CLOQUET, Minn. – Members Cooperative CU yesterday said it named Tammy Heikkinen, its chief operating officer, its new president and CEO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – About 1,300 fish-shaped banks distributed to members of Coastal FCU were recalled because the surface paint contains excessive levels of lead.

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Texas Dow Employees CU said it raised its members payout by more than 50% this year, to over $1.7 million.

CALABASAS, Calif. – Shares in Countrywide Financial soared more than 50% yesterday on rumors Bank of America is negotiating to buy the home loan giant.

McLEAN, Va. – The benchmark 30-year mortgage rate slipped below 6% this week, to its lowest level in two years, according to Freddie Mac.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA yesterday dismissed a call from CUNA to train examiners and set guidelines on subprime mortgage work-outs.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – A former U.S. Marine was charged with identity theft and fraud for allegedly draining the accounts at Pacific Marine CU of 15 Marines stationed in Iraq.

MACON, Ga. – Two outlaws were arrested in Pensacola yesterday and charged with a Dec. 28 armed robbery at Park Community FCU, when thieves took every last dollar from the credit union branch and then some–more than $230,000.

DEARBORN, Mich. -- For the second year in a row, DFCU Financial, Michigan's largest credit union, paid its members a special dividend of more than $17 million.

SAN FRANCISCO – Pay By Touch, the financially ailing biometric identification company that has built itself through corporate acquisitions the last few years, yesterday said it is considering the sale of some of its units as part of a reorganization in bankruptcy court.

HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Credit Union Times named Tom Grieve its new publisher.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Guy Hood, one of the longest-serving credit union league presidents, yesterday said he plans to retire at year end after more than 20 years as the president and CEO of the Florida CU League.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NCUA yesterday announced it has named Mary Ann Woodson, currently the deputy chief financial officer at the Department of Homeland Security, as its new CFO.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A local man is scheduled to be sentenced for an identity theft scheme that victimized three credit unions and one bank here.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Michigan Educational CU yesterday said it has selected Open Solutions Inc.’s “The Complete Credit Union Solution,” a relational core data processing platform for credit unions, to address its enterprise-wide data processing needs.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Arrowhead CU has installed Cardiff’s TeleForm technology to automate the processing of its member and market research documents.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Michigan Schools and Government CU said it has signed with NYCE Payments Network for mobile banking services provided through Monitise Americas.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – CO-OP Financial Services has made a $100,000 donation for the second consecutive year to "Biz Kid$," the half-hour PBS television series designed to teach students how to make and manage money.

MADISON, Wis. – Loan delinquencies continued to rise for credit unions, with the average delinquency ratio moving up to 0.89% for November, the highest in almost a decade, according to CUNA.

CHAMBERSBURG, Penn. – Patriot FCU said it paid its members another $200,000 in bonus dividends for the fourth quarter, making a total of $1.1 paid out by the $375 million credit union for 2007.