WASHINGTON DC:The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) has finessed its way into Fortune magazine's Power 25 list of top lobbying firms - thanks to an inspired PR campaign that saved the credit unions from potential disaster.

CUNA, which only two years ago was on the verge of financial ruin, rocketed from 70th place to 8th, in the survey published last week, just behind well-established Beltway powerhouses such as AARP, NRA and AFL-CIO. The American Bankers Association slipped from 12th place ...