WASHINGTON-Regulators recently shut down banks in Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, bringing to nine the number of bank failures so far in 2010, following 140 closures last year.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-VyStar CU, which serves 15 Florida counties, has applied to state regulators to add two more, Hamilton and Suwannee.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas-A man who allegedly robbed a Star CU branch was arrested minutes later after a bystander followed him home-across the street from the branch.

MANCHESTER, N.H.-The New Hampshire CU League is backing an effort that helps cut consumers' energy costs while simultaneously offering an opportunity to boost CU lending.

PITTSBURGH-A-K Valley FCU's recent to close a branch due to repeated robberies raises a question for some over whether operating branches in low-income or high-crime neighborhoods is a losing proposition.

RALEIGH, N.C.-On Feb. 26, Coastal Federal Credit Union will close its three-branch network in the Charlotte area as part of its strategy to focus on and expand operations in the Raleigh-Durham market known locally as the "Triangle."

The "Q&As" that often follow speakers' remarks at CU conferences often stand for "Quaint Atmosphere." Audience members lob up softball questions. Speakers bunt them back. Not so when NCUA board member Gigi Hyland was speaking at a meeting last week.

It's the "Don't Know What You Don't Know" that can give you a false sense of security, or can keep you up at night wondering if there is some regulation or industry requirement you're not complying with, or if there is something out there that will change, or is currently changing, your sensitive data from private to public.

PITTSBURGH – A former employee of Murrysville MSA Branch Employee FCU last week was charged with stealing more than $127,000 from the credit union to help support her gambling addiction.

GREENBELT, Md. – A former loan supervisor for Education Systems Employees FCU last week pleaded guilty to embezzling $171,000 from the credit union through an identity theft scheme.

BOSTON – Medical Area FCU last week said it is opening a lending center in Boston's low-income Dorchester neighborhood today.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio – MidFirst CU has donated $20,000 to help sponsor the Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Truliant FCU will introduce a new online blog today which will combine with its presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and flickr for a comprehensive social media offering.

BREMERTON, Wash. – In a just 55 minutes, Kitsap CU employees contributed $2,200 to United Way as they duct-taped regional manager Jerry Richardson to a wall during a special fund raising event on Friday morning.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Vantage West CU said Friday it has agreed to acquire First Edition Community CU, an ailing $39 million credit union serving employees of the Arizona Republic newspaper.

LANSING, Mich. – NuUnion CU last week launched a new student loan program to help parents pay for private kindergarten, elementary and high school.

WASHINGTON – A bill that would eliminate the role of credit unions and banks in the guaranteed student loan program that easily passed the House last year has hit roadblocks in the Senate and could be doomed.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Brink’s guards hustled to collect as much as $2,000 in crisp $20 bills blowing through the wind Friday when a container holding money unfastened while an ATM at St. Mary’s Bank was being replenished.

WASHINGTON – Banking regulators on Friday closed six community banks, making a total of 15 failures already in 2010.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – In a little-publicized series of hearings two weeks ago, state regulators, concerned about the growing number of troubled institutions, asked the legislature for new powers over credit unions and banks.