Four thoughts on yesterday’s NCUA Board meeting

When I tell people that a good chunk of my professional life is spent reading and responding to regulations, they smile and their eyes glazed over as they try to suppress a yawn. But, believe it or not, an infusion of new members on the NCUA Board means that regulators are really looking to make some meaningful changes. Here are my thoughts on yesterday’s board meeting. All of these regulations and proposals were influenced by industry comments.

Associational Common Bonds Rule

This was the most controversial rule of the day. Responding to concerns that some credit unions were creating sham associations simply for the purpose of increasing membership eligibility, NCUA finalized regulations strengthening its oversight of associational membership requirements. On the bright side, the proposal increases to 12 the types of associational groups that receive automatic pre-approval, including “organizations promoting social interaction or educational initiatives among persons sharing common occupational professions.”

If I wanted to be a glass half-full kind of guy I would say that the final regulation is much improved from the initial draft thanks to industry suggestions. If I wanted to be a glass half-empty kind of guy, I would continue to question why NCUA felt the need to go forward with this regulation in the first place. The only organization that really thought associational membership was being abused was the American Bankers Association.