Newsroom

Credit union professionals from across the country are gathering today in Seattle to kick off NAFCU's 51st Annual Conference and Solutions Expo – the industry's premier strategic planning event for credit union executives and board members. The conference, sponsored by Strategic Resource Management, is NAFCU's largest annual event and runs through Friday.

"We are excited to bring together hundreds of credit union leaders this week to not only celebrate the industry's and NAFCU's achievements from this past year, but to also equip attendees with the tools needed to help their credit unions continue to grow," said NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger. "This year's conference is focused on the power of change and how credit unions can use it to their advantage."

Conference sessions officially begin Wednesday with a welcome address from Berger, which will be broadcast via livestream here at 10:45 a.m. Eastern.

Today, Berger will lead a member-only "Private Conversation" with other NAFCU senior staff. Credit union board members can also attend a pre-conference workshop today to attain their NAFCU Certified Volunteer Expert (NCVE) designation. CUNA Mutual Group is sponsoring a networking opportunity for attendees tonight with a welcome reception.

The Defense Credit Union Summit hosted by NAFCU and the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) is also happening today. The summit will educate attendees on the Military Lending Act's (MLA) impact on small dollar lending, changes to lease language that have made it difficult for credit unions to operate on military installations, among other issues. The summit will likely discuss developments on the Department of Defense's recent interpretive rule related to guaranteed acceptance protection (GAP) insurance housed within the MLA, which NAFCU and the DCUC have been actively working to have rescinded.

Tomorrow's keynote speaker, Michael Tchong, will focus on how credit unions can leverage current trends to continue to grow; the keynote is sponsored by Affinion Insurance Solutions. Winners of NAFCU's 2017 Annual Awards, which recognize association-member credit unions and individuals for excellence and achievement in the industry, will be honored tomorrow. The full agenda is available here.

Stay tuned to NAFCU Today for daily conference coverage. For up-to-the-minute coverage, download the conference app, sponsored by CUNA Mutual Group, and follow #NAFCUAnnual on Twitter.