COLUMBIA, S.C. – Carolina Collegiate FCU yesterday opened a student-run branch on the University of South Carolina campus in the Russell House university union center.

BURBANK, Calif. – Logix FCU, known until recently as Lockheed FCU, is launching a Facebook contest (open to the public) to name the credit union’s new robot mascot on Aug. 31.

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Animas FCU has selected Fiserv’s XP2 account processing solution.

WOODBURY, Minn. – Postal CU has partnered with mFoundry through its relationship with First Data to launch mobile banking to members next month.

AUSTIN, Texas – A+ FCU is offering Austin Community College students the chance to win a $2,500 grand prize in its inaugural Riverbat Savings Challenge, which it said is the nation’s first community college savings contest.

MECHANICSBURG, Penn. – Members 1st FCU has begun offering its International Visa Re-loadable Pre-Paid EMV Chip Card, for members visiting locations outside of the U.S., where the magstrip cards issued in the U.S. are sometimes inoperable.

MADISON, Wis. – A new study issued by the Filene Research Institute suggests that fewer service and product offerings may be more efficient and beneficial for credit union members.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA announced this afternoon it approved a charter for Lakota FCU, which will serve members of the Lakota, or Sioux Indian tribe on their reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D.

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- A former branch manager for Blue Ridge FCU was sentenced this afternoon to five years of probation and $101,000 restitution for a bookkeeping scheme she used to hide insufficient funds checks drawn by a business owned by her brother-in-law and nephew.

ALBANY, N.Y. – The credit union bid for exemption from a the state’s mortgage tax is shaping up as a major political battle, with the organization representing the state’s 600 cities and towns the latest to ask the state’s highest court to uphold the tax.

PITTSBURGH – A federal judge last week issued an $811,000 default judgment on behalf of CUMIS Insurance Society against a former credit union executive scheduled to go on trial in massive fraud that sunk nearby Lawrence County School Employees’ FCU.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. -- An ATM machine that was stolen from CPM FCU early Monday has been found, and two suspects are under arrest.

FERNDALE, Wash. – Industrial CU has agreed to acquire Ferndale Refinery CU, a 57-year-old, $5 million credit union.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Allegacy FCU will acquire two branches with a deal to merge I-R Employees FCU, a $10 million credit union for employees of Ingersoll Rand.

CROWN POINT, Ind. – Tech CU has selected Fiserv's XP2 account processing platform.

PHILADELPHIA – Federal authorities are seeking the former CEO of Borinquen FCU after he missed yesterday’s court hearing where he was scheduled to plead guilty to drug dealing and embezzlement charges in last year’s failure of the $7 million community development credit union.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – A longtime member of Neighborhood CU opened her door yesterday on a rainy morning and received a lucrative surprise presented to her by the chief executive of her credit union, an oversized $10,000 check as quarterly winner of the credit union’s Prize Savings Account.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – John Annaloro, a fixture in the credit union movement for more than 25 years, first as a senior executive at the California CU League, then head of the Washington CU League (now the Northwest CU Association), the trade group for 200 credit unions, announced his retirement this afternoon.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – An employee of Freedom Financial FCU was ambushed at her home by two gunmen last night, then blind-folded and tied up before being forced to take her assailants to the credit union and to open the cash vaults, which they rifled before escaping in the employee’s car.

CHICAGO – Alliant CU said this morning it signed with SaveDaily to offer its members additional Health Savings Account choices.