LANSING, Mich. – Lake Trust CU is the first credit union in the U.S. to deploy MasterCard’s MasterPass digital wallet service.

WICHITA, Kan. – A federal judge here yesterday dismissed the majority of $590 million of securities claims brought by NCUA against Credit Suisse Securities in the 2009 collapses of U.S. Central FCU and WesCorp, dealing the credit union regulator another defeat in its efforts to recoup losses for the biggest credit union failures ever.

SHAWANO, Wis. – A man who allegedly robbed a CoVantage CU branch Monday, after a failed holdup at a local check cashing outlet, was quickly captured.

RICHMOND, Va. – Entrust Financial CU said Susan Adams, longtime president of the $70-million credit union, died after a battle with cancer at 59.

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. – United Educators CU has agreed to absorb Park Schools CU, a one-time $10-million credit union in nearby St. Louis Park, Minn.

TAMPA, Fla. – Grow Financial FCU is giving away free Florida Slash Pine saplings to anyone who visits any of the area’s 20 branches as part of this year’s celebration of Earth Day.

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. – Georgia United CU awarded $1,000 gas cards to two members, who qualified for a drawing after referring somebody for a loan or new checking account.

NEW ORLEANS – Shell New Orleans FCU yesterday said it changed the name of the $110-million credit union to Xplore Federal Credit Union.

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said frustration over Republican blocking actions on presidential nominations could prompt the Democratic majority in the Senate to change the rules to prevent filibusters on nominations, such as the one being mounted to prevent a final vote on Richard Cordray to be director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

WASHINGTON – CUNA is urging Congress to expand the NCUA Board from its current three members to a total of five and to lift prohibitions meant to keep the credit union regulator from getting too cozy with credit unions – a provision allowing only a single member to have recent credit union experience.

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho CU League announced this morning the hiring of Chris Johnson, a former CUNA lobbyist, as president and CEO of the trade group for 59 credit unions.

METAIRIE, La. – Louisiana Corporate CU announced this morning it will receive a $600,000 settlement from Credit Suisse--the last remaining defendant in a ten-year-old National Century Financial Enterprises asset-backed securities fraud case.

LAKELAND, Fla. – World eating champion Joey Chestnut devoured a new world record 11 ½ pints (almost 1 ½ gallons) of vanilla ice cream in 6 minutes Saturday during the Magnify Credit Union World Championship Ice Cream Eating Contest at the 1st Annual Florida Ice Cream Eating Festival.

OGDEN, Utah – Ogden police and the FBI are searching for a suspect who robbed a Wasatch Peaks CU branch Saturday while wearing a mask and wielding a rifle.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A local man was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $24,170 restitution for a crime spree that including breaking in to ATMs at Atlantic City (Wyo.) FCU and U.S. Bank.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – CommonWealth One FCU has introduced a new bilingual program that teaches youth financial education lessons on a multi-media platform.

PHILADELPHIA – Freedom CU has awarded $1,000 to one member following the “It Pays To Use Your Freedom Visa” sweepstakes.

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions on Monday announced that Ginger Larson is retiring in June after 17 years with its Office of CUs, the last nine as director.

MT. PROSPECT, Ill. – Cummins Allison has launched a survey in which it is seeking to get the latest information on how credit unions handle coin processing.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Hundreds of credit unions have quietly qualified for relief from regulatory restrictions on member business loans and raising supplementary capital through NCUA’s low income program, even as Congress continues to hold up decade-long requests for regulatory relief.