ROANOKE, Va. – Freedom First CU is opening a new branch in Daleville in the former location of Blue Collar Joe’s restaurant, rural Botetourt County’s first full-service credit union branch.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Niagara's Choice FCU has acquired Niagara County's FCU to create a $125-million credit union serving 23,000 members.

TAMPA, Fla. -- A serial filer of patent claims against financial companies filed suit yesterday against Suncoast Schools FCU claiming the Tampa credit union is infringing on its patent for the process of facilitating transmission of secure messages across insecure networks.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Coopera, a consulting group owned by the Iowa CU League that offers credit unions advise on reaching Hispanic communities, has signed advisory contracts with four New York credit unions to take part in the inaugural Hispanic Member Growth Strategy Program.

WASHINGTON – Mortgage rates declined again to near record-lows this week, according to Freddie Mac.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – CO-OP Financial Services said yesterday its Next Generation ATM that will perform most of the transactions of a branch, including loan payments, is now available for credit unions.

WASHINGTON – CUNA was boasting yesterday of the role credit unions played in yesterday’s defeat in the Senate of the Transaction Account Guarantee bill sought by the banks.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA said this afternoon it liquidated GIC FCU, a $16 million Euclid, Ohio, credit union, the 19th credit union failure so far in 2012.

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans erupted with anger this morning after Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid barred all amendments from the Transaction Account Guarantee bill and the Senate voted against proceeding with debate on the banker-backed bill because of the Majority Leader’s ploy, apparently dooming the bankers’ bill.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Gesa CU said this morning it has signed with Andera to implement the company’s oFlows multi-channel platform for online account opening.

MIDLAND, Texas -- Representatives of My Community FCU went to the home of members Ramon and Elvira Garcia Wednesday with an oversized check for $20,000, flowers and confetti to award the Garcias the credit union’s promotional loan pay-off.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Service CU a 13-foot Globe Sculpture outside its new 100,000 square-foot headquarters to President/CEO Gordon Simmons at the conclusion of their grand opening ceremonies Tuesday

COLLEGEVILLE, Penn. – Superior CU and Perkiomen Valley School District officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 29 for a new bank branch opened inside Perkiomen Valley High School.

WYOMISSING, Penn. – Discovery FCU has partnered with Collegiate Funding Solutions to provide its members with a college planning tool to help them save for college and learn financial strategies to cut costs.

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Community Service CU has signed with Geezeo to deploy the company’s personal financial management product into its online banking platform.

HARTFORD, Conn. – An investment accountant at United Nations FCU was sentenced to five months in prison for stealing more than $87,000 from the credit union by filing false medical claims.

VIENNA, Va. – Navy FCU, which has opened 42 branches since the start of 2010, is opening two more branches Monday, its 6th and 7th new branches in the last four months.

WASHINGTON – Consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren, who fought the big banks over predatory lending, credit card fees, overdrafts and other issues, has been named by the Democratic Steering Committee to serve on the Senate Banking Committee when she joins the Senate next year.

WASHINGTON – Credit union lobbyists are predicting the Senate will fall short in moving to a final vote on the bank-backed Transaction Account Guarantee bill this morning, potentially forcing the bankers to seek a deal with credit unions on the member business loan provision.

BALTIMORE – MECU of Baltimore, which paid its members a $2 million mid-year bonus in July, paid another $1.14 million on December 5, and plans one more bonus before the end of the year.