BOULDER, Colo. – Elevations CU has launched a new charitable arm, the Elevations Foundation.

LA HABRA, Calif. – American First CU, a troubled, one-time $690 million credit union, yesterday said its long-time president and CEO Bob Street is retiring.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Credit Union Journal currently is accepting nominations for its 2010 Best Practices Awards.

WASHINGTON – Mortgage rates declined this week to the lowest level of the year as investors poured money into the safe haven of U.S. government securities.

AUSTIN, Texas – The growing number of credit union failures has forced NCUA’s Asset Management and Assistance Center, which had been managing as many as 1,000 residential properties in south Florida, to expand into new markets in Southern California and Las Vegas in recent months.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. – Members United Corporate FCU yesterday reported it lost another $19.1 million in April due to write-offs on its investments and has depleted almost all of its remaining member capital.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Durbin, author of the bank bill’s provisions on interchange fees, on Thursday slammed MasterCard and Visa for allegedly frightening credit unions and banks into a mass lobbying effort against his measure.

PHOENIX – Desert Schools Federal Credit Union raised $8,800 for Phoenix Children’s Hospital during its annual Children’s Miracle Network employee BBQ. The event was held this month at the credit union’s headquarters at 48th Street and Washington in Phoenix.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Visions FCU, the $2.5 billion former IBM employees credit union, has agreed to acquire Progressive Neighborhood FCU and the failed community development credit union’s two Rochester branches.

RALEIGH, N.C. – State Employees’ CU said its SECU Foundation, which has contributed more than $5 million to the state’s network of critical care hospice, has provide a $300,000 grant to help fund the new 15,000-square-foot, eight-bed Hospice House in Kings Mountain.

ATLANTA – Georgia’s Own CU is offering $15,000 in scholarships to eight deserving students. There are five $1,000 scholarships and individual scholarships of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 each.

ERIE, Penn. – A member service rep at Americo FCU was charged with stealing funds from five members.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Two men held up tellers at Bridgeport Fire Department Employees FCU Tuesday and made off with more than $15,000 in cash, even after dropping $1,123 on their way out of the credit union.

MADISON, Wis. – CUNA Mutual Group on Wednesday reported audited financials for 2009 that showed a $51 million net for the year, compared to a $151 million loss for 2008.

MADISON, Wis. – State regulators have approved the merger of State Central CU into Summit CU, which will result in the retirement of State Central’s CEO Jim Coraggio.

BOULDER, Colo. – Members of Longs Peak CU, which is under a state supervisory order, voted to merge the one-time $38 million credit union into Elevations CU, the state’s fifth-largest credit union.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Ent FCU has contracted with Denver-based Investment Trust Co. to provide its members with trust services.

ROCKVILLE, Md. – FedFinancial FCU has signed with TRC Interactive to provide online instruction through CreditUnionTrainingOnline for its credit union-wide training needs.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – US Community CU yesterday said it has implemented Dynamic Card Solutions’ instant issue software and associated hardware to offer its members personalized debit cards on-demand at the branch level.

ROCKVILLE, Md. – NIH FCU yesterday announced it has contracted with First Data Corp. to outsource the management of its ATMs.