Credit unions

The purchase of Vinings Bank in Smyrna, Georgia, is the year's first instance of a credit union buying a bank. There were 13 such acquisitions announced last year.

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The credit union plans to expand its suite of trust and estate services available to members.

The joining of Align Credit Union and Alltrust Credit Union is among the first of several deals in the pipeline where both institutions have more than $250 million of assets, as the ongoing pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic prompt more firms to pair up, experts say. Carmen Sylvester, Alltrust's CEO, will lead the combined organization.

Brian Waldron, who joins from Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union in Poughkeepsie, New York, will succeed Vicki Hawkins, who is retiring.

Employees at Genesee Co-Op Federal Credit Union in New York and Beneficial State Bank in California formed unions in the past year to bargain for better wages and reform their corporate cultures. Will workers at other community institutions follow their lead?

Northern Lights Acquisition, a special-purpose acquisition company, is paying $185 million in cash and stock to purchase Safe Harbor from Partner Colorado Credit Union, which launched the lending unit last year.

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Unify Financial Credit Union is using a 30-second spot featuring safety Terrell Burgess to highlight the Texas organization's expansion within California.

Hanscom Federal Credit Union in Bedford, Massachusetts, has chosen Peter Rice to succeed David Sprague, who announced his retirement last year.

Lisa Schlehuber, who has led the Indianapolis credit union since her appointment as chief executive in 2005, will step down on April 15.

Village Financial Credit Union expects to begin operations this year after it receives additional capital and a charter. It plans to serve a part of Minneapolis that has no traditional banks or credit unions but is overrun with payday lenders.

The board of directors has hired Kyle Gurzynski to succeed longtime chief executive Patty Preuss, who plans to retire on April 29.

PSCU is working with EnaComm to build web and mobile applications for prepaid cards.

The sale of Wilmac Corp. led the one-branch Wilmac Employees' Credit Union to combine with Belco Community Credit Union.

TruMark has begun the search for its next chief executive after Rick Stipa, who led the credit union for more than 20 years, announced he'll step down.

The combined organization would have more than $3.6 billion of assets and a few dozen branches in Georgia.

Scott Ward succeeds longtime chief executive Gary Williams, who retired at the end of January.

The combination of the Bay Area credit unions creates an institution with nearly 50,000 members.

The coronavirus and economic impediments have made it hard for credit unions to add members in recent years. Yet efforts to adapt to less face-time with customers, rev up auto lending and refine other aspects of their businesses are starting to pay off.