MENTOR, Ohio – Cardinal Community CU said yesterday it has signed with Allpoint National to give its members access to the company’s nationwide surcharge-free ATM network.

MADISON, Wis. – CUNA Mutual Group, which reported a $148.9 million loss for 2008 earlier this month, had its issuer credit rating downgraded a notch yesterday by insurance rating agency A.M. Best Co.

WALL STREET – Fitch Ratings yesterday slashed its ratings on eight corporate credit unions it said will have most of their capital wiped out by Friday’s takeover of U.S. Central FCU.

HOUSTON – Pulse EFT plans to pilot a program to assess consumer acceptance of Internet-based PIN debit transactions sometime in the second quarter.

GREENFIELD, Wis. – Two local shared branching organizations in this state have merged, and are also becoming part of the larger, national CU Service Centers network.

ROCKFORD, Ill. – A former branch manager at ABD FCU was sentenced last week to four months in prison and ordered to pay $31,532 in restitution and a $500 fine for stealing $29,815 from teller drawers.

WAYNESBORO, Va. – DuPont Community CU said yesterday it has begun offering its members real estate title insurance.

LINTHICUM, Md. – State Employees CU has introduced a new money management tool, "The Buck Starts Here" (at www. YoungAdult.SecuMd.org).

MIRAMAR, Fla. – Tropical Financial CU roll out a new program that will provide its young members, those between 18 and 24, with free checking accounts and free ATM access.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Golden 1 CU bought $500 million in short-term, "revenue anticipation notes" in a private placement deal yesterday morning with the California Treasurer’s Office, part of an effort by the cash-strapped state government to meet its cash-flow requirement through the end of the current fiscal year.

LANSING, Mich. – State regulators enacted new regulations last week that will allow state chartered credit unions to acquire assets and assume liabilities, including deposits, of ailing banks and thrifts.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The credit union community was buzzing yesterday about the weekend takeovers of the nation’s two largest corporate credit unions, with several corporate credit union executives wondering whether any of the other troubled corporates will follow U.S. Central FCU and WesCorp FCU into conservatorship.

LENEXA, Kan. – Billions of dollars of losses from this weekend’s takeover of U.S. Central FCU and WesCorp FCU will cascade on down through the three tiers of the credit union system: from U.S. Central at the top, to its 26 corporate members; and down to the 8,100 regular credit unions, known as natural person credit unions, which will be forced to take it out of their own members.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Mobile banking at OnPoint Community CU will look a little different from mobile services at other credit unions, starting with a Facebook-style user community as well as access to mobile payments technologies.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA Chairman Michael Fryzel, struggling for a way to pay for growing losses in the corporate credit union system, said today NCUA is preparing to submit a proposal asking Congress for creation of a new way to supplement the diminishing resources of the National CU Share Insurance Fund.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA Chairman Michael Fryzel, struggling for a way to pay for growing losses in the corporate credit union system, said today NCUA is preparing to submit a proposal asking Congress for creation of a new way to supplement the diminishing resources of the National CU Share Insurance Fund.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Every federally insured credit union will be paying a share of Friday’s takeover of U.S. Central FCU and WesCorp FCU, which will add at least $1.2 billion to the $4.7 billion corporate credit union bailout, NCUA said.

INDIANAPOLIS – A man on parole for bank robbery was arrested last week after he allegedly held up the Finance Center FCU branch for the second time in two weeks.

TULSA, Okla. – Fire Fighters CU said it has deployed Edcomm Banker’s Academy’s web-based training solution.

GEORGETOWN, Del. – NCUA reported Friday it has approved an application from Delaware State Police FCU for a so-called TIP charter (for trade, industry or profession) that encompasses all law enforcement workers in Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.