Family Federal Credit Union

They came clutching bags of money. There were dozens of them, all parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church in blue-collar east Wilmington. Gardeners and housekeepers and factory workers, they jammed the church hall after Mass, waiting in seemingly endless lines to put their earnings into a new financial institution: a church-run credit union. Some had never had a bank account. "They had this money sitting at home, under a mattress or something," said Lucia Moreno, whose own parents had always kept their money at home.

Just two years ago, Jack McLaren and Eddie Ortiz were part-time dockworkers riding a tsunami of international trade that allowed them to work as many as five days a week at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. On Tuesday, the two friends were rearranging marine supplies at a Wilmington equipment store for considerably less money, noting that they each had gotten barely more than a week's worth of dock work so far this year. "It's just so slow that you can't depend on it anymore," said McLaren, who lives in San Pedro and has worked in Wilmington for most of his life.

Just two years ago, Jack McLaren and Eddie Ortiz were part-time dockworkers riding a tsunami of international trade that allowed them to work as many as five days a week at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. On Tuesday, the two friends were rearranging marine supplies at a Wilmington equipment store for considerably less money, noting that they each had gotten barely more than a week's worth of dock work so far this year. "It's just so slow that you can't depend on it anymore," said McLaren, who lives in San Pedro and has worked in Wilmington for most of his life.

They came clutching bags of money. There were dozens of them, all parishioners at Holy Family Catholic Church in blue-collar east Wilmington. Gardeners and housekeepers and factory workers, they jammed the church hall after Mass, waiting in seemingly endless lines to put their earnings into a new financial institution: a church-run credit union. Some had never had a bank account. "They had this money sitting at home, under a mattress or something," said Lucia Moreno, whose own parents had always kept their money at home.

The showdown between commercial banks and nonprofit credit unions reached the Supreme Court on Monday, and the banks appeared to emerge with a slight edge after the hourlong argument. At issue is the banks' challenge to the rapid expansion of credit unions since 1982. That year, federal regulators changed the rules and allowed local nonprofit credit associations to expand their memberships nationwide.

Banks have won a key court battle against credit unions that could force millions of Americans out of the lower-cost financial organizations. However, the National Credit Union Administration, which regulates credit unions, said it plans to appeal the U.S. District Court ruling, handed down late Friday, to the Supreme Court.