PORTLAND , Ore. , December 20, 2005 – AssetExchange, the leading credit card portfolio brokerage firm, has compiled data about credit union credit card portfolio trends for the third quarter of 2005.

For the roughly 2,100 credit unions with credit card portfolios of $1 million and larger:

• Penetration, or the percentage of credit union members that have credit union credit cards, continued to decline, falling from 18.8% in September 2004 to 18.1% in September 2005.
• Total card assets for portfolios over $1 million increased from $20.6 billion in September 2004 to $21.8 billion in September 2005. This annual growth of just over 3% in inflation-adjusted dollars is similar to year over year growth seen earlier in 2005.
• Total card assets for portfolios over $1 million increased slightly as a percentage of total assets, increasing from 4.05% in September 2004 to 4.09% in September 2005.
• The percentage of portfolios that grew more than the rate of inflation during the previous 12 months increased from 43% in September 2004 to 51% in September 2005. Thus, virtually the same number of portfolios grew as shrunk in real dollar terms during the 12 months ending in September 2005.
• Approximately 11 credit unions with credit card portfolio larger than $1 million sold their portfolios during the third quarter of 2005, with a combined dollar volume of roughly $80 million. This brings the total for 2005 (through the third quarter) to 50 portfolios sold at a total volume of $330 million. Compared to 2004, this represents a 10% increase in the number of portfolio sales (45) and a 17.5% decrease in dollar volume ($400 million).

Data provided in this press release is for credit card portfolios larger than $1 million in each time period and are based on NCUA call report data. Inflation values are from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About AssetExchange
AssetExchange is a leading credit card advisory and brokerage firm for financial institutions. Services include credit card portfolio brokerage, performance assessments, and market valuations. We work with credit card issuers of all sizes to assist in evaluating options and opportunities in the market, including the establishment of successful outsourcing partnerships. We help our clients achieve optimal pricing, negotiate revenue-sharing opportunities, and establish favorable partnership terms. For additional information, please visit www.AssetExchange.com or call (877) 220-0001.