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MasterCard Introduces Chip Card Plan

MasterCard has become the second major card brand to announce the intent to move payments from cards which supply consumer data on magnetic stripes to cards which encode such information on embedded computer chips.Card brand joins rival Visa in planning EMV technology adoption for U.S. cards. **** More At; MasterCard Introduces Chip Card Plan:

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Hurricane Knocked The Power Out? New Orleans Firemen’s FCU Is Ready.

  Hurricane Knocked The Power Out? New Orleans Firemen’s FCU Is Ready. The next big storm in the Gulf isn’t an “if,” it’s a “when,” but the small Gulf-area credit union has a plan to help the community get back on its feet when the time comes. Aaron Passman This article is part of Callahan & Associates’ “ CDFI Grants In Action ,” a limited editorial series that showcases how credit unions leverage CDFI funding to advance their mission and deliver measurable impact for members. To learn how CDFI certification can change lives and unlock opportunities at your credit union, visit  CU Strategic Planning , A Callahan Company. When hurricanes rip through the Gulf, they leave behind disrupted lives and disconnected communities. In those moments, access matters as much as empathy. When disaster strikes,  The New Orleans Firemen’s Federal Credit Union   ($275.0M, Metarie, LA) is ready to roll with a mobile branch that brings back banking to the front line of recovery. The...
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Sunday Reading - Lake Manly Returns

  Lake Manly Returns   An ancient lake has  reemerged in California's Death Valley National Park following record rainfall this year.  Between 128,000 and 186,000 years ago, meltwater from ice covering the Sierra Nevada fed rivers that emptied into Badwater Basin, North America’s lowest point at 282 feet below sea level. The steady flow sustained Lake Manly, nearly 100 miles long and roughly 600 feet deep. The lake disappeared as Death Valley evolved into the driest place in North America , with some areas receiving under two inches of rain annually. This year, however, the park received 2.41 inches between September and November, marking its wettest autumn on record and triggering the temporary return of a shorter, shallower Lake Manly.  Above-average rainfall periodically brings Lake Manly back, including in 2023 when Hurricane Hilary dumped 2.2 inches of rain on a single August day, allowing visi...
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The US Senate makes major step towards recognizing firefighter cancers as line‑of‑duty deaths

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Fed to Keep Rates Higher Even Longer; CU Economists Still See Chance for Cuts Soon

CU trade economists think another good inflation report or two might convince the Fed to lower rates twice this year. By Jim DuPlessis | June 12, 2024 at 04:11 PM Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaks at a news conference in Washington, D.C., Wednesday afternoon. The Fed kicked the can down the road Wednesday, keeping rates at their current high level and signaling that it will take more time in reducing them. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) ended its two-day meeting Wednesday with a decision to maintain the federal funds rate at 5.25% to 5.50%. Its projection report showed half of FOMC members expect the rate to fall to 5.1% by year's end, indicating one 25-basis-point rate cut this year. In March, the median expectation was for two rate cuts. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said half of members expect rates will fall to 3.1% by end of 2026. The FOMC's four remaining meetings this year are July 30-31, Sept. 17-18, N...
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NCUA"s new video module provides best practices for merging

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Is it a ‘skip’ or a ‘pause’? Federal Reserve won’t likely raise rates next week but maybe next month

WASHINGTON — Don’t call it a “pause.” When the Federal Reserve meets next week, it is widely expected to leave interest rates alone — after 10 straight meetings in which it has jacked up its key rate to fight inflation. But what might otherwise be seen as a “pause” will likely be characterized instead as a “skip.” The difference? A “pause” might suggest that the Fed may not raise its benchmark rate again. A “skip” implies that it probably will — just not now. The purpose of suspending its rate hikes is to give the Fed’s policymakers time to look around and assess how much higher borrowing rates are slowing inflation. Calling next week’s decision a “skip” is also a way for Chair Jerome Powell to forge a consensus among an increasingly fractious committee of Fed policymakers. One group of Fed officials would like to pause their hikes and decide, over time, whether to increase rates any further. But a second group worries that inflation is still too high and would prefer tha...
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Involved in a data breach? Here’s what you need to know

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7 Things to Do (And Avoid) with SMS/Text in Credit Union Marketing

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NCUA promises flexibility in examinations and the flexibility to prudently adjust or alter member loan terms

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The federal government is making it impossible to be small

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