTION INTRODUCED
18. DO YOUR MEMBERS COUNT?
19. ARE YOU CONNECTED?
20. THE LEAGUE'S COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES TELEPHONE SUPPORT
21. CREDIT UNION CAREERS

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT CONVENTION!
It is not too late to sign up for the 73rd Annual Meeting & Convention! Join your fellow credit union professionals at the hottest spot in Atlantic City – the Trop! We have a great program planned with superb education and entertainment! For more information and/or to view the registration booklet, please visit us on the web!

NJCUL GOES “GREEN” AND YOU COULD WIN SOME “GREEN”
When you attend the Annual Meeting & Convention this year at the Trop, you will notice that your League is trying to go “green” this year! At the registration booth, we will be giving each attendee one evaluation form to use throughout the convention. On this form, you will record your ratings for all the events you attend from education breakout sessions and meals to your experience at the Tropicana. Your completed evaluation form will be collected as you head to the closing session and there will be a drawing for a chance to win a gift card or an Erik Wahl painting!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CUCE DESIGNATION
Please join the League in congratulating two credit union professionals who have received their CREDIT UNION COMPLIANCE EXPERT (CUCE) designation: Gerald Kauffeld, CUCE, Administrative Support and Compliance Officer at Jersey Shore FCU and Harold L. Ley, CUCE, AVP/Operations at Mercer County NJ Teachers FCU. This is a challenging program and the League wishes to congratulate both individuals for their efforts!

LEAGUE OFFERS BSA BOARD TRAINING
By the end of August the NJCUL Compliance Department will have provided more than twenty-five in-person Bank Secrecy Act training sessions for credit union boards. The FFIEC Manual and NCUA Examiners are requiring that credit union boards have sufficient knowledge about BSA. The League has stepped up to assist credit unions in meeting this knowledge requirement by providing training to board members. Many sessions have been held in the evening and most at the credit union's location. The approximately one hour session focuses specifically on what Board's need to know about BSA.
Arrange for your board to get the training it needs by contacting the League's General Counsel Robbie Thompson at 609-448-2426.

WHERE DO I FIND ANSWERS TO LEGAL/COMPLIANCE QUESTIONS?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? If so, the October Compliance Roundtable is perfect for you. Robbie Thompson, the League's General Counsel will be doing a presentation for attendees on how and where to find legal, compliance, risk management and security information on the internet.
This session will give you tips on finding the best web sites and using the sites to quickly and easily find answers to many of your compliance questions. The session will also introduce attendees to the League's updated compliance site, League InfoSight. Attendees are encouraged to bring and share information on web sites that they have found to be easy and useful. This roundtable will be held on October 4 at Novartis FCU, in East Hanover. The session will be from 10:00am to 12:30pm. More information can be found on the League web site.

SAVE THE DATES: PLAN FOR EDUCATION NOW!
We have some exciting learning opportunities coming in October:
Credit Union Expert, Mark Smith, will present his Total Balance Sheet Management on October 2, 2007. The HR Value Group is facilitating a Two-Day Management Certification Program on October 3 & 10, 2007 and we have Jeff McGuire presenting many important topics in the Risk Management Conference on October 17th. All above classes are being held at the League office in Hightstown.

A mini-seminar on Robbery Awareness will be led by police officer Geoff Maurer and will be held at the following locations: Oct. 23 at the NJ Credit Union League; Oct. 24 at Proponent FCU and Oct. 25 at Campbell Employees FCU. For more information, please visit us on the web or call Barbara Agin, Director of Education and Training at 609-448-2426 x111.

TAKE A BITE OUT OF FALL: A QUICK BITE
In addition to the face-to-face educational opportunities, we have some alternative opportunities to mention as well. Our Quick Bite topics this fall are:

• Oct. 2 How to Lend to the Underserved Market
• Oct. 11 Reg B
• Oct. 23 Face to Face Selling Skills
• Oct. 30 Disaster Recovery – Business Continuity

A GREAT CAUSE, A BEAUTIFUL DAY
Manalapan’s Knob Hill Golf & Country Club was the scene of the New Jersey Credit Union Foundation’s fourth annual golf outing the first Tuesday of September. In contrast to the cats and dogs that descended upon participants last year, this year’s 52 golfers were treated to an idyllic day with a clear blue sky, moderate temperature and a cool dry breeze. The event raised more than $8,000 for the Foundation.

The New Jersey Credit Union Foundation is a non-profit corporation committed to providing financial literacy education, technical assistance to small credit unions and support for other important activities and causes in connection with the credit union movement.

NJ CREDIT UNION FOUNDATION PUTS YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO WORK
In August of this year the New Jersey Coalition on Financial Education conducted two financial education training workshops for teachers, credit union professionals and youth educators. The workshops were held at the League and North Jersey FCU. More than 40 educators and credit union professionals attended these sessions. Each session included a Real Money simulation, which included scenarios for five hypothetical individuals or couples at ages 25, 30, and 35. The cost for the development of the Real Money simulation and for the workshops was paid through a grant provided by the New Jersey Credit Union Foundation.

The Foundation has also provided a grant to the Somerset Home for Displaced Children to provide homeless youth with the ability and knowledge to establish and maintain good financial skills through financial literacy workshops. Between January and June of 2007 twenty-three at-risk-youth attended the sessions. Eighteen of the twenty-three youth that attended these sessions increased their knowledge of critical money management fundamentals, such as the use and control of credit, by seventy-eight percent.

Both of these grants were made possible through the generous giving by New Jersey Credit Unions through attending a fund raiser or making a contribution to the Community Investment Fund (CIF). Credit unions continue to own the CIF invested funds and have access to those funds like any similar investments. The investing credit unions simply share the interest on CIF investments. The investing credit union keeps one-half of the interest, while the NJCUF and the National Credit Union Foundation share the remaining half of the interest. You can contact your corporate credit union or call the NJCUL staff liaison to the Foundation, Robbie Thompson at 609.448.2426 to find out how to make investment in the CIF.

SUPPORT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK
At a credit union, you are a member of a collective effort. This effort reaches from within the credit union to the community at large. What better way to make a positive impact in your local area as a credit union member than through Children's Miracle Network. The credit union philosophy of "people helping people" accurately reflects the role of Children's Miracle Network's Credit Unions for Kids fund raising program within today's credit union movement. Anyone interested in supporting CMN by purchasing Tee Shirts, please contact Yvette Segarra at 800.792.8861 ext.103 - Cost is a donation to CMN! Please help support this very worthy cause.

COME TO A ROUNDTABLE … BRING A COLLEAGUE!
The Compliance Roundtable will be held at Novartis FCU on October 4, 2007. Robbie Thompson will lead this session and present the Leagues new updated compliance site: League Infosight. We will hold an HR Roundtable on October 16 at NJCUL & an HR Roundtable on October 17 at Proponent FCU with the topic “Your Employee Handbook”.

The Collections Roundtable will be held on October 23 at Novartis FCU and on October 24 at Bay Atlantic FCU. The topic will be "Best Practices in Skip Tracing."

If you have not experienced the education and networking at one of our roundtables, do give it a try!

VISA GIFT CARDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO YOUR CREDIT UNION
The instant issue Visa Gift Card program is now available to your credit union via our partnership with the Illinois Credit Union League – Service Corporation. With the ICUL-SC program, there is minimal paperwork, no one-time start up cost and no monthly costs to your credit union.

The program works by simply ordering a minimum of 25 gift cards from the ICUL-SC for $1.25 per card plus a $15.00 shipping and handling fee (for card orders up to 150 cards). In order to generate income for your CU, you can elect to mark up the $1.25 fee when your members purchase a card. Suggested retail is $2.50-$5.00. The cards are shipped to your credit union inactive and have a two-year expiration date on them. When your member comes into the credit union to purchase a card, you will simply need to go to a secured internet site, and activate the card by loading a dollar value of the card purchased. After you load the value on the internet site, your members can start using the card within a 24 hour time period and your corporate account will be settled the following day for that dollar amount. There are no more accounting entries to worry about!

Visa is accepted at 20 million locations in 150 countries so your members will not be limited on where they can use this card like the gift cards that are purchased at particular merchants or restaurants. The monthly fee associated with the program begins in month 7 after the card is activated. If there is still value on the card after 6 months, a $3.00 monthly maintenance fee will be deducted from the card. Because this card can be used at virtually all Visa merchants , your members should have no problem using the cards value up within the initial 6 months. Your members will also be able to check the balance on their gift card by dialing an 800 number or visiting a website that is listed on the back of the card. For more information on this great service you can provide your members, please contact Jim Merrill at 800-792-8861. You can also visit the ICUL-SC website at www.iculsc.com to see the various card designs for the gift card program.

Cards will not work for Auto Rentals, Hotel Reservations, pay at the pump for gas stations (will work inside to pay for gas) or ATMs

THINKING ABOUT JOINING THE SHARED BRANCHING NETWORK?
Joining the Shared Branching Network adds value for your members! With the competition so fierce, credit unions need the added convenience that shared branching provides. When your members visit one of the many service centers, they can expect to get the same great service they receive at your credit union because shared branching locations all have a common goal-great member service. When your member enters one of the many service centers, they simply supply the teller with their credit union’s name, account number and photo identification to easily access their account [free of charge]. Here are some examples of transactions available at shared service center locations nationwide:

• Deposits
• Withdrawals
• Check cashing
• Transfers between accounts
• Loan payments
• Money orders and traveler's checks

For a complete directory of participating locations in New Jersey and across the country, visit www.cuservicecenters.com to access addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation.

COMMUNITY CHARTERED CREDIT UNIONS CONFERENCE
CUNA is offering the first annual Community Credit Union Conference this fall at the Mohegan Sun. This conference is designed for credit unions that have a community charter or who are thinking about one. The sessions will cover a variety of topics that are key to making an impact on growing membership. For more information, click here.

PREPARE FOR INTERNATIONAL CREDIT UNION DAY
Make sure you are ready to celebrate this year! International Credit Union Day® is October 18, 2007. CUNA has planning and celebration resources on their web site for credit unions to use in promoting the worldwide theme: “Together We're Better.”

"This year's theme demonstrates the fact that credit unions serve their members most effectively, and simultaneously strengthen the credit union movement, by working together at the local, state, national and international levels," said Dan Mica, president/CEO of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).

NJCUL CREDIT CARD DATA-BREACH INTRODUCED
Legislation that would limit retailers’ use and retention of personal customer information, hold a breaching party financially responsible for resulting losses including the cost of card replacements and fraud, and allow issuers to disclose to their card-holders the entity responsible for the breach was introduced June 18, 2007. In March, we hosted a meeting with the bankers associations to discuss mutual concerns and interests in this area. The legislation, A-4413 sponsored by Assembly Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee Chair Neil Cohen (D-20), is the result of our partnership with the community bankers.

For more information on this and other state or federal issues contact Chris Abeel, the League’s director of government affairs at 800.792.8861, ext 127 or cabeel@njcul.org.

STATE SALES & USE TAX EXEMPTION INTRODUCED
Legislation that would exempt purchases made by state chartered credit unions from NJ sales tax giving them parity with their federally chartered counterparts was introduced June 18, 2007. While similar bills have been introduced over the past few years, this bill, A-4403, is sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader and State Democratic Committee Chair Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-15) significantly improving its prospects for favorable consideration. Special thanks go to Shirley Spruill, president of Renaissance CDCU and chair of the NJ Credit Union Advisory Council for leading this initiative. Her efforts secured Assemblywoman Watson Coleman’s sponsorship, without which serious consideration was extremely unlikely.

For more information on this and other state or federal issues contact Chris Abeel, the League’s director of government affairs at 800.792.8861, ext 127 or cabeel@njcul.org.

DO YOUR MEMBERS COUNT?
A letter and CD were recently sent to every credit union in the country asking them to update their Project Zip Code (PZC) numbers. Will your members be among the millions of credit union members willing to stand up and be counted? Help us ensure our state and federal lawmakers understand just how many of their constituents are credit union members. It takes just a few minutes and no personal data is ever collected.

PZC is a constituent matching program that connects credit union members with their state and federal lawmakers. As a result, we’re able to illustrate to elected officials the number of credit union members in their district, which is an extremely powerful advocacy tool.

No personal data or individual information leaves your computer. PZC receives only the counts of records successfully matched. All of your data remains confidential and secure and Project Zip Code is compliant to the privacy laws created in Gramm Leach Bliley.

For more information contact Chris Abeel, the League’s director of government affairs at 800.792.8861, ext 127 or cabeel@njcul.org.

ARE YOU CONNECTED?
The League’s bi-monthly government affairs newsletter, Capitol Connections, keeps readers “plugged-in” to the public policy arena. It includes briefings on important goings-on in Washington (On-the-Hill) and Trenton (Under-the-Dome), has sections on credit union movement grassroots activities (In-the-Trenches) and key issues (On-the-Soapbox), as well as backgrounders on who’s who (Meet-the-Players), interesting facts (Trivia-not-Trivial) and important calendar items (Save-the-Date).

If you’re not already “plugged-in”, contact Chris Abeel, the League’s director of government affairs, to be added to the Capitol Connections electronic distribution list.

THE LEAGUE'S COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES TELEPHONE SUPPORT
Do you ever have a compliance or regulatory issue that you can't find the answer to? How about a debate in the office about what a regulation requires? Well if you do, the League's compliance department is here to help. Every month the League's compliance staff receives numerous calls from credit unions with compliance questions on lending, deposit regulations, collections, operations, policies, Bank Secrecy Act, and other areas that affect your credit union. While the League cannot provide you with legal advice, it can answer regulatory questions as well as point you to or provide you with additional valuable resources. This is another benefit included with membership in the New Jersey Credit Union League. Take advantage of this benefit by calling your League when you need assistance at 800.792.8861.

CREDIT UNION CAREERS
Whether you are looking to fill a position at your credit union or looking for future employment, as a league member, it’s easy! Click here to see current vacancies.