Provided by Ryan Ross, DCUC Board Secretary & Soarion CU President/CEO Your Credit Union’s Commitment to Military and Veteran Members
Thanks to a flurry of critical news coverage, the image of credit unions being a pro-consumer beacon is being questioned on Capitol Hill and in DC regulatory agencies. The question: is this a tectonic political shift, or temporary criticism that will dissipate in a short period of time.
We’re growing in terms of our footprint, not only in serving the interests of our members and defense credit unions but the entire industry as a whole. We’re increasing our MAC tempo with plans to hold more meetings and strengthen our advocacy for more success on behalf of our members. DCUC is already laying the groundwork for our future advocacy roadmap and ensuring the Council and its members are well-heard within the Capital.
Provided by John McKechnie Where do things stand in Washington in June of an election year? Good question. Capitol Hill is treading legislative water in preparation for fall campaigning, which means neither party wants to pass bills that could help the other party.
But regulators still have their pens out and are working to finish old business and start a new to-do list. Provided by Jason Stverak, DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer DCUC is already making strides in reimagining its advocacy to meet the changing and growing needs of all credit unions serving our Nation’s military and veterans. We are actively engaging with our entire membership, as well as joint trade leagues, ensuring the defense credit union movement is heard loud and clear. DCUC remains committed to ensuring the financial needs of our Nation’s military and veterans are protected and served at the local, state, and federal levels.
As you all know, DCUC has been actively defending the industry’s tax exemption amidst a concerning amendment proposed in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This effort involves numerous phone calls, meetings, grassroots campaigns, emails, and letters. It is worth every minute, and it is our honor to stand by and support our member credit unions.
Provided by Ron Aoki, DCUC Board Treasurer and president/CEO, Schofield FCU I recently watched the movie “Hacksaw Ridge” for the first time. I know, where have I been? It was only released some 8 years ago. When watching the movie, I was amazed at the determination of Desmond Doss as he repeatedly stated “One more. Help me get one more.” To see how physically draining it can be to carry soldier after soldier to safety was truly inspiring! It made me reflect on the challenges we all encounter as credit unions. While it doesn’t compare to carrying a soldier across a battlefield, the idea of pressing on when faced with challenges and hurdles is still something credit unions and their staff can resonate with. Every credit union I talk to seems to be going through some sort of challenge, whether its personnel changes and/or the ability to find qualified applicants, liquidity issues, and even the battle to keep our credit unions relevant in times of constant technological and regulatory change.
Provided by John McKechnie Congress and regulators are moving forward with a list of items on the “to-do” list as the calendar turned to May. It’s accepted wisdom that not much will be done after July in an election year…but we’ll see.
Earlier this month, several member credit unions gathered in Warsaw, Poland for DCUC’s Overseas Sub-Council Conference. The conference, co-sponsored by Service Federal Credit Union, was a huge success, even with the prior uncertainty about traveling so close to the conflict in Ukraine.
Provided by John McKechnie There’s been an uptick in activity in Washington on issues of interest to defense credit unions, particularly the evolving use of payment system technology. Key question: how are Congress and regulators going to adapt to changed consumer needs in a new financial landscape?
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