LA CROSSE Wis. – Marine CU said yesterday it has installed a check-image processing system that combines A2iA Corp.’s CheckReader with Olim LLC’s Check Scanning Solution.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Telco CU is the first credit union to successfully pilot Southeast Corporate FCU’s Merchant Capture product with its business members.

WASHINGTON – State Department FCU said yesterday it has signed with VSoft to implement the company’s Agile Merchant–Web capture solution to provide image capture connectivity throughout its worldwide network.

HERNDON, Va. – Northwest FCU said yesterday it has signed with CU Student Choice, the new CUSO that will facilitate private student loans for credit unions.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – In one of the biggest credit union gifts ever, Michigan State University FCU announced yesterday it is donating $2.5 million to the University’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts in order to help fund the Center’s new Institute for Arts & Creativity.

LOS ANGELES – Thirty-eight people in the U.S. and Romania were charged in federal indictments unsealed in Los Angeles and Hartford, Conn., yesterday with operating an international identity theft ring that tapped into accounts from thousands of credit union and bank customers that they used to manufacture phony credit and debit cards.

DENVER – First Data Corp. said interest expense to finance the huge buyout of the company last year resulted in a $221.7 million loss for its first quarter, compared to a $175.2 million profit for the first quarter last year.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lawmakers tightened restrictions on payday lenders last week, setting a maximum allowable annual percentage rate at 28%, lower than the cap being sought in other states.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A woman on parole for check fraud pleaded guilty Thursday to felony bank fraud and identity theft charges for a kiting scheme she operated between The Golden 1 CU and two banks.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State University CU said it is launching a special account for engaged couples to provide family and friends with a "gift registry" for their wedding.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – St. Mary’s CU and five local banks have created a $700,000 loan fund to help finance small loans for the redevelopment of the downtown and the French hill neighborhood.

EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Employees FCU said it granted $20,000 in scholarships to eight high school seniors and six undergraduate students.

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. – The Madison County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement last week allowing GPO FCU to place an ATM in the county office building in exchange for a percentage of surcharge fees collected on transactions.

PORTLAND, Ore. – OnPoint Community CU said it is opening three new branches Safeway grocery stores in nearby Vancouver, Wash., the first of which will open next week.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Bellwether Community CU said last week it lost a computer disc with about 3,000 members’ personal and account information and was informing members.

QUINCY, Mass. – Early visitors to the Adams National Historical Park were greeted last Thursday by a President John Quincy Adams, or a historical re-enactor helping to introduce the new $1 Presidential coin-courtesy of Quincy CU.

Massachusetts regulators have approved First Priority Credit Union's plan to become the state's first credit union to convert to a mutual savings bank under a new law.

DALLAS–Over the last 10 years, many credit unions were looking to cash in by selling off their credit card portfolios, but today some of those same credit unions are looking to get back into the credit card game.

MAUMEE, Ohio - Concern about members’ ability to cope with a declining economy has two Ohio credit unions taking financial counseling seriously enough to place counselors on-site.

WASHINGTON - Credit unions were lobbying last week against a bill to open the market for card interchange fees to more competition, saying the proposal would amount to price caps on this lucrative source of revenue.