FAIRFAX, Va.-While small credit unions face a wholly different set of challenges in delivering consistency across all delivery channels, the antidote to those issues is the same medicine - a strong brand image.

RALEIGH, N.C.-More and more often, the teller a member is talking to might be miles away. That's the case with Coastal FCU here, which is using remote teller technology to upgrade its branches while managing costs.

EAST LANSING, Mich.-The headquarters of MSU FCU has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for earning a LEED certification as a gold building.

NEW YORK-When it comes to far-flung networks, it doesn't get much more widespread than United Nations FCU's reach.

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Long-distance marriages are becoming a growing trend, as more credit unions from one part of the country are receiving regulators' blessings to acquire struggling institutions based thousands of miles away.

SEATTLE-During a CU merger, the focus is often on internal issues such as personnel and eliminating duplicative costs, but CUs often overlook the need to ensure the brand experience is not diluted.

NORTHGLENN, Colo.-Several employees of Horizons North Credit Union here work late every Thursday night to call members and simply thank them for their business, with a soft cross-sell.

PITTSBURGH-A-K Valley FCU's recent to close a branch due to repeated robberies raises a question for some over whether operating branches in low-income or high-crime neighborhoods is a losing proposition.

RALEIGH, N.C.-On Feb. 26, Coastal Federal Credit Union will close its three-branch network in the Charlotte area as part of its strategy to focus on and expand operations in the Raleigh-Durham market known locally as the "Triangle."

WASHINGTON — For the second Friday in a row, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. relied on new-bank capital to find homes for the operations of failed institutions.

BOSTON – Medical Area FCU last week said it is opening a lending center in Boston's low-income Dorchester neighborhood today.

Glacier Bancorp Inc. of Kalispell, Mont., said Friday that its fourth-quarter net earnings fell 44% from a year earlier, to $9.5 million.

Harleysville National Corp. of Pennsylvania announced Friday that its fourth-quarter net income fell 26% year over year, to $2.8 million.

The $11 billion-asset company reported a net loss available to shareholders of $15.7 million, compared with a $69.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2008.

Loan sales helped a growing number of community banks push some of their problems out the door in the fourth quarter.

Loan sales helped a growing number of community banks push some of their problems out the door in the fourth quarter.

Veterans whose tax refunds and benefits were withheld by the U.S. government will be repaid $7.4 million under settlement terms of a class-action lawsuit that questioned the government’s collection tactics. A total of 6,715 veterans will receive approximately $10,000 each. A federal judge in San Francisco approved the settlement.

The U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in more than six years during the fourth quarter as businesses made less-aggressive cuts to inventories and stepped up spending, according to a report today by the Commerce Department.

Details for a planned $30 billion program to help community banks lend to small businesses are still being worked on, but the Obama administration is leaning toward removing the strings that have scared institutions away from other capital programs.