WASHINGTON – A spending bill passed by Congress last weekend will set send the funding level for the Central Liquidity Facility, the emergency loan fund for credit unions, at $43.8 billion for 2010, up from $41 billion this year.

MONTPELIER, Va. – State regulators approved their first statewide field of membership, for Vermont State Employees CU.

LEAGUE CITY, Texas – Amoco FCU dropped 40,000 pounds of snow at its Tuscan Lakes Branch last week, inviting more than 1,000 kids and adults to build snowmen, have snowball fights and otherwise just enjoy the wintry white stuff.

WASHINGTON-The credit union lobby was working last week to limit the impact of a massive financial services reform bill that was expected to be approved by the House late last week.

WASHINGTON-A two-year study of the nation's banking system revealed that more than a quarter of all American households are either unbanked or under-banked.

Fed Takes Message To The Movies

January 2010

WASHINGTON-As they contemplate a recapitalization of the corporate CU network, executives, directors and members of the corporates are vexed by the $50-billion question surrounding the troubled mortgage assets held in the network.

WASHINGTON-NCUA Chairman Deborah Matz pitched potential ways of stretching credit union capital to key lawmakers last week, either by allowing credit unions to raise alternative capital or to risk-weigh some of their assets, like Treasuries, at zero.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.-It isn't just children who are hoping for something new under the tree this year. Inside, Credit Union Journal presents its 8th Annual Holiday Wish List among technology execs and other credit union leaders.

WASHINGTON-Regulators seized six more banks, making a total of 130 bank failures in 2009. The FDIC said regulators closed three banks in Georgia, bringing the number of bank failures in that state this year to 24, and one each in Illinois, Ohio and Virginia. Among the recent closures, the biggest was $12-billion AmTrust Bank. The New York Community Bank of Westbury, New York, assumed its deposits. The other five banks had assets of less than $1 billion. They are Benchmark Bank of Illinois, Greater Atlantic Bank of Virginia and the three banks in Georgia-Tattnall Bank, Buckhead Community Bank, and First Security National Bank. The six failures are expected to cost the FDIC's insurance fund a total of more than $2.3 billion.

JetStream FCU, Miami Lakes, Fla., promoted Maria River to branch manager and elevated Luis Otero to assistance branch manager at its Puerto Rico location.

MONTPELIER, Vt.-Vermont State Employees CU here has become the first credit union in the Green Mountain State to be approved for statewide charter. The Vermont legislature passed the reform in May 2006, but no credit union had been granted a charter change under the new law since its passing.

EL PASO, Texas-Ray Ponteri, CEO of El Paso Employees FCU will be retiring effective Jan. 4, 2010. Since he ascended to the post 22 years ago, the CU has grown from $20 million to over $275 million and expanded to 48,000 members and eight branch offices. Ponteri also served as a director for the Texas League and CU Resources Inc. for 10 years.

INDIANAPOLIS-FORUM CU announced the three SaveItUp Challenge winners for 2009. They are Morany and Kay Deamus, who won a $2,500 Weekly 5 Club Account, Mary Robison, who took home $1,500 and Tonii Martin who was awarded $1,000. Challenge participants were entered to win one of three prizes when they accumulated at least 75 points by completing items in five different categories including budget, thrift, savvy, goals, and education. The credit union plans to re-vamp the Challenge for 2010 and will post details at www.SaveItUpChallenge.com.

CHICAGO-Polish & Slavic FCU has signed a lease to open a new branch here, the $1.2-billion credit union's first branch outside of its core New York and New Jersey market. The new branch, the first of four planned for the Chicago area, is scheduled to open in February.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-GTE FCU is poised to open a new branch in midtown, a troubled neighborhood that has been without financial services for almost two decades. SunTrust Bank had committed to build a bank branch in midtown, but the land it bought remains vacant. The project was aided by the sale of the plot in the city's downtown development district, known as the 22nd Street corridor, for $1 by the city to the Tampa-based credit union. The new branch, scheduled for opening Dec. 22, will be a full-service, 3,000 square-foot facility.

RIVERSIDE, Calif.-Police believe they have ended the bank-robbery spree - from Riverside to Rialto - of a slight, purse-carrying man dressed in a wig and women's makeup.

NORFOLK, Va.-The man convicted of the contract killing of a naval officer at a Langley FCU ATM in 2007 is headed to death row.

KEY WEST, Fla.-NCUA said it is looking for a new manager for troubled Keys FCU after the departure of Bob Watson, who has headed the one-time $200 million credit union for more than a year.