The League’s two-day fall Hike the Hill kicked off Wednesday with a private meeting between NCUA Board Member Mark McWatters and Alabama and Florida credit unions. McWatters thanked the credit unions for traveling to Washington to meet with him at the NCUA’s offices. The meeting began with a conversation about the NCUA’s member business lending (MBL) proposed rule changes. He said the only opposition to the rule was from bankers.
A variety of topics was discussed during the hour-long meeting with McWatters. He thinks it’s a wise decision to discuss an 18-month exam cycle. He asked attendees for examples of the types of credit unions that should be considered for an 18-month exam cycle, as well as general feedback on the concept. On the field of membership topic, McWatters said the NCUA needs to tread carefully as to not actually do more harm than good.
McWatters said he would like to see the Overhead Transfer Review process be put out for credit unions to provide comments. He also said he does not like the idea of a two-year budget process but thinks it might happen. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to not only ask him questions, but have in-depth conversations about the various topics.
The first day ended with a legislative briefing at Credit Union House followed by a League reception. On Thursday, attendees will hit the Hill for visits with lawmakers and their staff. Follow Hike the Hill on the League’s Twitter feed and the Facebook timeline.