Corporate governance

SAN ANTONIO – The $350-million Air Force FCU has completed a merger with Peoples Choice of San Antonio FCU.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Firefighters Community CU here is absorbing via merger tiny Lane Metropolitan CME Church Credit Union.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Freedom Credit Union here has launchd its first marketing campaign aimed at the Latino community in Western Massachusetts.

HARRISBURG, Penn. – A new series of TV commercials that let consumers know credit unions are in the lending business, are friendly and have great rates are out now in this state courtesy of the Pennsylvania CU Association’s successful iBelong image campaign.

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Gulf Winds FCU is absorbing via merger 5,500-member SCORE Federal Credit Union in Tallahassee, Fla.

TULSA, Okla. – The $1.2-billion Tulsa Teachers Credit Union has officially changed its name to “TTCU The Credit Union,” a trade name it has unofficially been using for several years.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Amplify CU will give a home makeover on Wednesday and Thursday to a needy local family, the Yancy/Cousins family in nearby Round Rock.

TUKWILA, Wash. – BECU is giving away $5 checks outside its new storefront ATM at The Landing in Renton and at three other locations on this final payday before Christmas to promote its new mobile check deposit service.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Niagara's Choice FCU has acquired Niagara County's FCU to create a $125-million credit union serving 23,000 members.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Coopera, a consulting group owned by the Iowa CU League that offers credit unions advise on reaching Hispanic communities, has signed advisory contracts with four New York credit unions to take part in the inaugural Hispanic Member Growth Strategy Program.

MIDLAND, Texas -- Representatives of My Community FCU went to the home of members Ramon and Elvira Garcia Wednesday with an oversized check for $20,000, flowers and confetti to award the Garcias the credit union’s promotional loan pay-off.

WYOMISSING, Penn. – Discovery FCU has partnered with Collegiate Funding Solutions to provide its members with a college planning tool to help them save for college and learn financial strategies to cut costs.

BOSTON – New Bedford CU has applied to state regulators to expand its field of membership to cover almost 1.5 million resident in the state’s Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth counties, and the towns of Little Compton and Tiverton in nearby Rhode Island.

CHERRYVILLE, N.C. – Carolina FCU is the fifth credit union to join the North Carolina Consumers Council, a nonprofit organization promoting consumer education, awareness and protection that will expand membership eligibility for the credit union.

MADISON, Wis. – The Filene Research Institute is launching a pilot program with 50 credit unions to offer a social business program aimed at employees, instead of members.

LITTLETON, Colo. – Colorado CU has applied to state regulators to add more than 800,000 residents in two surrounding counties, Douglas and Jefferson, to its field of membership.

FORT WORTH< Texas – American Airlines FCU rolled out a priority checking account designed to appeal to ages 13-25 that rewards members for greater use.

GROTON Conn. – Charter Oak FCU paid each of its 3,300 Gold Rewards members a $100 cash bonus, a total of $330,000, the biggest payout in the three-year history of the rewards program.

ElecTel Cooperative FCU has booked more than $1.7 million this year as part of one-day-only loan promotions, including $74,000 in a "Green Wednesday" promo the day before Thanksgiving.

The size and growth of the Hispanic market in the U.S. is no secret. Less well-known is how credit unions can better penetrate it.