For the $180 million Gateway Metro Federal Credit Union of St.Louis, the path to reaching the youth market leads to more mergersof small, faith-based CUs, its president/CEO, David Barton, saidlast week.

"We are negotiating now with a couple more that have approachedus," said Barton, whose comments came as the St. Louis CU completedthe consolidation of the struggling $400,000 Holy Infant CU.

The Holy Infant merger marks the fourth parish CU takeover forGateway Metro, which finds the ability to establishstudent-assistged branches in church schools an attractive benefitin offering financial education services to both young people andadults.

"The concept has worked well for us considering the agingmembership in these credit unions," said Barton. The average memberage in all Missouri CUs is 47-48 but the average age of Missouriansis 37 "so our goal is to reach a younger segment," said Barton.

The student-assisted branches are appealing to the CU inreaching the parents who bring their kids into the school as wellas to the high school students themselves in establishing futureaccounts.

Gateway sponsors student-assisted branches at three Catholicelementary schools and opened a high school branch at TrinityCatholic High School in St. Louis last spring.

In deciding to merge with Gateway, Holy Infant management saidit considered its members' access to more innovative services fromGateway as well as the ability to offer financial education and toopen the student-assistged branch.