We are getting very excited about the Big-Bowl-Off-Ski! This is the first Young & Free event of the year and will be taking place at Bowl Texas in Lake Jackson. If you are a Go2 account holder you get to bowl for free! That's right from 9PM-12PM all the bowling you can do for free! If you are not a Go2 account holder and would like to bowl for free go get the account.

And if you still would like to bowl a $10 donation to Relay for Life at the door will get you all the bowling you could need.

Interested? Go here to sign up!

Can't wait to see everyone on the lanes.

In early December I experienced something that I have never experienced before. I went somewhere where my name had preceded me. As I walked around the TDECU campus I was greeted with smiles and congratulations on my losing Y&F campaign. People talked to me like they knew me and then I would have to remember that I had just been part of a big online competition that was put on by my new employer. I had come down to Lake Jackson for my NEO training and was looking forward to learning about both credit unions in general and TDECU.

I do not come from a financial background and there was a lot for me to learn. Having just graduated from college I have lived the past four years of my life with many acronyms. In Huntsville I went to the HKC after class in the SHB and then probably would go to the LSC to kill time, but what were these FSR’s everyone was talking about. A whole new set of acronyms to learn and live by.

Mary Jo in HR had been clear to me the week before that class began promptly at 9 and not to be late, and so I made sure to be ten minutes early. It was here that I met the ladies that I would spend the next three days with. Lani led me, Lisa, and Mary Kay on a cruise to every port of call that would tell us about where we were.

Seeing the time they put into planning their training course as well as the space given to it I knew I was somewhere special. The first day I learned about the differences between banks and credit unions and also about our history. It is impressive that an organization that started 50 years ago in an office with 50 dollars has grown to deal with 1.5 billion in financial assets. Surely something worth bragging about and that all my friends have now heard about from me.

Lani led us around the campus and was sure to introduce us to everyone in each department. In case someone missed us we were assured that they could see our pictures on the content manager. It was great to see so many smiling faces busy working to ensure that our members received the best possible service, but how would I ever remember all of those names! I would like to take this opportunity to apologize if I don’t remember everyone’s names but I am committed to learning them all as I continue to work here.

And so we continued on our three day cruise and learned about all the services that we offer. I am not sure I remember them all, but my rule of thumb for now will be if I can think of it we probably have it. The best part of the training is that it really prepared me for dealing with the public at large. In the evenings while out to eat I had forgotten to take my name tag off and found myself answering questions that my waiter had about our services. I am not sure that I provided the most informed answers ever but she did know that there were people just down the street who would also be more than willing to help.

What surprised you the most when you joined TDECU? Share your thoughts in the comments.

TDECU has been awarded the coveted WOW Merit Award by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). The award was presented to TDECU at the seventh annual ELLy Awards held recently in Tempe, Arizona. The ELLy’s (Experience Learning Live Training Awards) were created to recognize the achievements of credit unions in the educational and professional development of their staff.... The WOW Merit Award is presented to the credit union with the best overall training curriculum or event – one that inspires learning, teaches skills that go beyond the classroom, and empowers employees.

Business is booming for Ed Speed, which is a little odd, considering he lends money for a living. But that's the story of credit unions nowadays, including the one in southeastern Texas that Speed runs, where real estate lending has doubled over the past five weeks, and auto loans are on track to grow 40% to 60% in October.

Members-only nonprofit credit unions are having their turn in the sun as years of sticking to boring, old-fashioned banking practices — they typically hold the mortgages they make on their own books and only dabble in subprime — put them in a position to grab market share while national banks, auto finance companies, credit-card outfits and private student-loan firms cut back on loans.

Today's passage of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 will require the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to immediately increase share insurance protection to $250,000 on all types of accounts until Dec. 31, 2009. President George W. Bush this afternoon signed the economic rescue package passed by the House today.

Today’s passage of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act is the culmination of a month-long series of significant and beneficial legislative changes for credit unions. This bill, combined with the enactment of the law that removes the CLF borrowing cap, will assist NCUA in mitigating some of the current and potential difficulties facing the credit union industry. In addition to the highly-publicized increase in share insurance coverage, I am particularly pleased that Congress included important last-minute changes recommended by NCUA.The final version of the Act incorporates language that allows NCUSIF insurance level to be increased while recognizing the unique elements of the fund that make it different from FDIC, and it also provides for NCUA to act in a consultative role with other regulators in determining how the Troubled Asset Repurchasing Program (TARP) will work. This last aspect is crucial, as it will enable NCUA to have input on the rules under which assets are accepted by the federal government. Earlier drafts of the legislation did not include NCUA, and I was adamant that NCUA be able to consult so that credit unions, if they choose, can fully and fairly participate in the program. Viewed in their totality, I firmly believe that these actions will add important dimensions of financial and regulatory assistance to NCUA, credit unions and the entire financial services industry. I will move forward expeditiously and with a sense of purpose as we employ the new tools at our disposal.” The National Credit Union Administration charters and supervises federal credit unions. NCUA, with the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, also operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), insuring the deposits of nearly 89 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the majority of state-chartered credit unions. NCUA is funded by credit unions, not federal tax dollars.

Yesterday, we sponsored the Winds of Change Brazoria County economic symposium in Lake Jackson.  Ed emceed the event, and you can check out the full coverage in The Facts.

Among the speakers were Lt. Col. Oliver North, former CIA National Intelligence Council vice chairman Herbert Meyer, and Rice University economics professor and Perryman Group founder Ray Perryman.