N. CHARLESTON, S.C. – South Carolina FCU has rolled out a “Best Mortgage Guarantee” in which it allows comparison shopping with any competitor’s rate.

BRONX, N.Y. – Investigators said 94 people have been indicted here for a widespread crime scheme that targeted TD Bank.

ATLANTA – There are signs of life in prime borrowers and that could bode well for lending growth improvement in 2012.

MARIETTA, Ga. – Employees of Lockheed Credit Union who are members of the International Association of Machinists Local Lodge 709 are walking a picket line here.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Two more credit unions have announced year-end bonuses.

WASHINGTON – The Senate yesterday declined to hold a full vote on President Barack Obama’s nominee to head up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, defeating a cloture motion by a 45-to-53 vote.

HOUSTON – Auto Financial Group, an online provider of residual-based financing products, said a number of CUs have opted for its DrivingSense balloon loan program, including Anheuser Busch Employees FCU, Congressional FCU, Corning Credit Union, Dupaco Credit Union, Frakenmuth Credit Union, GPO, SeaComm FCU and Security Credit Union.

PROVO, Utah – MoneyDesktop, provider of a personalized financial management platform, said three CUs have selected its MoneyDesktop to provide PFM within online banking.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA’s Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives (OSCUI) has released a free training video, “An Introduction to OSCUI.”

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators this week took another step toward lessening banks' reliance on credit ratings by proposing three methods for assessing risk on firms' trading books.

LEBANON, Ore. – Linn-Co Federal Credit Union has undertaken a renovation of its three branches to reflect the local market’s relationship with the timber industry, local rivers and its status as the “grass-seed king of the world.”

MIAMI – Balance Transfer Day, a Facebook campaign launched in the wake of the highly publicized Bank Transfer Day, has been revealed to not be as independent as the latter’s motivations.

PLANO, Texas – Credit unions can expect moderate loan demand to continue into 2012, according to Brian Turner, director of advisory services for Catalyst Strategic Solutions.

WASHINGTON – Americans borrowed more during October to buy cars and attend college, while also charging more on their credit cards, the second straight month consumers have done so, according to the Federal Reserve.

DENVER – A new survey of more than 8,000 U.S. bank and credit union customers/members show satisfaction levels remain at their highest at credit unions and small banks, although large banks are showing significant improvement and all institutions are slipping in some areas, according to the 2011 Bank and Credit Union Satisfaction Survey released by Prime Performance.

TUKWILA, Wash. – The benefits of the consumer sentiment that led to Bank Transfer Day continue to pour in at $9.6-billion BECU.

BALTIMORE – MECU here said it will pay its members a loan interest rebate of $1.139 million, or 6% of the interest paid on loans between June 25 and Nov. 30 of this year.

CLEVELAND – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is testing a prototype credit card agreement at Pentagon Federal Credit Union that is designed to use simpler, plain language so consumers have a better understanding of the terms.

SAN DIEGO – Encore Capital Group of San Diego has established the Consumer Credit Research Institute in an effort to promote financial literacy through a better understanding of distressed customers and the way they make financial decisions.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Denver Community Credit Union has begun offering members call center support by utilizing CO-OP Financial Services’ “Member Center.”