Monday, October 15, 2012

NCUA's Role in Conversion Process Needs Scrutiny

On December 13, 2005, Representative Jeb Hensarling (R -TX) requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate how the National Credit Union Association (NCUA) addresses the conversion of federally insured credit unions to mutual savings banks.

Representative Hensarling requested this review after two Texas credit unions requested redress from a federal court in order to complete their conversions.

For those individuals not familiar with the issue, NCUA had invalidated the conversion votes of the two Texas credit unions over how a single two-sided sheet of paper was folded as part of the mailing to the credit unions' memberships.

Representative Hensarling in his letter posed 3 issues that he wanted the GAO to examine:
  • Whether the NCUA’s actions conform with, or exceed, the powers granted by the 1998 Credit Union Membership Authorization Act (CUMAA) which grants the NCUA the authority to oversee the methods and procedures of a conversion vote.
  • Whether the NCUA’s rules and guidelines for conducting a conversion are “no more or less restrictive than that applicable to charter conversion by other financial institutions,” as required by law.
  • Whether the behavior of the NCUA in overseeing conversions acts as an undue hindrance on the ability of credit unions to convert.
Regrettably, the GAO did not act on his request.

Over the last 7 years, NCUA obstructionism has only become worse, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for a credit union to exercise its right to change charters.

It seems the time is right to examine NCUA's tyrannical role in the conversion process.

4 comments:

  1. It seems the time is right?? It's WAY past time!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A fellow CEO just wrote about this in the NCUA controlled cu press. He says NCUA rules make a mockery of democracy.
    NCUA makes mockery of congress if their guidance was that conversion rules were supposed to be similar to bank charter change rules.
    What is congress waiting for?
    Congress needs to act because we know that our trade association isnt protecting our interests either.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Credit union CEOs, who believe they need this option, need to speak up. They need to ask their members of Congress to protect their interest and end NCUA's reign of terror.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am not sure if it is a reign of terror, or a federal agency. As of late it is a joke. The trade associations are in bed with the NCUA. Notice next CUNA or NAFCU Annual Meeting - the 3 NCUA village idiots always attend and get prime time NCUA-mercial speaking engagements. Often they do not provide for any Q&A. Have you noticed the number of credit unions nationwide has been steadily and consistently declining each and every year? Will the last one standing turn off the lights?

    ReplyDelete

 

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