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Beers of The Times: Beer Review: American Porters

What could be better than dark beer and a night game? The tasting panel rates 20 American porters.....Beers of The Times: Beer Review: American Porters: .

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Sunday Reading - Year of the Fire Horse

        Year of the Fire Horse   Lunar New Year celebrations kick off  tomorrow, ushering in the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. The 15-day festivities, observed by billions worldwide, start with the new moon and end with the Lantern Festival. China anticipates a record 9.5 billion trips during the 40-day travel rush around the holiday, the world’s largest annual human migration. The horse is the seventh animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle and symbolizes energy, independence, and ambition. Those born in horse years are seen as dynamic, courageous, and charismatic. Many see the Year of the Fire Horse as a time to tak...
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The NCOFCU Podcast: Clear Insight. No Jargon.

Every week, we cover the latest trends and developments within the credit union industry. At NCOFCU, we are dedicated to providing you with insightful discussions that cut through the clutter. Our podcast features expert opinions, in-depth analyses, and an exploration of the challenges and opportunities that credit unions, directors, and staff face today. Join us as we navigate the evolving industry and empower associations with the knowledge they need to thrive. https://ceohp.podbean.com/ ================================================= Remember, you're not alone with  NCOFCU.org Join/Upgrade Check out some of NCOFCU's additional features: First Responder Credit Union Academy Financial Literacy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Blog Job Board
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Eight Credit Unions Pay $42 Million in Special Dividends to 1.1 Million Members

  By  Jim DuPlessis   | January 05, 2026 at 04:00 PM So far this season, CU Times has tallied 19 credit unions, which have announced $160.3 million in special dividends for members.       Eight more credit unions have reported special dividends, paying their 1.1 million members $42.1 million in December and January. The bulk of the dividends came from Police and Fire Federal Credit Union of Philadelphia and Eastman Credit Union of Kingsport, Tenn., which each announced $16 million in rewards approved by their boards. The late January payout from Eastman ($9.7 billion, 356,492 members) will bring its total special dividends to $225 million since 1998. A news release from the credit union said “the Extraordinary Dividend is never guaranteed, but the strong financial performance of ECU in 2025 enabled the Board of Directors to approve this year’s $16 million payout.” Eastman’s $16 million payout represents about $47 per member and 19 basis points of its averag...
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Sunday Reading - Budweiser 101

Draft Horses   Budweiser 101 Perhaps best known for its Super Bowl Clydesdale ads, Budweiser   is among the world’s most popular beer brands. It was among the first beers to achieve national distribution in the late 19th century, thanks to its revolutionary refrigeration and pasteurization techniques, setting the stage for the modern US beer industry.   Founded in the 1850s as the “Bavarian Brewery,” the company was acquired in 1860 by Eberhard Anheuser. He sold half of it to his son-in-law,  Adolphus Busch ,   in 1869, forming the partnership that would become Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Missouri.   In the 1870s, Carl Conrad , a St. Louis distributor, traveled through a Bohemian town called “Budweis” in German and drank a pale lager. Upon returning home, he worked with Anheuser-Busch to brew its own light lager, marketing it under the ...
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Potential Changes to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act

Written by Steve Van Beek NAFCU On the Tuesday after Memorial Day, I thought it was fitting to discuss some movement on Capitol Hill regarding proposed extensions to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). As reported in the NAFCU Today , the House passed an Amendment offered by Elijah Cummings (D-MD) to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (which also passed the House in recent weeks).  The Amendment would provide additional protections to servicemembers.  The additional protections include: Extending post-service mortgage protection from nine months to 12 months; Extending certain SCRA protections to surviving spouses; Extending SCRA protections to all totally disabled veterans leaving the military; Requiring each financial institution - including credit unions - to designate a SCRA compliance officer; and Requiring institutions over $10 billion in assets to maintain a toll-free number for SCRA issues. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate. ...
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Why First Responder Credit Unions Are Built to Adopt Blockchain Faster

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Leasing Set To Surge In 2026?—Credit Unions May Miss Out If They Don’t Move

  CINCINNATI—As credit unions look to revive auto lending in 2026 after a sluggish year, one lending tool may become indispensable: vehicle leasing. With new-car prices still historically high, negative equity rising, and manufacturers fighting for market share, leasing is poised for a major rebound this year—and credit unions that remain on the sidelines risk losing out on strong, recurring loan volume. That’s the message from Scot Hall, executive vice president at  Swapalease.com , who says the economic and market dynamics heading into 2026 are aligning in ways that make leasing not only attractive, but essential. “Prices are up and they’re not coming down anytime soon,” Hall said, noting that inflation, tariffs, supply volatility, and chip-related uncertainty continue to push vehicle pricing higher. “Leasing is a great way to combat that. It’s also a great way to get somebody out of negative equity in a relatively short period of time.” Market Conditions Are Setting the Sta...
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Long-Stalled Credit Card Competition Act Moves Forward In Senate Clarity Act Markup

WASHINGTON—A long-stalled bipartisan push to boost competition in the credit card market moved closer to becoming law late Friday, as Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) advanced a new amendment attached to the Senate Agriculture Committee’s markup of the Digital Asset Market Structure and Investor Protection Act, commonly known as the Clarity Act. Dick Durbin The amendment, a core component of the long-debated Credit Card Competition Act, would prohibit major credit-card networks and large issuing banks from enforcing network exclusivity on credit cards. Supporters argue the measure would expand transaction-routing competition, weaken the dominance of the largest payment networks, and reduce swipe fees that merchants say inflate consumer prices. The renewed momentum reflects President Trump’s recent backing of efforts to rein in credit card costs, a shift that has altered the political trajectory of legislation that has struggled to advance in prior Congresses. With Tru...
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NCUA"s new video module provides best practices for merging

The three-part video module provided by NCUA, available online   here , examines current trends in mergers, when a credit union board should consider a merger and how to negotiate a merger agreement that best serves the credit union’s interests. Every credit union should discuss the possibilities of a future merger in their strategic planning.
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