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No Kid should go Hungry. Self-Help believes in ownership and economic opportunity for all - but in order to thrive economically, its communities have to have the tools they need to survive on a daily basis. One important tool that is often taken for granted is access to food. That's why Self-Help is joining the fight against food instability by partnering with No Kid Hungry. No Kid Hungry is a campaign focused on providing children with access to three meals a day. It is run by Share Its Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Here's how No Kid Hungry helps feed kids around the U.S.: * Funding for school meal programs * Grants & support for free meal sites * Access & protection for programs like SNAP and WIC If you have the means and want to help, Self-Help is matching every dollar donated to No Kid Hungry, up to $50,000, through January 31, 2026. You can support these ongoing efforts by giving now at: Nokidhungry.org/selfhelpcredit If you're not in a position to give, that's okay. Self-Help Federal Credit Union hope that you are taking care of yourself during these challenging times. Thank you for being part of its community. Share this.

Northampton receives NMTC funding for high school. Money will help offset the county's $4.19 million commitment to the project. JACKSON - Northampton County Schools has secured New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) funding which will help lessen the amount that the county will have to contribute to the new high school construction project. 0:24 "It's an expected net benefit of $2 million which will reduce the county's potential obligation," explained Northampton County Attorney Scott McKellar during the Board of Commissioners' meeting held here on Monday night (Jan. 5). In order to receive those funds, however, a $25,000 deposit had to be made to Self Help Ventures, the community development entity offering the NMTC funding, and $5,000 to Novogradac & Co, the CPA firm handling the transaction. McKellar explained these deposits are for upfront costs, such as legal fees, for the closing of the transaction, which is expected to be in the spring. After closing, that $30,000 total deposit will be reimbursed to the county along with the $2 million NMTC allocation. McKellar explained to the commissioners that the deadline to make the deposits was last month, and since the commissioners did not have a second meeting in December, Northampton County's Board of Education paid the deposit instead. "It was a time crunch. We had to act fast because we didn't want to lose the money," McKellar explained, noting that they reached this conclusion after discussions with the school board's attorneys. When the Northampton County Board of Education met on December 15, they unanimously approved paying the $30,000 deposit. Superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins told the school board that they would use funds from the school district's capital projects account to pay the deposit. At the January 5 commissioner meeting, the board considered reimbursing the school district for making the $30,000 deposit. Commissioner Keith Edwards asked where those funds would be allocated from. County Manager Julian Phillips stated that the $30,000 reimbursement would come from the county's contingency funds. "We're talking $2 million of ultimately free money coming to the county to help fund this new high school," McKellar emphasized, and noted that there could be more potential NMTC funds in the future. "All of this is good news." Commissioner Kelvin Edwards motioned to approve the $30,000 reimbursement, and Melvetta Broadnax Taylor seconded. The vote was unanimously in favor. As previously reported by the News Herald, the Northampton Commissioners agreed in January 2025 to commit $4.19 million to the high school construction project (along with an estimated $1.2 million in sales tax reimbursement from the construction) to cover the project's funding shortfall after the district's first attempt to secure NMTC funding was unsuccessful. The agreement allowed the district to move forward and begin construction. In 2022, the district received $50 million from the state's Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund to construct a new centrally-located high school. In 2023, the state added additional money to the project in response to rising costs from inflation, bringing the total for the high school project to $62 million. The money from that grant came from the state's lottery fund. The new school will be located on Highway 305 just outside of the Jackson town limits. After breaking ground in March 2025, the building is currently under construction with a target opening date of the 2026-2027 school year. The NMTC program was created by the federal government several years ago in order to attract wealthy individual and corporate investors to low-income communities. Those investors receive tax credits in return for investing in intermediaries called "community development entities," who then invest the funds in projects in low-income areas. The US Treasury awards only a certain amount of New Markets Tax Credits each year. NMTC funds have previously been used to construct other schools in North Carolina, including a high school in Jones County.

NC credit union sues Fiserv over 'insecure' systems. Allegations of inadequate security measures: Self-Help Credit Union vs Fiserv. Self-Help Credit Union has recently filed a lawsuit against tech giant Fiserv. The credit union accuses Fiserv of knowingly operating insecure account processing systems and then demanding extortionate early termination fees when the credit union attempted to switch to a more secure provider. The lawsuit, filed on December 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, raises questions about data security standards and the balance of power in the financial technology sector. The alleged security failings. According to the complaint, Fiserv failed to protect Self-Help Credit Union's member data with the same safeguards it uses for its own corporate data. This alleged discrepancy is a violation of their master agreement. Self-Help's lawyers stated in the complaint, "Fiserv sold and operated systems that were so insecure that no regulated financial institution should have been asked to run its confidential data through them." While Fiserv allegedly secures its own internal data with layered, possession-based multi-factor authentication (MFA), token generators, and biometric controls, these security measures were not extended to the credit union. Instead, Fiserv is accused of relying on weaker security measures such as email passcode challenges for client data. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, this method of authentication is vulnerable to hacking if the user's email account is not adequately secured. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that Fiserv demanded a seven-figure "early termination" and deconversion payment when the credit union sought to switch providers. The credit union describes this as a "ransom" and is seeking a court order to void these fees. Fiserv's response. Fiserv has responded to these allegations by stating that they disagree with the claims and will be defending themselves robustly in the lawsuit. The company's spokesperson told American Banker, "We disagree with the claims and will vigorously defend ourselves in the lawsuit." Legal challenges amidst financial turmoil. The lawsuit comes at a challenging time for Fiserv. The company has recently faced shareholder lawsuits, executive turnover, and a falling stock price following a significant earnings miss. In November, multiple shareholder class actions were filed against Fiserv, CEO Michael Lyons, and then-CFO Robert Hau, following a dramatic drop in Fiserv's stock price after its third-quarter earnings report. Additionally, Fiserv is undergoing a significant leadership overhaul, with CEO Michael Lyons having taken the helm in May 2025 and CFO Robert Hau set to be replaced by Paul Todd, formerly of Global Payments. Amidst these changes, Fiserv announced a restructuring plan dubbed "One Fiserv" and a move to transfer its stock listing from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq. The implications of the lawsuit. The lawsuit filed by Self-Help Credit Union raises serious questions about data security in the financial technology sector. It emphasizes the importance of robust security measures and the potential consequences for companies that fail to adequately protect client data. The outcome of the case could set a precedent for future disputes of a similar nature. This lawsuit brings to light the importance of trust and security in the digital age, particularly in the financial industry where sensitive customer data is at stake. It serves as a reminder to all businesses to ensure their data security measures are up to par to avoid similar disputes. John wick. ABJ, a Senior Writer at Luxurylaunches, brings over 10 years of automotive journalism expertise. He provides insightful coverage of the latest cars and motorcycles across American and European markets, while also highlighting luxury yachts, high-end watches, and gadgets. An authentic automobile aficionado, his commitment shines through in educating readers about the automotive world. When the keyboard rests, Sayan feeds his wanderlust, traversing the world on his motorcycle.