Adopt-A-CU Program Will Provide Hurricane-Ravaged CUs with Human, Financial Resources.

MADISON, Wis. -- Providing credit unions in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast states with necessary human and technical resources, along with financial support, to help those credit unions get back on their feet is the aim of Adopt-A-Credit Union, now being administered by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).

CUNA is administering the program as part of the "Relief Effort and Support for Credit Unions" (R.E.S.C.U.) initiative, which CUNA has developed to help credit unions in the hurricane- ravaged Gulf Coast states continue serving credit union members efficiently and effectively.

While circumstances will vary from affected credit union-to- credit union, and the following list is not all-inclusive, adopting credit unions should be prepared to:

Address the all-emerging needs of the credit union directly.

Assign a senior executive liaison to coordinate with the credit union CEO (or designee) of the adopted credit union. Depending upon the circumstances, this may be a full-time job.

Make a commitment to participate for as long as two-years or until the credit union is fully operational and no longer requires assistance.

Provide significant financial assistance to the adopted credit union based on needs, e.g. payment of staff salaries, providing temporary jobs for displaced staffs, paying for transportation and housing of staff and/or their families, equipment, etc.

Provide temporary staffing and/or training for staff of the impacted credit union.

In instances where the needs are beyond the resources or abilities of the adopting credit union, coordinate with the assigned League and CUNA liaison to marshal the resources to meet the specific needs.

Work with third-party vendors, particularly core processors to ensure business continuity.

Work with the credit union and its regulatory agency to ensure business continuity and resolve any outstanding regulatory issues.

Help develop and implement an ongoing communication plan that keeps members and sponsors apprised of all developments.

CUNA will use the following selection criteria to match adopting credit unions with their adoptees:

Core data processor,

Commitment from CEO and/or credit union board, Level of financial resource commitment,

Geographic locations/ease of accessibility, and

Similarity between fields of membership.

"Although adopting a credit union is a significant commitment, it is a vital step in the recovery of the affected credit unions," said Mark Condon, CUNA's senior vice president of Research & Advisory Services.

Credit unions that are not selected in the full Adopt-A-Credit Union program because they do not meet the selection criteria will be automatically placed in the R.E.S.C.U. data base and may be called upon to help meet the needs of an affected credit union, or to provide support to an adopting credit union.

Credit unions that would like to Adopt-A-Credit Union may sign up by selecting the "Adopt-A-Credit Union" link on the R.E.S.C.U. Web page at http://www.cuna.org or by calling 800-599-1197 and leaving your contact information when prompted.

For credit unions that choose to make specific pledges of assistance rather than a full-scale adoption can do so on the R.E.S.C.U. Web page by selecting the appropriate donation link. Monetary donations are being collected and disbursed by the National Credit Union Foundation's Disaster Relief Fund, which can also be accessed through the R.E.S.C.U. Web page.

With its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, Credit Union National Association serves more than 90 percent of America's 9,000 credit unions, which are owned by more than 87 million consumer members. Credit unions are not for profit cooperatives providing affordable financial services to people from all walks of life. For more information, visit http://www.cuna.org .