JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – VyStar CU has agreed to sell its former 43,539-square-foot call and operations center for $1.6 million to Edu-Pro management, which will use it to develop the first Acclaim Academy charter school in the area.

WASHINGTON – Long-term mortgage rates declined this week after increasing for the previous five weeks in a row, according to Freddie Mac.

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The manager and sole employee of tiny Border Lodge CU, a $3.4-million credit union at the Canadian border that failed last November, was charged with embezzlement yesterday.

WASHINGTON – The Senate Banking Committee yesterday announced it will hold confirmation hearings next Thursday on several financial regulators, including Rick Metsger, the nominee for the NCUA Board.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The formerly unpaid position of a volunteer credit union director is growing quite lucrative in some places, with directors in some states earning upwards of $90,000 a year to serve.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The NCUA Board this morning passed tough new regulations for loan participations—known in banking as syndications--that would that would set new requirements for selling and buying participations, for participations to single originators, for single borrower concentrations and extend its rules from covering all federal charters to cover all state charters as well.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Pioneer CU and Capital CU, based in nearby Kimberly, have agreed to merge, creating a $1 billion credit union covering an area stretching from Oshkosh to Shawano and Sturgeon Bay to be known as Pioneer CU.

MILWAUKEE – A 22-year-old woman who has not been seen or heard from since she called in sick to work over a month ago may be on the run after assisting in a robbery at her place of work, Educator’s CU.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. – People’s Alliance FCU has signed with cuautocoupon to offer the company’s savings program for auto service, parts or accessories.

INDIANAPOLIS – FORUM CU has released an updated mobile application for Apple devices with iOS version 5.0 or greater that brings new features and functionality to iPhone and iPod Touch users and now makes the app available on iPads.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The popular and unique Day in the Life of Credit Unions is back.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Nearly one quarter of Iowa CU members are carrying student loan debt, and of those 24% said they are not on track to pay it back.

ELGIN, Ill. – Corporate America Family CU has signed with Geezeo to implement the company’s white label personal financial management solution and engagement banking platform.

BELLEVUE, Neb. – SAC FCU is offering a new mortgage that charges a 3% down payment, no prepayment penalty, terms up to 30 years, and in-house servicing.

PHILADELPHIA – A handyman who stole more than $70,000 from an 80-year-old member of Franklin Mint FCU by stealing the man’s ATM card from his mail on Wednesday was sentenced to time served to 23 months in prison and to pay restitution.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. – Island FCU has agreed to merge into it CWA Long Island FCU, a one-time $23-million credit union in Long Island’s Ronkonkoma that serves members of the Communication Workers of America in Long Island, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn.

NEW YORK – CUNA said it will broadcast a video ad in Times Square for its “Don’t Tax My Credit Union” campaign during its annual America’s Credit Union Conference being held in midtown Manhattan June 30 to July 3.

FRESNO, Calif. – A federal court yesterday granted CUMIS Insurance Society a default judgment of $182,900 against a former teller at Educational Employees CU who stole credit union funds by approving 56 signature loans to family and friends.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- MidUSA CU announced this morning it has signed with Buffalo Pacific LLC and Telepresence Technologies LLC to be the first credit union in the U.S. to deploy the companies’ high-definition 3D OmniSuite technology that brings together life-size 3D, real-time video communications with full eye contact and theater quality sound to create a virtual "presence" of the credit unions experts, on member demand.

BALTIMORE – Post Office Credit Union of Maryland, the state’s oldest credit union, has named Carol Bradley, a senior executive with the $34-million credit union since 2007, its president and CEO.