Credit unions

Hood, who was first appointed to the National Credit Union Administration in 2005, explained what drove his focus on financial inclusion and the technology that promises to make it possible.

Citizens Bank of Edmond's Jill Castilla is reappointed to Fed Advisory Council; Old National injects $1.2 billion into its existing community benefits program; former Ernst & Young CEO Mark Weinberger joins JPMorgan's board; and more in our weekly banking news roundup.

Centra Credit Union in Columbus, Indiana — which completed a merger with NorthPark Community Credit Union this month — has agreed to absorb Hoosier Hills Credit Union. The latest deal would create a $3 billion-asset institution.

Navy Federal, the nation's largest credit union, is facing a lawsuit about its allegedly discriminatory mortgage lending practices.

The deal by the $11.8 billion-asset Global (formerly AlaskaUSA) to acquire First Financial Northwest Bank is one of the largest bank deals ever struck by a credit union.

Hudson Valley Credit Union, which has $6.9 billion of assets, is buying Catskill Hudson Bancorp, which has $593 million of assets — more than any bank acquired by a credit union last year.

The country's largest credit union is learning the hard way that failure to assure inclusivity in lending practices is a recipe for both financial and reputational damage.

The Colorado-based institution is overhauling its training procedures by using simulated VR experiences to prepare new member service representatives for their roles without the stress of serving live customers while supervisors watch.

The Federal Reserve would seem to offer a compelling alternative to the bank-backed RTP network, but some credit unions — which typically see bank systems as competitive threats — are making more nuanced choices.

Since first partnering with the digital banking software firm Q2 in 2019, Hoosier Hills Credit Union in Bedford has seen significant growth in new account openings and deposit balances due to stronger payroll processing capabilities.