Contact:
Steve Carr
303-415-3504
scarr@bvcu.org
 

Boulder Valley Credit Union Awards $7,500 in Scholarship Money to Six Accomplished High School Seniors

BOULDER, CO – May 22, 2012 – Boulder Valley Credit Union and its Board of Directors are proud to announce that six outstanding high school seniors were awarded $7,500: including one $2,500 and five $1,000 College Scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Rachel Smith from Broomfield High School was the $2,500 scholarship recipient, and Kyle Hawkins from Boulder High, Faith Weibel from Estes Park High School, Mitch Lemon and Ryan Renbarger from Monarch High School, and Molly Kostoff from Peak to Peak High School, each received $1,000 scholarships. They were selected based on their exemplary academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, their passion for continuing education, and their commitment to community involvement.

Boulder Valley Credit Union initiated its Annual College Scholarship program to recognize exceptional high school graduates. “We were extremely impressed with the quality and number of applications we received,” stated Jason Bauer, VP Marketing and E-Commerce with Boulder Valley Credit Union. “We believe that what students learn inside and outside of the classroom are equally important. Therefore, in addition to reviewing their academic achievements, we also judged applications based on the demonstration of a diverse blend of volunteer efforts, extracurricular activities, and work experience.”

Boulder Valley Credit Union was pleased to see the accomplishments of so many applicants. Each scholarship winner was merited for their hard work, and their scholarship awards are a symbol of their commitment to continued education. BVCU will continue to build brighter futures through education in our communities. 

Graduating seniors who are interested in applying for Boulder Valley Credit Union’s scholarship in 2013 are encouraged to visit www.bvcu.org/BVCU_scholarship.htm. Application criteria and deadlines are provided in January 2013, or call 303-415-3504 if you have any further questions.

click to enlarge thumbnail

BVCU 2012 scholarship recipients (L-R): Faith Weibel (Estes Park High School )plans to study Physical Therapy, Molly Kostoff (Peak to Peak High School) plans to study Arts and Science, Mitch Lemon (Monarch High School) plans to study Marine Science, Kyle Hawkins (Boulder High School) plans to study Engineering, Rachel Smith (Broomfield High School) will be joining the US Merchant Marine Academy, and Ryan Renbarger (Monarch High School) plans to study Aerospace Engineering.

Arizona Credit Union Foundation Awards Young Professional Scholarship to Attend the World Council Event in Gdansk, Poland

(Phoenix) – June 8, 2012 – The Mountain West Credit Union Association, the trade association for Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming’s credit unions, announced Miriam Limon, Communications Specialist with AEA Federal Credit Union as this year’s recipient of their Foundation’s annual Gary L. Plank World Council of Credit Union’s (WOCCU) Young Credit Union Professionals Program Scholarship (WYCUP).

The WYCUP is a scholarship program designed to promote credit union professionals under the age of 35 years old. As Arizona’s 2012 WYCUP representative, Miriam has also been automatically nominated for one of five scholarships WOCCU will award to attend the 2013 World Credit Union Conference in Ottawa, Canada.

The scholarship is given to individuals that have made a significant impact locally, regionally or nationally in the credit union movement. Thomas Martin, President/CEO of AEA Federal Credit Union feels that Miriam is a “Rare find. Her impassioned commitment to the fundamental credit union purpose of people helping people extends far beyond her role as Communications Specialist at AEA Federal Credit Union in Yuma, Arizona.”

Ms. Limon will attend the 2012 World Credit Union Conference LET’S GDANSK, from July 15-18, 2012 at the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Hall in Gdnask, Poland.

About the Mountain West Credit Union Association

The Mountain West Credit Union Association is the regional tri-state trade association representing 154 member credit unions, 3.2 million credit union members and $29 billion in assets throughout Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Not-for-profit in nature, credit unions provide low cost financial services to their members. Founded in 2011, the Mountain West Credit Union Association serves and supports member credit unions through advocacy, communications, community outreach, education & training, operations, public affairs and regulatory & compliance services. The Mountain West Credit Union Association is affiliated with Credit Union National Association (CUNA), World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), and CUNA Mutual Group.

xxxx

Media Contact:
Joy Audet
602-371-2203

A [R]EVOLUTIONARY First Annual Meeting and Convention for the Mountain West Credit Union Association

Denver (5/16/2012) –The Mountain West Credit Union Association held its 2012 annual convention at the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs, CO May 9-12, 2012, which brought out over 400 people to participate in the convention, educational sessions and honor the Associations’ award recipients and newly elected board members. The Associations’ annual convention was themed [R]EVOLUTION to honor the exciting changes in advancing both credit union and consumer behavior.

The event featured keynote speakers such as, Dr. Donal Ratajczak, Ph.D., one of the country’s leading economic forecasters, Todd Bucholz, Author of Rush and New Ideas from Dead Economists, and Morton Kondracke, a journalist covering American politics and foreign policy in Washington D.C. for more than 40 years. Attendees were entertained in the evening by The Silhouettes, a professional children’s dance troupe featured on America’s Got Talent.  

The Mountain West Credit Union Association presented two prestigious awards. The Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Jim Bender from Boulder Valley Credit Union for noble service, and credit union spirit through dedication to and belief in the credit union movement.  

Also recognized was the 2012 Professional of the Year, Margaret Hunnicutt, president/CEO of Tempe Schools Credit Union. The professional of the year award recognizes an individual whose leadership and accomplishments have made significant contributions to their credit union, the credit union movement and the communities they serve.

Also making an appearance as part of the young professional program were a group known as Crashers. Sponsored by Cooperative Trust, CUNA Mutual, Strategic Partners and the AYIN, twelve young professionals participated in the event and attended extra mentor sessions lead by Mike Williams, president/CEO of Colorado Credit Union and chairman of the Association board as well as Jeff Russell, senior advisor at The Members Group (TMG), and Bob Hoel, who is a Filene Research Institute senior scholar as well as a member of the board of directors of the Mountain West Credit Union Foundation. 

President/CEO of the Mountain West Credit Union Association, Scott Earl said, “The event was a great success!” He continued, “It was exciting to see so many members come together to celebrate each other and so many of the year’s great accomplishments.”

Newly elected members of the Mountain West Credit Union association board of directors include,

Finally, the Mountain West Credit Union Association announced that the board of directors from the Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming Foundations, approved a proposed merger of the three state foundations. The newly merged Mountain West Credit Union Foundation is the first tri-state credit union foundation in the country. More information regarding the new Foundation can be found here. 

Mike Williams, chairman of the board of directors with Mountain West Credit Union Association said “All in all the conference was exceptional.”   He continued, “There was an undeniable buzz and air of excitement all around the event.”

About the Mountain West Credit Union Association

The Mountain West Credit Union Association is the regional tri-state trade association representing 154 member credit unions, 3.2 million credit union members and $29 billion in assets throughout Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Not-for-profit in nature, credit unions provide low cost financial services to their members. Founded in 2011, the Mountain West Credit Union Association serves and supports member credit unions through advocacy, communications, community outreach, education & training, operations, public affairs and regulatory & compliance services. The Mountain West Credit Union Association is affiliated with Credit Union National Association (CUNA), World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), and CUNA Mutual Group. 

xxxx

Click the thumbnails to enlarge the images

	L-R: Mike Williams, chairman of Mountain West Credit Union Association; Jim Bender (award recipient), Boulder Valley Credit Union; Steve Higginson, Reliant Federal Credit Union; Dan Desmond, TruWest Credit Union
	L-R: Mike Williams, chairman of  Mountain West Credit Union Association; Margaret Hunnicutt (award recipient), Tempe Schools Credit Union; Dan Desmond, TruWest Credit Union; Steve Higginson, Reliant Federal Credit Union
	L-R: Pat Bodnar, Mountain West Credit Union Association; Sundie Seedfried, Partner Colorado Credit Union

Media Contact:
Joy Audet
602-697-2985

Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming Foundations Come Together Creating Three Times The Positive Strength For Credit Unions and Communities

(Denver, Phoenix, Casper) May 15, 2012 Recently at Mountain West Credit Union Association’s First Annual Meeting and Convention held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 9-12, 2012, the Board of Directors from the Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming Foundations approved a proposed merger of the three state foundations. The Board of Directors of the newly formed Mountain West Credit Union Foundation will include individuals representing each state:

This merger has produced the first tri-state credit union foundation in the U.S. John Uchida, Foundation Chairman said, “This unique and exciting merger will provide credit unions in the three states a way to build ongoing professional development, enhance financial education initiatives, help shape and train the next generation of credit union leaders, and ensure continued services to the underserved in our communities.”  

Chairman Uchida also indicated that the new Board will meet within the next 30 days to develop policies, design a capital retention strategy, and set a date for the first board planning session.

About the Mountain West Credit Union Association

The Mountain West Credit Union Association is the regional tri-state trade association representing 154 member credit unions, 3.2 million credit union members and $29 billion in assets throughout Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Not-for-profit in nature, credit unions provide low cost financial services to their members.   Founded in 2011, the Mountain West Credit Union Association serves and supports member credit unions through advocacy, communications, community outreach, education & training, operations, public affairs and regulatory & compliance services. The Mountain West Credit Union Association is affiliated with Credit Union National Association (CUNA), World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), and CUNA Mutual Group. 

xxxx

After some serious negotiations with CUNA we are pleased to offer to all Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming credit unions a free subscription to E-Scan. This premier online portal includes a wide variety of information and advice vital to your credit union.

The Basic subscription that is provided free of charge includes:

• The E-Scan Newsletter
• Weekly Articles
• Monthly in-Depth Reports
• Best Practices
• White Papers
• Rates by state
• Rate change alerts
• Key economic indicators
• Monthly credit union data

Along with all these great features a copy of Operating Ratios and Spreads is also included annually.

Through our negotiations with CUNA each credit union now has a subscription for the basic package that would normally cost $1,195 annually.

To set up an individual’s access to E-Scan, simply follow these instructions:

1. Go to http://escan.cuna.org/sga.php

2. Enter the Credit Union ID: 033811 and the registration key: 04e44060 and click on sign in.

3. On the Add E-Scan subscriber page, complete the access form and click on the “I agree” button.

4. You will receive e-mail confirmation of your username (which will be your e-mail address) and be issued the temporary password C360TMP. The first time you login to escan.cuna.org, you will be prompted to create your own individual password. You are encouraged to share the Credit Union ID and registration key within your organization with any staff member or volunteer who would benefit from accessing to escan.cuna.org.

5. All of the features available under the Basic subscription access level (normally $1,195) will be available to you.

6. You will receive via e-mail a weekly editorial and resource update from escan.cuna.org.

Mountain West Credit Union Association CEO
Receives Two Prestigious Credit Union Industry Accolades

MEDIA CONTACT:
Joy Audet
602-371-2203
jaudet@gowest.org

   
DENVER – (March 28, 2012) –Scott Earl, President/CEO of Mountain West Credit Union Association, was
recently honored by two leading credit union organizations for his commitment and leadership to the industry.  The Credit Union House, a Washington D.C. meeting place for credit union advocates from throughout the United States, inducted Earl into its illustrious Hall of Leaders.

Currently there are 55 members from 27 different states in the Hall of Leaders, all of whom have pioneered efforts of the credit union movement at the local, state, and national levels.

In addition, Earl was also awarded the Eugene H. Farley League Leadership Award by the Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) at the 2012 Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference. The award is given to individuals who have positively advanced the credit union movement by producing superior organizational and financial results, demonstrating visionary leadership at the state level, developing services and programs from member credit unions, focusing on cooperation within the credit union system and displaying personal values of commitment to purpose, service to others and integrity.

“Mr. Earl has a comprehensive grasp of what a league CEO’s core values should be and can transfer those values to the credit union community,” said Wendell Lyons, AACUL’s First Vice Chair and Chairmen of the Eugene H. Farley League Leadership Award.

For the past 30 years, Earl has been passionate about furthering the credit union movement. His tireless commitment is demonstrated by his service to various organizations. Earl maintains a presence in Washington, currently serving as the Chairman of AACUL’s State Issues Advocacy Committee and the Treasurer of the CUNA Strategic Services board. He has also served on the board of US Central Credit Union, was a past chairman of AACUL and served as a trustee for Western CUNA Management School. On July 1, 2011 Earl was named President/CEO of the Mountain West Credit Union Association, bringing together credit unions in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming.

About the Mountain West Credit Union Association
The Mountain West Credit Union Association is the regional tri-state trade association representing 154 member credit unions, 3.2 million credit union members and $29 billion in assets throughout Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Not-for-profit in nature, credit unions provide low cost financial services to their members. Founded in 2011, the Mountain West Credit Union Association serves and supports member credit unions through advocacy, communications, community outreach, education & training, operations, public affairs and regulatory & compliance services. The Mountain West Credit Union Association is affiliated with Credit Union National Association (CUNA), World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), and CUNA Mutual Group.

###

Hughes Federal Credit Union provided 8063 auto loans for a total of $173,413,578 through the Indirect Lending program in 2011, a 345% increase from 2010, setting an Indirect Lending, Credit Union Advantage record.  The credit union’s membership grew by an additional 14.11% in 2011, 7.98% (6933) of which were by providing Indirect auto loans.

Dixie Hill, VP of Credit Union Advantage, the Indirect Lending arm of the Mountain West Credit Union Association said “Their record is impressive and shows dedication to member service.”

Hughes Federal Credit Union has received the Indirect Lender of the Year Award twice.
Congratulations to Hughes Federal Credit Union and their Indirect Lending Staff.

About the Mountain West Credit Union Association
The Mountain West Credit Union Association is the regional tri-state trade association representing 154 member credit unions, 3.2 million credit union members and $29 billion in assets throughout Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Not-for-profit in nature, credit unions provide low cost financial services to their members.  Founded in 2011, the Mountain West Credit Union Association serves and supports member credit unions through advocacy, communications, community outreach, education & training, operations, public affairs and regulatory & compliance services. The Mountain West Credit Union Association is affiliated with Credit Union National Association (CUNA), World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), and CUNA Mutual Group.