NEW YORK–Credit unions watched other card issuers spend this year raising interest rates, lowering credit limits, and pulling back on direct mailings as charge-offs mounted.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.–CO-OP Financial Services said credit union members will save $2.5 million annually as a result of investing in the CO-OP Connect ATM telecommunications infrastructure, CO-OP said.

WASHINGTON–The Federal Reserve Board said it plans to extend the maturities of loans it makes to holders of asset-backed securities to three years, from the one year initially envisioned.

WASHINGTON–Initially billed as potential salvation for a troubled secondary mortgage market, the Bush administration is no longer expected to go back to Congress to request the remaining $350 billion authorized for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

PORTLAND, Ore. – A man believed to have held up Advantis CU Friday morning apparently shot himself in the head as police tried to negotiate his surrender inside a garage nearby the credit union.

LANCASTER, Penn. – A branch manager for LANCO FCU was charged Friday with stealing $27,300 in vault cash.

YUMA, Ariz. – AEA CU is celebrating its 50,000th member with a $50,000 contribution to Children’s Miracle Network.

MARION, Ind. – Twelve families in the area, with a combined total of 33 children, received food, clothes and toys this Christmas, thanks to Fortress FCU.

HUNTINGTON, W.V. – First Priority FCU is promoting Krista Christian to be president and CEO of the $60 million credit union.

ATLANTA – The Coca Cola Company CU announced Friday it has hired Annlouise Peroutka, the president of DayMet CU in Dayton, Ohio, as the new president and CEO of the $130 million credit union.

RICHLAND, Wash. -- Gesa CU members were offered an early Christmas gift, a payment-free month for certain loans.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA said last week it granted charters for two new federal credit unions last month, only the fifth and six new credit unions started in 2008.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve continued its efforts at consumer protection last week with a proposal on overdraft protection fees, that would require credit unions and other lenders to obtain the approval of all consumers before applying the so-called bounce protection to their ATM and debit accounts.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. – Corporate credit unions are reporting hundreds of millions of new losses on their books, the direct result of last month’s decision by the Treasury Department to abandon its plans to buy illiquid assets from financial institutions.

Corporate One Clarifies Position On Funding

BURLINGTON, Vt.-The former president and CEO of River Valley CU was charged last week with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars by taking extra salary, bonuses and other payments over a four year-period before he was fired in 2005.

WASHINGTON-CUNA is asking Treasury Dept. officials for a meeting, claiming the different treatment being afforded banks and CUs in the current environment is dramatically different.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-After proposing the idea earlier this year, boards of the Florida and Alabama credit union leagues have submitted a consolidation plan for their two organizations for a vote by their memberships.

CHICAGO-At least 50 members of the Chicago Patrolmen's CU have been targets of thieves who have used their debit card numbers.

LAKELAND, Fla.-Community First CU is building a green branch that is designed to wrap around an existing Bruster's Ice Cream Shoppe (which will remain open during construction), increasing the area's development density while minimizing changes to infrastructure and local traffic.