BALTIMORE – Tower FCU, the credit union for the National Security Agency, has added branches in nearby Curtis Bay and Pasadena with the merger of U.S. Coast Guard Community CU, one of just two privately insured credit unions in Maryland.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Vanderburgh School Board approved a three-year contract with Evansville Teachers FCU, under which the credit union will issue employees and students VISA debit cards.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Credit Union Journal is now calling for nominations and entries for its 2013 Best Practices Awards.

BALTIMORE – One of three men charged in a series of three $100,000 armed robberies, including a holdup at Navy FCU in nearby Clinton, has pleaded guilty and has agreed to testify against his two accomplices.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – OSU FCU reported to police that more than $80,000 in fraudulent charges were made to members’ cards at stores throughout Oregon, Washington and California between June 8 and June 26.

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Delaware Chancery Court has dismissed a shareholder suit claiming billionaire financier Ronald Perelman, owner of MacAndrews & Forbes Worldwide, shortchanged other shareholders of M&F Worldwide when he bought the M&F Worldwide shares he did not own and took the parent of check printing giant Harland Clarke private in 2011.

SALEM, Ore. – The state legislature adjourned yesterday without acting on bill that would have applied the state’s excise tax to some credit unions, one of several legislative tax threats around the country.

LOS ANGELES – A federal judge yesterday rejected Standard & Poor’s bid to dismiss a Justice Department suit claiming the Wall Street rating agency intentionally ignored its own standards rating risky investments sold to WesCorp FCU and Eastern Financial Florida CU, and others, moving the landmark case closer to trial.

WASHINGTON -- Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee expressed concern this morning that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is collecting personal purchasing information on tens of millions of Americans in contravention of privacy requirements contained in the Dodd-Frank Act, which created the new consumer agency.

SAN DIEGO – Mitek, the pioneer in remote mobile deposits technology, announced this morning it has been issued a U.S. patent on its application allowing consumers to transfer their credit card balances via mobile devices, which is currently being piloted at San Diego County CU.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lender Processing Services, the nation’s largest provider of mortgage processing services, on Monday said the “go-shop” period under a takeover offer from Fidelity National Financial had expired and the company did not receive any alternative acquisition proposals during the 30-day window.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – New Hampshire’s Bellwether Community CU has vowed to challenge a federal court ruling dismissing its suit over its withdrawal from CUSO Development Co. LLC, saying the Michigan CUSO continues to owe the credit union money reserved for it in its capital account.

LOS ANGELES – Six months after introducing a program it calls “Member Benefits,” which is designed to “reward those members most invested in the success of their credit union, while asking those who are not engaged to help pay their fair share,” Los Angeles Police FCU said it has seen increased profitability and changed member behavior.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Credit Union Journal is now calling for nominations and entries for its 2013 Best Practices Awards.

BOCA RATON, Fla. – IBM Southeast Employees’ FCU yesterday said it has chosen AutoNation Direct to provide its members with auto buying services.

LAKELAND, Fla. – MidFlorida CU has contracted with Insuritas to open a turnkey insurance agency.

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – St. Mary’s CU this afternoon is holding a grand opening for a new branch it built by renovating a former Friendly’s ice cream restaurant.

NORRISTOWN, Penn. – The former CEO at United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 FCU has appealed last month’s conviction on charges she stole from the credit union to pay for her husband’s dental expenses and has asked a state court for a third try at exoneration.

WASHINGTON – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this morning is expected to tell Congress it will be carefully protecting individuals’ privacy as it builds a massive database on consumer financial behavior and on home mortgages.

The national price for overdrafts is rising, and credit unions are driving up that fee, according to a recent study by Moebs $ervices.