Should NCUA Create a Credit Union Advisory Board?

I am skeptical about whether a politically chosen advisory board is an effective venue for credit unions to influence NCUA. Both the Federal Reserve and CFPB have advisory boards in which credit unions are members. Whether these forums are more than a public relations event is difficult to determine. Therefore, I thought listening to an …

An Example of Regulatory Leadership in the 1977 MCU Conservatorship

In a recent blog reviewing the latest events in the May 2019 NCUA conservatorship of MCU, I suggested that the real problem was the failure of regulators, especially NCUA, to publicly explain their actions and intentions. The lack of transparency means that no one is taking responsibility for decisions made. Contrast this approach with the …

NCUA Board Member Harper’s Uninformed Stance on Risk-Based Capital (RBC)

It is one thing to be uninformed on a critical issue of public policy. It is another to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt. And then compound the folly by writing a public editorial after losing a 2 to 1 vote at the most recent NCUA Board meeting. Harper’s Rationale for Implementing Risk Based …

The Strategic Advantage of Being Local

The Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) has turned 50 years old.  Its mission is to build local power and fight large corporate control through research, advocacy, and community assistance to advance vibrant, sustainable, and equitable cities and towns. This 11-minute video below provides its history from founding in 1974 in D.C. to its present multi-faceted …

NCUA’s 2024/5 Budget and the Impulse to Spend

Recently I visited Bentonville, AR the home of Walmart.  There is a Walmart Museum that provides a history of the company.  Included is a hologram figure of founder Sam Walton who will answer questions, using an AI program, that  visitors may ask. One  posed this query to Sam’s artificial reincarnation, “Are you cheap?” referring to …