ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NARFE Premier FCU said it has signed with COMPASS 4 CUs to provide it with regulatory compliance support and assistance.

ONTARIO, Calif. – CU Direct Corp., the parent of CU Direct Lending, is paying its 102 owners a $1.5 million dividend for 2012, slightly higher than the $1.4 million payout for each of the previous two years.

AUSTIN, Texas – Amplify CU has signed with Auto Financial Group of Houston to offer the company’s DrivingSense balloon loan program.

BETHALTO, Ill. – 1st MidAmerica CU said Alan Meyer, its chief operating officer, will become president and CEO of the $480-million credit union on June 1, when longtime CEO Don Reedy retires.

SAN ANTONIO – St. Mary’s University yesterday announced that Ed Speed, recently retired as CEO of Texas Dow Employees CU, and his wife Linda, have endowed the college with $137,500 to establish a fellowship that advances Catholic social teaching, human rights, social justice and peace building.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Metro CU is introducing a new marketing campaign that kicks off with a 30-second commercial for the Super Bowl on local TV Feb. 3.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Credit unions offering higher-risk mortgages, those with above-average interest rates, will need to get written reports by certified appraisers who physically inspect the inside and outside of homes, under new rules being issued by NCUA and the banking regulators.

REDMOND, WASH. -- Qualstar CU is paying members $2.5 in bonus dividends this month as a loyalty dividend.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Lexington Avenue FCU said this morning it is the recipient of a free branch from First Niagara Bank, including title to the building and all its furnishings and technology, ensuring the surrounding low-income Joseph Avenue community will have continued access to convenient financial services.

CLEVELAND – Ohio’s First Class CU declared both a loan interest rebate and a bonus dividend for the sixth consecutive year.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Rio Grande CU picked up an additional branch with a merger of $30-million, 2,500-member New Mexico Central CU.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Two men were arrested after allegedly attempting to cash more than $70,000 in fraudulent checks at Redstone FCU.

FORT WORTH, Texas – First Class American CU has implemented SIGNiX digital signature service so members can securely sign documents online.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Consumers CU is offering first time homebuyers grants of up to $5,000 through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Homebuyer Assistance grant program.

MIAMI – South Florida Educational FCU has hired Mike DiBenedetto, executive vice president of administration at FirstLight FCU in El Paso, Texas, as president and CEO of the $800-million credit union.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Max CU yesterday said it hired Tim Marquardt, controller at Arizona State CU, to be the new chief financial officer of the $960-million credit union.

CINCINNATI – The Northwest Local School District’s two high schools opened in-school credit unions Jan. 10 in partnership with Cincinnati Police FCU.

ROCKY HILL, Conn. – Nutmeg State FCU is poised to open new branches in two area Walmarts, in Bristol and Cromwell.

PORTLAND, Maine – A man who admitted sending two juveniles into a University CU branch to rob it a few days before Christmas 2011, on Monday was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison.

BROOKFIELD, Wis. – Fiserv has acquired Open Solutions Inc., the provider of back-office credit union and bank systems taken private in 2007 by The Carlyle Group.