WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Employees FCU announced its CEO, Bill Connors, will retire July 1 and be succeeded by the credit union’s chief operating officer, Robert Falk.

BOSTON – The Division of Banks has proposed amendments to its credit union rules giving state chartered credit unions parity with federal charters on consumer loan maturities, indirect lending, securities brokerage and services to non-members.

SAN FRANCISCO – Hundreds of credit unions received a double bonus last week with cash payments for some of their Visa stock from last month’s initial public offering, which also allowed them to eliminate an expense they accounted for in the fourth quarter.

SANTIAGO, Chile–Most history lessons are aimed at preventing history from repeating itself, but as seven women from the U.S. and Canada trek through Peru and Chile to see how credit unions are working here, they are finding there some history lessons worth repeating.

SANTIAGO–In a way, this trip to Peru and Chile has been something of a walk down memory lane for the women who are there representing the U.S. credit union movement.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich–Lasertec, Inc., a provider of document production services here that works with numerous credit unions, has been reassuring customers that it is alive, well and prospering after the similarly named Lasertech of Madison, Wis. shut down last week.

RACINE, Wis. – A complaint from the auto dealers lobby has caused state credit union regulators to order Educators CU to cease its successful used auto sales.

Emergency Funds Would Ease Liquidity Crunch in Student Loans

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A suspect arrested in the January armed robbery at Workers FCU has been tied to the slaying of a local man the week before by DNA collected at the murder scene.

TYLER, Texas – Two half brothers, charged in November with two area bank robberies, are scheduled to be brought back to federal court in connection with as many as 13 additional credit union and bank heists.

FREMONT, Ohio – Fremont FCU announced a $125,000 grant to Terra Community College’s Investment in the Future endowment campaign.

ELKHART, Ind. – Inova FCU yesterday said it has agreed to convert its core processing system to Open Solutions Inc.’s new DNA version of The Complete Credit Union Solution.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico State Employees CU said it has chosen TNB Card Services as its new credit card processor.

DALLAS – Southwest Corporate FCU yesterday announced it has expanded its ability to offer end-to-end image exchange by joining SVPCO, an electronic check and image clearing network.

WASHINGTON – Despite massive opposition by credit union groups to last year’s hostile takeover attempt by Wings Financial FCU, there appears to be little, if any, interest among credit union executives in having NCUA regulate against hostile takeovers.

HUANUCO, Peru–While the U.S. frequently pours financial and other aid to impoverished areas like the ones USA FCU CEO Mary Cunningham was touring as part of the World Council of Credit Union's Peru-Chile Women's Leadership CU Engagement Program, there is a wealth of entrepreneurialism, cooperation and contentment here. Indeed, after a full day of traveling that took Cunningham and her cohorts across the mountains and back, she said the resourceful women of this Third World Country could teach U.S. credit unions a thing or two. To learn more, click on the related links at right to read the latest update in this special report brought to you by CU Journal in partnership with the World Council.

By Lisa Freeman, Managing Editor

RIVERWOOD, Ill. – Discover Financial Services, the parent of the PULSE EFT network, has signed an agreement with Citigroup to acquire venerable Diners Club International, one of the first credit card brands, for $165 million, the companies announced yesterday.

SAN DIMAS, Calif. – Christian Community CU announced it is providing $40,000 in college scholarships this year through its Focused on the Future program.

BLUE BELL, Penn. – Norristown Bell CU said it has signed with SEDONA Corp. to implement the company’s customer relationship management solution.