Matadors Community Credit Union, Chatsworth, Calif., named Mark Tsimanis vice president of lending.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The newly appointed State Financial Institutions Commissioner announced Friday the state regulator is adding new benchmarking data for credit unions and banks in order to better monitor the condition of California’s state chartered institutions, many of which have plunged into difficult straits.

WARMINSTER, Penn. - Freedom CU last month held three financial services-oriented focus groups to explore the needs and desires of so-called Generation Y.

DENVER - Westerra CU, the credit union giant formed by combining three local credit unions, was approved for the broadest community charter in Colorado–covering more than 1.5 million people in Denver, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties.

LAWRENCE, Mass. - NESC FCU has agreed to acquire troubled Lawrence Firefighters FCU, a larger nearby credit union that racked up large losses from an ill-fated indirect auto lending program.

DES MOINES, Iowa - Veridian CU has donated $100,000 to the Iowa CU Foundation’s Disaster Fund to assist its members who were impacted by recent flooding and tornadoes.

TACOMA, Wash. - Don’t expect technology to lend a helping hand as credit unions delve into FHA loans.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - Kellogg Community FCU has enhanced its online banking product with secure support and chat, which offers an additional method for members to communicate online with the CU.

Getting Ready For Red Flag

The following are members of Credit Union Journal’s Technology Panel.

SUITLAND, Md. - Andrews FCU has added a series of free financial webcasts for members through its Online Education Center. The new education webcasts, each approximately five minutes in length, highlight various financial topics like budgeting, credit management, teaching kids about money and college planning, the credit union said.

CRANSTON R.I. – Coastway CU, the fourth oldest credit union in the nation, told its members today it is proposing to convert to a mutual savings bank.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Online account opening is bolstering rewards checking and cross-sales, according to two credit unions–one is seeing more than two-thirds of all new members use an instant opening tool to apply for its rewards product.

SAN ANTONIO - Air Force Credit Union here has made a “world of difference” in network security by purging multiple systems-firewall, intrusion detection and prevention, virtual private network and e-mail and web filtering–and consolidating them into one appliance.

Sharetec Adds 2 New CU Clients

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. - Members are forgoing a walk down the hall to sign loan documents in favor of staying at their desks and using Red Rocks Credit Union’s new digital signature service via the Internet.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - In a tribute to David Letterman, Monitise Americas has put together a top 10 list of reasons everyone should care about mobile banking and payments.

LAS VEGAS - After years of not living up to the hype, mobile banking is finally showing signs of taking off, according to two credit unions.

CHANTILLY, Va. - DolEx Dollar Express customers can now pay their bills online as DolEx has partnered with Online Resources to offer electronic pament services. The system currently operates on three tiers: Expedited payments; next day guaranteed payments, and standard online bil pay. For info: www.orcc.com.(c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

DUBLIN, Ohio - RC Olmstead said it has signed 18 contract renewals with CUs in the last six months. Those clients signed on to extend their use of RCO1, with many choosing to re-sign for more than five years, it said.