WASHINGTON — NCUA's testimony before the House Financial Services Committee earlier this week has some within the credit union community saying the regulator may have opened the door a little wider for federally insured CUs to gain access to supplemental capital.

HOUSTON — Two masked men armed with handguns barged into a Chartway FCU branch here Wednesday morning, fired shots into the ceiling, demanded money and then escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has backed down in its dispute with the credit union community over unrelated business income tax and cleared almost all CU products at stake in related litigation.

ATLANTA — Much like healthcare.gov struggled on its way to signing up 7.1 million Americans, private health insurance exchanges partnering with credit unions are reporting their own enrollment challenges.

AUSTIN, Tex. — Loyalty vendor Buzz Points has armed itself with $19 million in fresh capital in hopes of capitalizing on the growing desire of credit unions and small banks to expand their debit rewards programs.

Credit unions approved a slightly higher percentage of small business loans last month, as approval rates ticked up to 43.6% in March from 43.3% the previous month.

A new credit union service organization is helping credit unions collect on charged-off accounts and return "prior prime" members to their former CUs.

The Federal Reserve's retail payments office announced Monday that it "fully supports" the most recent push within the financial services industry to speed up electronic payments.

WASHINGTON — NCUA General Counsel Michael J. McKenna told the House Financial Services Committee Tuesday that 70% of new rules put in place by the agency since last January have provided regulatory relief to credit unions without incurring additional costs.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Telhio Credit Union has acquired Shiloh Baptist Church FCU.

Graduate school financing with high balances are driving the overall growth of the nation's student-loan debt.

The payday loan business — loathed by some, misunderstood in others' eyes — stands on the verge of its biggest shake-up ever.

SAN DIEGO — Class action lawsuits related to Target Corp.'s massive data breach will be consolidated in the retailer's home state of Minnesota.

Between the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten-Mile Run and the SacTown Ten-Mile Run, Credit Union Miracle Day raised $487,000 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

WASHINGTON — The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten-Mile Run here and the SacTown Ten-Mile Run in Sacramento, Calif., brought in a total of $487,000 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The two races are part of Credit Union Miracle Day.

CUNA is asking the House Financial Services Committee to "thoroughly examine" NCUA's proposed risk-based capital rule and direct the agency to make significant changes to address "serious deficiencies" in the proposal.

A selection of images featuring credit unions' efforts in their communities.

WICHITA, Kan. — The $225 million-asset Mid American Credit Union has acquired the Lawrence Kan.-based Jayhawk FCU.

WASHINGTON — The House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday morning with senior regulatory officials to explore the costs of recent rulemakings and other agency actions.

ANTIGO, Wis. — The "mobile-only" consumer, those conducting all of their remote banking activity via a tablet or smartphone, are growing in number — quickly becoming a group that industry insiders and analysts say credit unions must cater to and support.