Ken McCarthy

Neil Ray Sommers, who was 74, was succeeded by Bret Fisher, Achieve's director of operations the past three years.

The Hauppauge, New York, institution plans to take advantage of its open charter that allows anyone in the U.S. to join after several years of building out its infrastructure to support a national business. Bankers decried the move as further overreach by the credit union industry.

Centric named Rodney Parker as its new CEO. He succeeds Chris Craighead, who retired after 30 years as the credit union's leader.

Discovery Federal Credit Union in Wyomissing has promoted its chief information officer, Michele Smith, to succeed Edwin Williams as CEO. Smith assumed her new role effective October 1.

U.S. banks closed almost 3,000 more branches than they opened last year, but credit unions' branch count crept up in the second quarter despite consumers' heavier reliance on digital channels for account management.

Mike Swalley, the longtime president and CEO of the North Chesterfield, Virginia, credit union, will retire next year. An internal search committee has partnered with D. Hilton Associates to find a successor.

The University of Maryland program announced a 10-year partnership with SECU in Maryland, and Seton Hall University's program will partner with Affinity Federal Credit Union in New Jersey.

Vermont State Employees Credit Union is attracting new cannabis clients so rapidly that it had to press the pause button to add staff. Another New England lender, Needham Bank, is building its own pot banking business through acquisition.

The Saginaw credit union named Derrick Barber as its new president and chief executive. Barber will succeed Gerald Hutto, who will be retiring.

Geoff Bullock will succeed Phil Jones, who is retiring after 15 years of leading Harborstone.