BECU Plans $62,500 In Scholarships

Shari Storm still recalls the day at Verity Credit Union when she was going through some "drama" with a colleague, when she noticed something about the expression on the other person's face. It was very familiar. Indeed, it was the same expression her young daughter used-every time she was lying.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – A man who burst into a Virginia CU branch last August signaling he had a gun pleaded guilty Tuesday to the $10,000 hold up.

PURCHASE, N.Y. – MasterCard said yesterday that SunTrust Banks will convert the company's debit card programs to MasterCard.

MOLINE, Ill. – IH Mississippi Valley CU announced yesterday is it offering 21 college scholarships valued at $1,000 each for the 2010-2011 school year.

PORTLAND, Ore. – For a fourth straight year, Unitus Community CU employees volunteered their time to the Adopt-a-Class Program, completing 2009 with a December book exchange and cookie decorating party for Vestal School third graders.

BOULDER, Colo. – Elevations CU, which has a branch in the University of Colorado’s Memorial Center, equipped its ATM with a voice guidance system that provides instructions to the user through a built-in audio port.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Affinity Plus FCU members have found a new way to give to charity and agreed to donate 774,442 credit card rewards points accumulated in October, November and December valued at $15,500 to local charities.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – CO-OP Financial Services announced yesterday it has extended its electronic funds transfer network access agreement with First Data Corp.’s STAR Network.

WASHINGTON – Home loan rates slipped for a second week in a row, but remained above last year’s decades-lows, according to Freddie Mac.

BOSTON – Lawyers for Carol Aranjo, the one-time chairman of the National Federation of Community Development CUs, last week asked a federal appeals court to overturn her 2008 conviction on fraud charges in connection with the failure of the $7 million credit union she ran, saying federal prosecutors intentionally created an all-white jury in the case.

PHILADELPHIA – A U.S. Bankruptcy Court this week ordered Citadel Financial CU to return a 2002 Honda to a delinquent member who filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy a week after the credit union repossessed her car.

PÉTIONVILLE, Haiti – The World Council of CUs’ team of 16 working to fight Haiti’s poverty survived Tuesday’s earthquake, spending the night outside amid crumbling structures and rubble because the WOCCU offices were destroyed by the huge temblor.

NORWOOD, Ohio – A would-be robber, who lost his shirt wrestling a police officer during a failed hold up Tuesday morning at Wright-Patt CU, was charged with trying to rob the same branch three times in two weeks.

FITCHBURG, Mass. – With only hours to spare, Workers’ CU achieved its goal of securing 1,000 fans for its recently launched Facebook page, which resulted in a $1,000 donation to a regional food pantry, Worcester County Food Bank.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – State regulators reported they have approved three more mergers of failed state chartered credit unions in recent days.

CROSSWELL, Mich. – Area residents can decide which two Croswell-Lexington High School art students will receive $500 college scholarships, among submissions for a billboard design for E&A CU.

IRWINDALE, Calif. – SCE FCU plans to cut a ribbon at its new headquarters branch on Monday.

DENTON, Texas – DATCU CU said it paid its members a bonus dividend of 1% for the fourth quarter, amounting to a $293,000 special payout.

TUKWILA, Wash. – BECU said its BECU Foundation plans to award at least 25 merit-based scholarships this year, each for $2,500.