WASHINGTON – A top credit union executive urged Congress this morning to retain a government role in the secondary mortgage market, lest credit unions and other mortgage lenders be left at the mercy of a privatized secondary market dominated by a handful of bank giants.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Credit Union Journal still is accepting entries for its 2011 Best Practices Awards, but only until this Friday.

JANESVILLE, Wis. – A former loan manager at Parker Community CU was arrested last week on charges she took out more than $700,000 in loans using first the names of family members, then the names of friends and finally the names of strangers.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Service CU contributed $15,000 to the New Hampshire Coast Guard Monument Committee to help erect a monument at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery.

SAGINAW, Mich. – Catholic FCU announced yesterday that Alan Watson, its chief financial officer who has been acting CEO since the first of the year, has been named permanent president and CEO of the $260 million credit union.

MILWAUKEE – Guardian CU has begun a start-up credit card program with TMG Financial Services.

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. – Bellco CU said it is now offering private student loans through Credit Union Student Choice.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – City County CU has begun processing loans in iPads via eDOC Innovations’ ProDOC Packages and eDOCSignature.

WASHINGTON – A federal court last week rejected a bid by Vensure FCU to get NCUA to lift its 10-week long conservatorship as law enforcement agents expand their investigation into the credit union’s role in illegal online gambling.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The NCUA Board rejected a plea from the organizers of the new Members United Corporate FCU to appoint a director of the Illinois credit union league as chairman of the board of directors of the new corporate, to be known as Alloya Corporate FCU.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Intuit on Monday announced it has acquired the mobile banking technology assets from Mobile Money Ventures, or MMV, a joint venture of Citigroup and South Korea Telecom and mobile banking partner of Intuit Financial Services.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The NCUA Board has approved three new items, and is seeking comment on some of the proposals.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-Community bankers are seeing some of the same numbers as credit unions and beginning to recoup some of the charge-offs that have plagued their balance sheets the past few years.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Thomas Hoenig, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, one of the most outspoken members of the Federal Open Market Committee, has never been shy when it comes to his opinion.

SAN ANTONIO-Criminals aren't getting any dumber, and in fact are working harder than ever. For credit unions that means a need to rethink their approach to managing fraud risk by adopting an Enterprise Fraud Management strategy.

SAN ANTONIO-Despite a recent consumer survey which found a substantial segment of the public believes the economy is heading straight past a double-dip recession and on to a depression, two CUNA economists say credit unions can expect improvements on their balance sheets in the second half of 2011 and into 2012.

SAN ANTONIO-The cooperative principles that are the historical underpinnings of credit unions remain relevant, contemporary growth drivers, according to two people.

SAN ANTONIO-What could credit unions in the U.S. do if there was widespread access to supplemental capital?

SAN ANTONIO-Credit unions are being cautioned that as they expand membership by adding business accounts and related services, including online banking and checking account services, they must perform proper due diligence or risk potential losses that may be uninsurable.

SAN ANTONIO-To better protect themselves and member accounts from online threats, CUNA Mutual's Ken Otsuka urged credit unions to implement the following: