As a reminder, credit unions are encouraged to submit the annual Voluntary Credit Union Diversity Self-Assessment to the agency’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion by next Monday, Dec. 31 – The Point

 The survey for the 2018 New York Credit Union Impact Report—formerly known as the MORE Report—is now live on the New York Credit Union Association’s website – The Point

 The CU Reality Check conference will host it’s first-ever Tri-State Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament on Monday, Feb. 18, from 2-5 p.m. at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City – The Point

 State legislators are expected to receive a bump in their first paycheck of 2019 after a judge rejected a request from a temporary restraining order to stop the state comptroller from paying out the raises – Times Union

 The partial shutdown of the federal government has left credit unions and their members guessing what might be next, as it has so many others – CUToday

 The size of a homebuyer’s down payment can make the difference between an affordable monthly mortgage payment and one that squeezes a household’s budget – CU Times

 The new salaries for state lawmakers with their $50,000 pay raise will make them the highest paid legislators in the country – City & State

 U.S. consumer spending rose more than forecast in November and the prior month was revised higher, a sign the biggest part of the economy is again poised to drive growth this quarter – Bloomberg

 A new report showed the median home price reached the least affordable level since the third quarter of 2008, signs of poor home affordability continuing to cloud the U.S. housing market – HousingWire