Bellevue, Nebraska, May 9, 2013 -  SAC Federal Credit Union, Nebraska’s largest credit union,  held the Topping Off Ceremony for its new corporate headquarters at the southeast corner of 72nd Street and US Highway 370 in Papillion, Nebraska.  The property sits adjacent to the Shadow Lake Shopping Center and numerous other retail developments. The event marks a major construction milestone and signifies that the structural steel work is completed on the new building.

Joining Gail DeBoer, SAC Federal Credit Union CEO, and SAC employees were several Mayors and local officials, SAC’s board of directors, and representatives from the Leo A. Daly and MCL corporations. {Read The Full Article}

The Iowa Credit Union League, Nebraska Credit Union League and CoOportunity Health hosted three webinars this month focused on healthcare reform, the impact to your credit union and to your members. Below are links to each webinar and supporting materials. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us!  We know how important this topic is to you and your members and will work to continue to provide healthcare reform educational opportunities to help you understand its impact and requirements. {Read The Full Article}

by Scott Sullivan, President/CEO

As Congress works on tax reform, it is imperative that credit unions educate their members that credit unions have been federally tax exempt since 1937.  Congress provided the exemption because all credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions that are owned by their members for the benefit of all members.  As not-for-profit financial institutions, credit unions return their earnings to their members in the form of lower rates on loans, higher returns on savings and lower and/or fewer fees.  {Read The Full Article}

CO-OP Network Also to Be Presented to Consumers as CO-OP ATM 

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – The most recognized credit union consumer brand name will now be applied to the industry’s shared branching network, it was announced at THINK 13 in Chicago, by Stan Hollen, President/CEO, CO-OP Financial Services.

CU Service Centers and its “swirl” logo and signage at participating credit unions will be replaced by CO-OP Shared Branch in a two-year rebranding process. Migration to the new logo will be done in a phased approach for the benefit of current shared branch users, as well as participating credit unions and state networks. {Read The Full Article}

A potential new low income credit union is interested in used under counter bank equipment.

Please contact Dan Collins if you have any used equipment available.

Get great incentives for your credit union!

Credit Union Auto Club is the newest Invest in America program created exclusively for credit union members to help them save on a wide range of roadside assistance services and other travel benefits.

Credit Union Auto Club Benefits

For Members:

• Emergency Roadside Assistance
• Emergency Ambulance Expense
• Emergency Tow and/or Extrication
• Emergency Travel Expense
• Emergency Lockout
• Traffic Court Defense
• Fuel Delivery Service
• Legal Fees Related to Traffic Accident
• Flat Tire Repair Reimbursement {Read The Full Article}

The League understands the difficulties that credit unions face in today’s complex regulatory environment.  As a result, we offer numerous resources to assist credit unions with their regulatory compliance needs.

The following resources are provided, cost-free, as a benefit of League membership: {Read The Full Article}

According the 2013 AFP Payments and Fraud Control Survey, checks remain the payment type most vulnerable to fraud. The threat of check fraud is something that all credit unions must be prepared to fight – regardless of their size or operating footprint.

TrueChecks™ identifies counterfeit, NSF, duplicates, and closed accounts at the teller line. In real time, via the web or as part of an existing teller system, TrueChecks™ provides credit unions with a cross-institutional, account level view of the transaction.

Our service is virtually transparent to the customer and allows tellers to make fully informed decisions regarding check acceptance. TrueChecks guides the teller through the transaction by displaying the type of fraud or risk associated with the item, as well as providing recommendations regarding the appropriate Reg CC hold.

Regardless of the size of your credit union, TrueChecks™, Advanced Fraud Solutions industry leading check fraud prevention service, provides access to databases that contain over 95% of the nation’s account status information, or approximately 427 million account records.

TrueChecks™ provides peace of mind from knowing that your tellers have access to latest fraud related intelligence provided by financial institutions across the country.

No matter how large or small your credit union is, you can have access to the best tools available to protect your customers’ accounts, and minimize your credit union’s exposure to check fraud.

Don’t miss out on the 79^th Annual Meeting and Convention, June 6-8 in Lincoln!  Come out and network with your peers.  There’s golf, bowling, education, exhibits, awards, and more!  Registration is now open, so click here to sign up!

And don’t just take our word for it; the League Boards are excited too!  Check out their Harlem Shake video!

When you click onto cuna.org next, you will immediately notice a transformation that was almost a year in the making. CUNA has completely re-thought and redesigned its website to make it more appealing to users both in function and graphic elements

To find your CUNA CPDOnline log-in page, follow the screenshote below.  When at www.cuna.org, click on the “Training & Events” tab, then click “CUNA CPDOnline.  {Read The Full Article}

Today, 83% of consumers use the internet as part of their process to buy life insurance and 70% go online to get an auto insurance quote. As people become more comfortable researching and purchasing online, they’re buying everything from shoes to automobiles.

When deciding which products to promote on their websites, credit unions should consider that their members are likely under-insured and not clear where to turn. For example, three out of 10 U.S. households have no life insurance protection at all, and half realize they are underinsured. Interestingly, 35% of Americans also say they haven’t purchased life insurance because they haven’t been approached. So, members may be ready to take the next step and are just waiting for someone to point the way. {Read The Full Article}

By Cheryl Lawson, EVP Compliance Review

While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) continues to review the information it received from financial institutions and consumers regarding how overdraft programs impact account holders and smaller financial institutions, efforts to thwart programs which utilize practices that are harmful to consumers continue.

In March, legislation was re-introduced in Congress which would cap overdraft fees, impose a limit on the number of overdrafts that a member could incur per year, and ban the practice of manipulating the posting order of account holder transactions. This is the latest attempt by legislators to impose restrictions on overdraft programs in order to make improvements “in the area of consumer disclosures to help people avoid multiple overdrafts,” according to Rep. Carolyn Maloney, sponsor of the legislation. {Read The Full Article}

NCUL held a two day lending workshop featuring Brett Christensen on March 26-27.  This was one of the best attended workshops and one of the highest scoring sessions the League has had on the topic of lending.  Brett hit it out of the park and left the attendees saying, “Best presentation, presenter, and information I’ve had in my career.”  The first day concentrated on front-line lending topics, while day two focused on the upper management.   Thanks to all who attended.  {Read The Full Article}

Your support will benefit the Nebraska Credit Union League Capitol Investment Fund. Following the passage of H.R. 1151 in 1998, Nebraska’s credit unions proactively created the Capitol Investment Fund to help fight future legislative battles.  Register online at https://nebraskaleague.cuveventreg.com/web/?event=CC2013.  {Read The Full Article}

Liberty First Credit Union is proud to recognize Jenna Oestmann, Marketing Assistant, who has been selected to join the Young Leaders for Kids Board supporting credit unions for kids. This board is a dynamic group of credit union leaders under forty years of age from credit unions, leagues and industry partners who are passionate about Credit Unions for Kids.   {Read The Full Article}

Shop America now features over 1,500 merchants that offer cash back for every purchase you make.  The Shop America website also has a new look and added features to enhance your shopping experience.

As a member of Shop America we would like to invite you to click here to register your new account and explore the new look and the great cash back offers. {Read The Full Article}

Our Family Social CU (OFSCU) in Omaha, Neb., which serves only direct descendants of a family line, was featured Sunday on news show CBS This Morning, in a story that illustrated the credit union difference.

OFSCU is a microcosm of what credit unions always are doing for their members–helping each other out and cooperating for the good of their members as not-for-profit institutions, says the Credit Union National Association. {Read The Full Article}

Like so many industries in America, credit unions are directly and indirectly impacted by legislation that is passed by Congress.  Former Credit Union National Association (CUNA) President/CEO Dan Mica said about the legislative process, “If you’re not at the table…you’re on the menu.”  To ensure that credit unions are not on Congress’ “menu”, CUNA and the Nebraska Credit Union League administer two political action committees (PACs) called CULAC and NCULPAC respectively.  Both credit union PACs raise and expend funds for the sole purpose of providing financial support to candidates running for political office who will have a vote on legislation impacting how we serve our members in the future. {Read The Full Article}

Invest in America and General Motors (GM) have proactively taken steps to help credit unions secure auto financing, when utilizing the Credit Union Discount from GM.

Real-time GM Member Authorization Request Report

Credit unions participating in Invest in America’s (IIA) Credit Union Member Discount from GM currently receive weekly authorization request reports. This means that IIA could send your credit union a list and contact information of every member that requests an authorization number for the GM discount. These members are hot leads for auto loans. {Read The Full Article}

This year the Nebraska Financial Education Coalition is executing an awareness campaign to help Nebraskans recognize the importance of financial literacy. The Nebraska Financial Education Coalition strives to help YOU promote the financial education activities and resources YOU offer Nebraskans.

NFEC will be sending out a series of Money Smart Week Checklists in order to help you easily and efficiently participate in this year’s public awareness campaign activities. {Read The Full Article}