ST PETERSBURG, Fla. - PSCU Financial Services, the card processing cooperative for over 500 credit unions that process their cards with First Data Corporation, has signed the $4.7 million BECU, headquartered in Seattle, Wash. BECU's arrival to the cooperative brings roughly 140,000 additional accounts to the four million that PSCU, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, already serves. The credit union came to PSCU after having been with the same card processing firm for the last 18 years. Aaron Bresko, director of loan services for BECU explained that BECU was considering changing its processor for over a year and put the move in the context of feeling a need to re-tool its card program. "We had a card program for seven or eight years and really never changed it much," Bresko said. Joe Brancucci, vice president and chief lending officer of BECU said that "by working with PSCU, our cardholders will gain 24 x 7 services, and our credit union will benefit from the company's state-of-the-art risk management tools and proven expertise in cardholder servicing." Merry Pateuk, spokeswoman for the cooperative, said that PSCU was very excited by the opportunity to serve the members of the 50th largest credit card issuer in the country. Bresko didn't specify what changes in BECU's card program might arise from the shift to PSCU, but possibilities include changes to the program's rewards program, which it has administered so far on its own, and the addition of the 24/7 cardholder service that is one of PSCU's specialties.