SEATTLE – A teller at Watermark CU and his wife were charged yesterday with stealing more than $200,000 from an elderly credit union member they allegedly convinced to name them joint beneficiaries on her account.

WASHINGTON – CUNA has proposed a corporate aid plan to NCUA which would provide additional guarantees of corporate deposits beyond the current $250,000 per account provided by the National CU Share Insurance Fund.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The former manager of Georgia-Pacific Toledo Employees FCU was banned from the credit union industry by NCUA last week for embezzling $460,000 from the $3 million Toledo, Oregon, credit union.

RICHARDSON, Texas – Texans CU said Friday it collected $194,000 during its one-week fundraising drive for United Way of Dallas.

RALEIGH, N.C. – State Employees CU announced Friday it is introducing mobile banking to its members.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commerce CU is searching for seven area families to compete in its inaugural $10,000 savings contest, called the Financial Fitness Challenge.

KANSAS CITY – CommunityAmerica CU is proposing a program to offer discounted home equity loans to help homeowners finance home improvements.

LOGAN, Utah – Three sisters successfully made phony $25,000 deposits into each of their accounts at Deseret FCU ATM due to an apparent systems glitch.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Norbel CU has agreed to acquire the much smaller Sunrise CU, which was threatened by growing losses on its real estate loans.

RYE, N.Y. – The head of USAlliance FCU’s brokerage CUSO was charged last week with embezzling $2.5 million from member accounts.

WASHINGTON – A key lawmaker unveiled a bill Friday to amend the terms of the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, which would also make the new $250,000 limit for federally insured deposits permanent.

WASHINGTON – Efforts to allow distressed homeowners to restructure their mortgages in bankruptcy court gained momentum last week when the nation’s largest bank, Citicorp, agreed to support a bill moving through the Senate.

The National Credit Union Administration activated a special examination team last week that will focus on the largest credit unions in places hit hardest by the real estate downturn.

PCUA Promotes CU Student Loans To Schools

ATLANTA-Two years in the works, Georgia Family FCU has opened its doors as a CDCU serving the primarily low-income Metro-Atlanta Latino community.

NORWALK, Conn.-The Financial Accoun-ting Standards Board voted last week to change guidance for accounting for impaired securities so that preparers of financial statements may rely more on expected cash flows, rather than the current distressed market values, when assessing the fair market value for their investments.

RICHMOND, Va.-Alcoa Richmond Credit Union here may be the CU hardest hit by Alcoa Inc.'s decision to cut more than 13,000 jobs this year.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.-Credit unions across the country have been announcing special year-end bonuses and dividends and using these announcements as a way to demonstrate their financial strength even in the midst of a financial crisis. Among them:

ORLANDO, Fla.-As the next generation prepares to start families, they may have new options to pay the babysitter and check their credit card balances. Many mobile banking customers already can pay bills, look at statements and even top off their Starbucks cards with their phones, but Monitise is preparing to go beyond that, according to CEO Lisa Stanton. Future plans include allowing users to scour credit card statements and look at their rewards. Users may soon be able to make person-to-person payments, such as doling out money for the babysitter or splitting the cost of a meal.

ORLANDO, Fla.-Aside from backing up the name with service, the keys to a solid brand are defining its "personality" and "truth," one expert suggests.