ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

In Case You Missed It – 7.15.2026

Student loan groans. Penny phaseout patch. Early signs of financial stress. The Daylight Savings drop. Maps to mull over. Here’s what we noticed, in case you missed it:

Student Loans Strike Back

Your credit unions’ members might be among many Americans in hot water over student loans, thanks to the changes effective July 1st. Nearly every student loan borrower in America is affected, but the most affected are Parent PLUS loans, who now have more limited repayment options and are cut off from popular student loans forgiveness programs. These changes come from the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act from last year.

If your CU services student loans, or has thought about doing so, it might be a good time to revisit those ideas. There will be a lot of folks who need a lifeline to help manage this debt, and credit unions could be there to save the day.

Those poor, pesky, picked-on pennies

Since penny production was abruptly stopped in November 2025, there have been minor ripples of havoc across the nation as retailers and financial institutions grapple with shifting penny shortages, inexact change, and rounding. At long last, a bipartisan bill has been introduced in the House to end, once and for all, inconsistent rounding practices. It also includes measures to improve coordination and ensure an orderly transition to a post-penny world. Retail and financial industry groups, including ACU, have praised the effort. We’re left wondering why a few common-sense regulations weren’t the first step in the penny phaseout process.

In case you’re wondering, the roughly 114 billion pennies currently in existence will continue to circulate and be legal tender, at least the ones not in trapped in penny jars. However, many retailers have already chosen to eliminate pennies and embrace rounding.

Early indicators of financial stress

Consumers are under a lot of pressure from rising costs, and household debt has reached record highs. In this fascinating report from the statistics wonks at Spinwheel, we can get a clearer picture of what the indicators of households in trouble look like. Increasing debt complexity is a key warning sign of accelerating debt burdens. It’s interesting insight with real evidence of how real people are really using debt, and a lot of conventional wisdom is challenged. If you want to better understand how people think about and relate to auto loans, credit cards, mortgages, credit scores, and all the rest, it’s recommended reading.

Permanent DST Bill Passes House

Amid all the, er, “other” news from Washington, it appears that Daylight Savings Time might be ending in the US soon. A bill (called the “Sunshine Protection Act”… really?) to make DST permanent passed the House with strong bipartisan support, and seems likely to pass in the Senate. Here in Indiana we started observing Daylight Savings Time in 2006, and, well, we’re just not sure how to feel about making the “leap forward” permanent. Controversy continues, of course. The economic impacts of fewer missed appointments are hard to quantify, but we’re confident that the nation’s cats and dogs look forward to more consistent breakfast times.

Hey, I can’t see my house from here…

DavidRumsey.com is an absolutely fascinating, massive collection of nearly 150,000 historic maps and images from all over the world, all scanned in high resolution, indexed, and free to the public. It’s an incredible way to explore the history of places you know well, and places you’ve never been, and compare with current maps and aerial views. The Rumsey Map Center is part of the Stanford University Libraries.

AllofUs iDizians
Latest posts by AllofUs iDizians (see all)

Email this article to a friend or coworker.