Newsroom

November 27, 2019

CUs' Washington Watchdog brings priorities to key officials

NAFCU Board, Fed
NAFCU Board of Directors members at the Federal Reserve last week.

NAFCU, as the credit union industry's Washington Watchdog, is constantly working with lawmakers, administration officials, regulators, and other influencers to ensure credit unions' voices are heard at the highest levels of government. In the past two weeks, the association's award-winning advocacy team and Board of Directors met with key decision makers to discuss issues impacting the industry.

Here is a rundown of the recent meetings:

  • Google at NAFCU HQ: Following Google's announcement that it will begin offering checking accounts to consumers through Google Pay, executives from the tech company met at NAFCU's headquarters with association President and CEO Dan Berger and Executive Vice President of Government Affairs and General Counsel Carrie Hunt to share details of the plan.
  • NCUA examinations: NAFCU's newest Economic & CU Monitor report reveals credit unions are concerned about exam consistency. The association met with the NCUA to discuss ongoing efforts to modernize and improve the agency's examinations; NAFCU continues to recommend ways to reduce the exam burden for credit unions and the NCUA, and achieve efficiencies. The association also shared these suggestions – and more – during recent testimony on the agency's proposed 2020-2021 budgets.
  • Dan, O'Rielly
    NAFCU's Dan Berger with FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly.
    Eliminating robocalls: NAFCU met with FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly to discuss ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal robocalls and to implement the new caller identification framework known as SHAKEN/STIR. NAFCU has actively worked with the FCC on efforts to modernize the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for more than three years, and will continue to work to ensure credit unions can contact their members regarding important, time-sensitive information, without fear of frivolous litigation.
  • NAFCU Board at Fed…: Members of the NAFCU Board of Directors sat down at the Federal Reserve with Board Governor Michelle Bowman to review various economic and regulatory trends affecting credit unions. The engaging conversation centered around the release of the association's annual Report on Credit Unions and included topics such as business lending, the current expected credit loss standard, and fraud threats.
  • NAFCU Board, Hood
    Members of NAFCU's Board of Directors meet with NCUA Chairman Rodney Hood (head of table).
    ...and at NCUA: NAFCU board members also attended the NCUA Board's November meeting and met with NCUA Board Chairman Rodney Hood afterward. The group discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen credit unions' cybersecurity, modernize the industry's capital regime, and improve the agency's examination process.
  • Housing finance reform, faster payments, more: Senior members of the association's Government Affairs team met at the Treasury Department to discuss issues affecting the credit union industry on which NAFCU is leading advocacy efforts, including housing finance reform, faster payments, cybersecurity, fintech, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

NAFCU will continue to fight for credit unions' best interests on Capitol Hill and ensure decision makers understand the industry's priorities.