BATON ROUGE, La. – A former loan processor for Ascension CU was convicted on charges she accepted $40,000 in bribes to prepare phony loan documents for $500,000 worth of loans.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – United Services CU yesterday said it has named William Carrington II as its new president and CEO.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – HOPE Community CU, a Jackson, Miss.-based community development credit union, is opening its first branch here in former Regions Bank offices.

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Mountain America CU will replace the Zions Bank ATM at the Southern Utah University Sharwan Smith Center with one of its own machines.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University FCU yesterday said it has selected iPay Technologies to provide its 145,000 members with online bill payment services.

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Mil-Way Cu has implemented Diebold’s PassVault automated safety deposit box system, which allows members to access their valuables without the assistance of a teller.

McLEAN, Va. – Long-term mortgage rates declined this week to their lowest level in more than two years, according to Freddie Mac.

DURHAM, N.C. – As one of the leading subprime lenders among credit unions, Self Help CU always has reported a high delinquency ratio, but a 6.3% ratio through the first three quarters of the year–most of it in mortgages–is puzzling officials at the leading community development credit union.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – As part of the resolution of Norlarco CU, NCUA is expected to buy back as much as $170 million in Florida real estate loans the failed credit union sold to 16 credit unions and two banks as loan participations.

MADISON, Wis. – In the latest mega-credit union combination, Summit CU and Great Wisconsin yesterday said they plan to merge, creating the state’s largest credit union.

FITCHBURG, Mass. – William Aubuchon, who built a family owned business into the nation’s largest privately owned hardware store chain and was a longtime director of I-C CU, died Tuesday at 91.

NEW YORK – American Airlines FCU, one of a handful of credit unions serving the entire air transportation industry, opened a new full service branch at Kennedy International Airport.

TUCSON, Ariz. – PIMA FCU said it has completed installation of a new adoption marketing program for the Paytraxx electronic bill payment system it has implemented from Fiserv.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Warren FCU is venturing interstate for the first time, opening a new branch in nearby Wellington, Colo.

BEAUMONT, Texas – Mobiloil FCU has begun using electronic signature technology at its newest branch, the former site of First City Bank.

TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma Central CU has acquired WilServ CU, creating the state’s seventh-largest credit union with more than $320 million in assets.

HAMPTON, Va. – Navy FCU and Freddie Mac rolled out a new affordable mortgage initiative for military families that includes low-cost mortgages and financial education in this area heavily populated with U.S. Navy bases.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – NCUA is trying to settle claims by credit unions that have purchased almost $200 million of participations in loan pools originated by Norlarco CU, the failed $320 million credit union being auctioned off by the federal regulator.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Department of Financial Institutions cleared state chartered credit unions to receive and hold stock in Visa Inc., as long as they receive DFI approval.

SPENCER, Iowa – The manager and sole employee of Eaton Employees CU was charged with stealing “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the $3 million credit union she ran.