| Washington, D.C.

Congressional Caucus

Save $200.00 with code CAUCUSAVINGS for a limited time.

Register Now

Credit Union Issues We’re Bringing to the Hill

Personally make an impact in developing key credit union legislation and regulation.

Harmful regulatory burdens continue to squeeze credit unions’ ability to offer products and services for hundreds of millions of members. You’re the best possible advocate. Share your story with Capitol Hill. Help Congress understand where credit unions stand on these key issues.

Tax Exemption

Preserving credit unions’ federal tax exemption in order to keep focus on members, not profits, and save U.S. consumers $16 billion annually.

Let’s work together to:

  • Educate lawmakers on the differences between credit unions and banks and the value of credit unions to the U.S. Economy.
  • Set the record straight against erroneous banker attacks
     

Regulatory Relief

NAFCU continues to encourage Congress to focus on enacting real relief for overburdened credit unions.

Let’s work together to:

  • Address duplicative, over-burdensome regulations
  • Tell your story to lawmakers to help them understand how regulations impact credit unions
     

Data Security & Privacy

NAFCU was the first financial services trade association to weigh in on data security on Capitol Hill in the wake of the Target data security breach, and we haven’t stopped since.

Let’s work together to:

  • Press lawmakers to create strong federal data security and data protection standards
  • Stress the importance of consumer data privacy protections
  • Ensure retailers do their part to prevent data breaches and assume liability if breaches occur
     

Housing Finance Reform

Debate continues in Congress about the future of housing finance reform.
 

Let’s work together to:

  • Ensure credit unions aren’t shut out of the secondary mortgage market
  • Make sure your members have access to mortgage credit
     

Interchange

Senator Durbin and various merchant groups continue to press lawmakers to extend the Durbin Amendment’s debit interchange network routing requirements to credit cards.
 

Let’s work together to:

  • Educate lawmakers on the failure of the Durbin Amendment and the financial burden this would place on consumers
  • Urge Members to oppose any legislative intervention on Interchange
     

Loan Maturities

NAFCU has long advocated for credit unions to have flexibility with respect to loan maturity limits. The current 15-year limit on certain loans is outdated and does not conform to maturities that are commonly accepted in the market today. Both Chambers have introduced NAFCU-backed bills that would give the NCUA flexibility to set longer maturity limits on certain types of loans (H.R. 5189, the Member Business Loan Expansion Act and S. 762, the Expanding Access to Lending Options Act).
 

Let’s work together to:

  • Educate lawmakers on the importance of longer loan limits
  • Advocate for the NCUA to have greater flexibility in setting loan maturity limits under the Federal Credit Union Act
     

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)

NAFCU has been active seeking to ensure credit unions have a quicker and easier path to become a CDFI if they so choose and that the CDFI program is fully funded.

Let’s work together to:

  • Urge policymakers to streamline the application process to become a CDFI
  • Ensure the CDFI Fund is fully supported with the money it needs  
     

Reforming Field of Membership

For credit unions to compete in a 21st century economy, the federal charter must keep pace with changes in state laws, technology, and the financial services industry. A bill has been introduced in the House that would make it easier for credit unions to add “underserved areas” to their field of memberships (H.R. 7003, the Expanding Financial Access for Underserved Communities Act).  The bill was passed out of the House Financial Services Committee this past May.

Let’s work together to:

  • Advocate for policymakers to pass legislation to relax some aspects of the Federal Credit Union Act’s limitations on field of membership so more people can take advantage of credit union services
  • Urge the NCUA to enact constructive regulatory relief by streamlining chartering and field of membership procedures and offer flexibilities that account for the use of mobile and online banking