The quarterly meeting of the Pine Burr Chapter of Credit Unions will be held Thursday, July 28, 2016 at William Carey University.  Get more details here.

On Tuesday, August 2, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Jackson Area FCU will host a back-to-school open house for members.  The event will feature Kona Ice, a photo booth, and a space jump.  Plus, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science will be on hand with some of their friendliest critters to give kids a hands-on experience with Mississippi's native wildlife.

Mississippi Telco FCU is hosting a back-to-school open house on Thursday, August 4, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. offering members food, a photo booth, face painting, games and prizes.

Singing River FCU has partnered with the United Way for Jackson & George Counties and well as local locations of Walmart & Office Depot  to make sure the children in their area have what they need for school with the Stuff the Bus school supply drive. The campaign runs through July 31 and all supplies donated will go to students in Jackson & George Counties.

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (July 26, 2016) - Grants totaling nearly $2.5 million will help 309 low-income credit unions expand services to underserved communities, train staff, improve cybersecurity and provide students with work experience, the National Credit Union Administration announced today.

"This grant round was the largest in NCUA's history," NCUA Board Chairman Rick Metsger said. "These grants will help credit unions provide affordable financial services to more people, improve operations and train a new generation of leaders. Our grant program is also another way of promoting a safe, sound and innovative credit union system. I encourage low-income credit unions to apply for this assistance in future grant rounds."

The agency received applications from 608 credit unions for more than $9.6 million. A list of grantees is available online here. Due to the high demand, NCUA awarded only one grant per credit union.

In the most recent round, NCUA awarded grants in four initiative areas:

• Capacity and growth: NCUA awarded 116 grants, totaling $1,495,163, to credit unions expanding financial access to underserved communities through digital products, lending programs and other growth strategies.
• Cybersecurity: NCUA awarded 112 grants, totaling $752,529, to help credit unions better protect member information and other sensitive data.
• Student internships: NCUA awarded 33 grants, totaling $125,795, for credit unions to provide students with professional work experiences.
• Staff training: NCUA awarded 48 grants, totaling $125,700, for credit unions to train staff in areas like lending, collections and governance.

In Mississippi, credit unions receiving grants included:

Capacity and Growth
East Central Mississippi
Members Exchange
Memorial
Securtrust

Cyber Security
MUNA

Staff Training
Ampot

NCUA's Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives administers the grant funding provided by the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund, which offers grants and loans to credit unions serving low-income communities. Congress established the fund to provide grants and loans to credit unions serving low-income communities. Since 2001, Congress has provided NCUA with more than $16.8 million for these grants.

"Each year, we look at the challenges low-income credit unions face and develop initiatives that support growth and member outreach," Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives Acting Director Martha Ninichuk said. "Demand for grant funds continues to surpass available funding and reflects credit unions' need for assistance to help them implement new products and strategies."

NCUA's Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives fosters credit union development and the effective delivery of financial services for small credit unions, new credit unions, minority depository institutions and credit unions with a low-income designation.

Student loan debt now impacts more than 43 million Americans. According to a recent New York Federal Reserve report, US student loan debt has surpassed $1.3 trillion and continues to grow. The average 2016 college graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt, up six percent from last year.

Every day, GreenPath assists people who are stressed out by student loan debt. We hear comments like this every day:

• I can't afford to pay my student loans!
• Which student loan repayment option is best for me?
• Should I consolidate my student loans?

Making the wrong decision can be costly.  GreenPath's student loan experts are ready to assist your members in understanding student loans, exploring repayment options, and dealing with student loan servicers.  Our student loan experts work with members and develop a personalized solution that's right for their situation.

If you would like to learn how GreenPath can assist your members with their student loans, contact Richard Tuman at 352-867-1591 or [email protected].

GreenPath, a CUNA Strategic Services alliance provider, is a HUD-approved non-profit organization that partners with over 400 credit unions nationwide to provide members high quality financial counseling.   GreenPath's customized services and solutions have been helping people achieve their financial goals since 1961.  Learn more at www.cunastrategicservices.com/greenpath.

CUNA will host this webinar to describe a project that would physically test out the feasibility of establishing a permissioned distributed ledger (blockchain) for credit unions. Rich Meade from the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) will describe the role CUNA and the Mountain West Credit Union Association will play in supporting the efforts to establish a research project that will result in a proof of concept to determine whether credit unions can and should leverage blockchain technology. John Best will present both the technology and the opportunity it presents for credit unions.

Who Should Attend
This webinar is beneficial for credit union CEOs, c-suite and board members.

The webinar is scheduled for July 28, 2016.  Register here.

 

"To say it has spread like wildfire is to exaggerate the power of wildfires." That's how The New Yorker contributor Om Malik characterized the rapid adoption of the latest mobile gaming craze, Pok�mon Go. Continue reading.

 

This is the second and final article on leadership - specifically on how to drive employee engagement within your credit union. Continue reading.

 

The only real way to protect from these threats is to keep existing security measures up to date.  Continue reading.

 

On July 1, the Mississippi Public Service Commission began registering cellphone. The goal is to reduce the number of annoying telemarketers calling your cellphone. Continue reading.

 

JavaScript attachments led to an explosion of malicious message volume, which was up 230% quarter over quarter...Continue reading.