Is This a Local Community?

The National Credit Union Administration in December went rogue when it approved a community charter conversion for Red River Employees FCU of Texarkana.

The community charter includes 11 Arkansas counties and 13 Texas counties.

It stretches from Hot Springs, Arkansas to the the eastern suburbs of Dallas, Texas.

With a land area of almost 15,000 square miles, this geographic region would be the 10th largest state, if it was a state.

The area consists of rural counties, two full metropolitan statistical areas, a portion of a third metropolitan statisical area, and six micropolitan statistical areas.

In addition, the region is comprised of 8 different commuting zones, which are a spatial measure of the local labor market and economy.

The evidence would suggest that this geographic region would have a hard time meeting the requirement of being local.