Robbers Stage Heist At Calif. CU
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.-Three men in hard hats and jumpsuits emerged from a construction crew outside of the Ventura County FCU branch here Tuesday morning and donned masks and guns to rob the credit union before escaping in a white pickup truck.
The three assailants, one brandishing a rifle and another a handgun, terrorized customers and employees before ordering everyone down on the floor so they could take cash.
The robbers ditched the getaway truck in a nearby apartment complex where they picked up another vehicle, police said. No one was injured in the heist.
Missouri Announces FOM Grants
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.-The re-heated war over FOM here may reach a head this Fall when the state's CU Commission is scheduled to hear an appeal by the Missouri Bankers Association of the biggest FOM grant ever.
The commission set a tentative date of Oct. 18 or 19 for an appeal of a ruling by the director of the CU Department allowing Educational Employees CU, Bridgeton, to serve as many as 1.6-million residents in five counties; including St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, Cape Girardeau and Franklin.
However, the appeal may be delayed if the bankers file suit in state court challenging the commission's ruling rejecting their appeal in the Springfield Telephone Employees CU case, as expected.
In other news, the commission has approved an exemption from the state's 3,000-member limit on multiple groups for K.C. Police CU, allowing the $75-million CU to proceed with its efforts to serve all law enforcement officers in the "Show Me" state.
The bid to include the 17,500 members of the Missouri Peace Officers Association, Missouri Police Chiefs Association and Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, must still be approved by the director of the state's CU Department.
California Approves Conversion
SACRAMENTO, Calif.-The Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) approved an application from Steinbeck FCU to convert to state charter. The conversion of the $50-million, Salinas credit union is only the third conversion approved this year, with more than 15 applications still pending.
The DFI also said it received an application from two CUs serving Japanese-Americans; Harbor Japanese CU, Long Beach ($7 million) to merge into Nikkei CU, formerly known as Gardena Valley CU, Gardena ($32 million).
Also applying to merge are: Valley Industries CU, El Monte ($6 million) into E-Central CU, formerly known as Southern California Central CU, $85 million; and FAMCO FCU, Southgate ($12 million) into Southland Civic CU, Downey ($190 million).
CMG Signs With CultureWorx
MADISON, Wis.-CUNA Mutual Group said it signed with CultureWorx to use the company's performance management software to provide CMG managers with a systemic way to identify, measure and reinforce employee activities.
The CultureWorx program allows employees to automatically experience positive consequences for performance-based achievements, such as points.
Clients decide how to reward the employees once they reach a certain threshold. CultureWorx is based in Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Mazuma Names Pierce's Successor
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Mazuma CU has named Robert Givens, former chief financial officer at Credit Union of Southern California, to succeed former CUNA Chairman Nancy Pierce as president/CEO.
Givens has worked in the credit union movement since 1986 at several credit unions in southern California or Nevada.
Pierce is retiring from the credit union movement to pursue a career in consumer savings research. She served on the CUNA board for six years, and was only the second woman to head the panel.
Diebold Expands Self-Owned ATMs
NORTH CANTON, Ohio-ATM manufacturer Diebold Inc., took a major step to extend its fleet of company owned and operated ATMs with a contract to install as many as 200 machines in Barnes & Nobles College Bookstores on college campuses across the country.
Diebold's Placement Program allows merchants to provide ATM services at no cost with ATMs owned and operated by Diebold.
Diebold provides retailers with a portion of the transaction revenue, a choice of product, and turnkey services, such as transaction processing, vault cash, cash replenishment and marketing. Diebold also has agreements to place its own ATMs at selected Wal-Mart and Uni-Mart stores.
Slot Machines Can Now Use Bank And CU Cards
LAS VEGAS-Innovative Gaming Corporation of America said it has acquired eight U.S. patents that will allow gamblers to use credit union and bank credit, debit and ATM cards at casino slot machines.
The patents are the key to the potential conversion of more than two million slot machines worldwide. The technology is designed to detect underage and unauthorized gamblers. It will also allow a gambler to set his own fund limit.
Certegy Acquires Check Collection Firm
ALPHARETTA, Ga.-Certegy Inc., the payments processor spun off from Equifax earlier this year, said its Certegy Check Services unit has completed the acquisition of Accu Check, Inc., a Tuscaloosa, Ala., provider of third-party check collection services.
The price of the acquisition was $25 million in cash. Certegy Check Services, formerly known as Equifax Check Solutions, is a provider of check risk management, authorization and loss prevention services.
