'Twas the night before New Year's, two thousand and ten/ And the chair of the Fed, our pal 'Copter Ben/ Had spent the last year giving money away/ To save an economy in disarray

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A man who held-up Family First CU for $135,742 more than three years ago will spend the next eight years behind bars.

MACON, Ga. – One of three assailants who held-up Park Community FCU in 2007 and made off with $198,439 was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison last week.

BILLINGS, Mont. – A North Dakota cattle buyer who drove bankers around eastern Montana showing them cattle he falsely claimed were his was jailed last week for 11 years for a $7.8 million scheme that defrauded two local credit unions and a bank.

WICHITA, Kan. – Fast-growing Credit Union of America announced last week it plans to open another new branch, its 11th, in the downtown next year.

ONTARIO, Calif. – CU Direct Lending announced a deal with GE Capital Fleet last week to in which the fleet management giant will help credit union’s remarket repossessed vehicles.

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appellate court last week denied a request for reinstatement by a former member of the supervisory committee for San Francisco Police CU who claims he was illegally ousted from the panel for properly performing his oversight duties.

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. – Local and national veterans’ organizations have received more than $45,000 in donations from First Citizens' FCU’s Hero Program, which assists veterans’ aid organizations.

WASHINGTON – CUNA made 57 contributions for more than a total of $100,000 to congressional leaders last month as the House geared up for important votes on financial services reform.

MADISON, Wis. – CUMIS Insurance Society and 26 credit unions seeking recompense for losses related to the $140 million fraud at U.S. Mortgage and its CU National Mortgage unit have agreed to move their dispute over bond coverage from a state to a federal court here.

OGDEN, Utah – Goldenwest CU will pay its members a bonus dividend amounting to a 7% yield, for a total of $640,000 on Dec. 31.

WASHINGTON – The FDIC on Friday took over seven more banks with almost $15 billion in assets, making a total of 140 bank failures so far in 2009.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – Kinecta FCU said last week its president, Simone Lagomarsino has resigned after the credit union reported huge losses.

LAS VEGAS – The state’s bleak economy claimed another credit union CEO Friday, as David Rhamy, the well-known president of Silver State Schools CU resigned from the financially ailing credit union.

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RIVERWOODS, Ill.– Discover Financial Services reported a 19% drop in fourth quarter net income yesterday, as credit card charge-offs continued to rise.

SAN DIEGO – The FBI is hunting a robber who made off with two bags of cash from a North Island CU branch on Dec. 2, the same robber believed to be responsible for a Nov. 6 robbery at that branch.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Affinity FCU has contributed ten laptop computers to Middle Earth, an organization that provides prevention, intervention and crisis services to Bridgewater-area youth.

FAIRFAX, Va. – Apple FCU, chartered to serve employees of Fairfax County schools, said yesterday it is adding school employees, students and their families in adjacent Prince William County to its field of membership.

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Texas Dow Employees CU, on the heels of six new branches, is planning at least five additional outlets in the coming months.