NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. – The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department called out its SWAT team after a man and woman allegedly burglarized a SAFE CU branch Sunday morning, and then barricaded themselves inside.

DALLAS – Pentagon FCU yesterday announced its wholly owned PenFed Realty has acquired AHK Realty, Inc., doing business as Prudential Texas Properties, a Dallas-based real estate firm that is the fifth Prudential realty operation acquired by the credit union giant.

WASHINGTON – Credit unions continue to roll out offerings to help members affected by the $85 billion in government cuts that kicked in last week as a part of sequestration.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Lawyers for St. Helen’s Community FCU on Friday urged a federal court here to dismiss a suit challenging last September’s unsuccessful board ouster vote, claiming the federal court has no legal jurisdiction over federal credit union bylaws designed by NCUA.

BROCKTON, Mass. – Members of HarborOne CU, the Bay State’s second largest credit union, are mailing in their vote whether to convert the $2 billion credit union to a mutual savings bank, with the 30-day ballot scheduled to culminate a week from today at a special members’ meeting.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- More than two dozen South Carolina credit unions are offering free gas fill-ups throughout the state this week as part of a public relations campaign to highlight good deeds in their local communities.

With credit unions moving quickly to mobile, CUNA Mutual Group last week unveiled smartphone technology to help CUs make more auto loans-even allowing the CU to talk to members while they are on the dealer's lot.

CUNA Reports $2.5 Million Operating Margin For 2012

Thanking credit unions for what they do for their communities, Speaker of the House John Boehner urged those attending CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference to play another important role.

A number of credit unions here were told that if they want to recertify their Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) designation, they better get moving now.

Saying it's time credit unions take even greater advantage of a cultural shift among American consumers away from big banks, CUNA President Bill Cheney last week unveiled a new strategic vision and slogan: "Unite For Good."

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, whose nomination is being held up in the Senate, told attendees to CUNA's Government Affairs Conference this morning that credit unions are not the target of the new consumer cop on the block and he asked for their help in selling the fledgling agency to the public.

A petition has been launched to press the White House to change the way people are nominated for the NCUA board, and it now has fewer than 21 days to reach 100,000 signatures in order to get a response from the administration.

WASHINGTON-Before thousands of GAC attendees Hiked the Hill last week, they were reminded that many members of Congress still need to understand the CU difference.

Congressional representatives showed up in numbers at CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference, delivering messages of support to CUs, addressing threats facing the industry, with nearly all making sure to stress how they support legislation to raise the MBL cap.

The approximately 4,200 credit union representatives gathered here last week for CUNA's GAC heard a little of the very old (need to protect the tax exemption) and the very new (a fresh theme message for credit unions).

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, widely credited with creating the idea of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ripped her new Republican colleagues in the Senate during CUNA's Government Affairs Conference last week for their continued efforts to block a vote on the new agency's director until they get a deal to change the structure of the fledgling consumer agency.

The three winners of the Herb Wegner Awards each offered their thoughts upon accepting their awards at the annual awards dinner here.

More than 33% of marketers at financial institutions say they continue to struggle with insufficient budgets and staffing. Meanwhile, four out of five of those same marketers say they continue to struggle to effectively measure ROI on social media.

Catalyst Subsidiary Tops Milestone