WASHINGTON – If the economy has taught economists any lessons this year and last, it’s that you can’t hold onto any longstanding assumptions about economic or consumer behavior.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA — Langley Federal Credit Union has made 40 grants of $250 each for a total of $10,000 to local schools to teach financial literacy in the classroom.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NCUA released an estimate last week that it has received more than $2.6-million in donated advertising for its "NCUA-safe" multi-media public education campaign.

The 52-year-old, $630-million CU said the new name reflects its history, and also the "the future of the credit union as we look to connect with others who share our values, so we can continue to provide more products, services and conveniences to all our members."

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Credit unions in Massachusetts have made a $125,000 donation to the Coalition for the Homeless. The funds, donated as part of the Credit Union Community Hope Initiative, represents money raised by the credit unions of Massachusetts during 2010.

DENVER, Colo. — As the Credit Union Association of Colorado and the Credit Union Association of Wyoming continue working towards a merger with the Arizona Credit Union League, the associations announced that Scott Earl, president and CEO of the Arizona League, will become the interim president and CEO for Colorado and Wyoming Associations under a management agreement that will become effective Jan. 01.

HERNDON, Va. — Northwest FCU here is paying a "loyalty bonus" to members of $4 million. "Our success is due to the commitment and dedication of our membership.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — John McKechnie, NCUA's director of public and congressional affairs, has announced plans to leave the agency some time in th first quarter of 2011.

SYDNEY, Australia — In what may offer a preview of what is to come in the U.S., the Australian payments industry expects to reduce card fraud losses through a continuing migration to chip technology on payment cards, but fraud losses are rising during the transition period.

BOSTON — Contactless technology has been pitched as one cure for many of the ills of mobile payments, such as tattered magnetic stripes, but it has a number of problems of its own, notes one new analysis.

SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo & Co. is enhancing its options for customers when it comes to navigating their finances with its My Money Map personal financial management system.

DUBLIN, Ohio — Ohio HealthCare FCU asked consumers to tell the CU who its top members are, and 41,000 people responded.

WICHITA, Kan. — Meritrust Credit Union said it will close three underutilized branches, and is also reviewing the status of two others.

WASHINGTON — CUNA met with White House officials to discuss a variety of credit union-related issues, including supplemental capital and capital reform, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and others.

WASHINGTON — CUNA is doing what it can to find a something of a silver lining in the fact no progress was made in the current Congress on member business loan relief.

LOS ANGELES — Parties involved in the lawsuit filed against the former board and management team of failed WesCorp are still sorting through their options following a tentative decision in the case.

LOS ANGELES-The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California here has tentatively ruled largely in favor of former members of the board of directors at WesCorp who are being sued by NCUA in the wake of the corporate's failure, but it hasn't been as kind to former members of the management team.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA announced that its rule related to credit union board duties and requirements will be implemented in January, with compliance with the financial literacy provision required by July.

WASHINGTON-As one of its final acts, the 111th Congress passed a bill with three technical amendments requested by NCUA, which the agency says will improve its administration of the insurance fund and the Tempo;rary Corporate CU Stabilization Fund.

LIVONIA, Mich. - A petition circulated online by the head of a Michigan CUSO has sparked debate over how credit unions should make their voices heard to NCUA and the Federal Reserve.