RALEIGH, N.C. – A new joint venture between Local Government FCU and the University of North Carolina’s School of Government will provide cities, towns and counties $1.6 million to develop financing tools and train local government officials to develop finance programs.

WASHINGTON – Regulators shuttered four more banks Friday, making a total of 22 failures so far this year.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA last week proposed a new investment rule that will eliminate the need to obtain top credit ratings from Wall Street agencies and instead replace it with the judgment of a credit union’s management.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Those mailings deluging you soliciting more money are not another credit card solicitation, but are corporate credit unions asking you to commit more capital to them, even after some of them have erased all of your prior capital.

WHEELING, W.Va. – Two cousins are scheduled to be sentenced to prison this morning for a family embezzlement that drained some $5 million from tiny N&W Poca Division FCU, forcing the liquidation of the Bluefield credit union almost two years ago.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Authorities discovered nine card skimming devices attached to local ATMs last week that caused thousands of dollars of fraud losses to area institutions, including $5,538 in fraudulent cash withdrawals on members of Hughes FCU.

TUKWILA, Wash.-BECU last week launched a debit card in conjunction with the University of Washington, marking the first credit union to have a partnership of this type with the university.

LAS VEGAS-There is nothing like free publicity, which is what Nevada Federal Credit Union is getting in a new economics book.

CHICAGO-Payment card issuers stand to gain tremendously by moving card production and fulfillment to a digital on-demand platform, according to new research.

FRANKLIN PARK, Ill.-The ceiling at Leyden Credit Union looks as if it might be ready for a high school dance, but instead of tin foil stars hanging on strings, there are credit cards.

BEL AIR, Md.-HAR-CO Maryland FCU last week notified members and the NCUA that it plans to convert to a mutual savings bank. If successful, it would become the first conversion in more than two years.

WASHINGTON-CUNA is calling on NCUA to address what it called "significant concerns" before proceeding with any new rules related to executive compensation.

WASHINGTON-CUNA next week plans to unveil a new web-based tool the trade group says "can play a critical role in helping not only to tell the credit union story, but to convince more consumers nationwide to consider-and then join-a credit union."

Proposal To Open City To CU Tabled

ATLANTA-First Data Corp.'s decision to support Acculynk Inc.'s PaySecure Internet PIN-debit payment system could give debit payments a boost at a time when financial institutions have doubts about the future of debit cards.

ST. LOUIS-Enterprise Car Sales reported it has made a number of investments in response to changes in the market in which the used car shopping experience is increasingly going upscale.

WASHINGTON-Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke expressed doubt last week on the workability of exemptions for credit unions and small banks from the debit interchange price controls required under the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act.

WASHINGTON-Traditional enemies credit unions and banks will mount a joint lobbying campaign this week as Congress weighs their pleas to save the lucrative revenues they earn from debit cards.

CUDL, 700Credit In Partnership

ROANOKE, Va.-Having grown to more than $500 million in assets, Member One FCU has established a Member Relationship Development Department.