CURRENT Newsletter | 27 April 2021
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Headline News
- Last Chance to Register: League Hosting Compliance Webinar April 28
- Join Us May 19 for Meeting on State’s Broadband Internet Initiatives; Role CUs Can Play in Boosting Access
- Please Note Upcoming Change in League Phone System
- CU PolicyPro Training Set for May 4 & 11
- Southeast CUNA Management School Going Virtual for 2021
- Share Your Story of How You've Helped Members During Pandemic
- Credit Union Philosophy Workshops
Compliance / Regulatory Affairs
- NCUA Board Briefed on PCA Rule, Cybersecurity Trends
- Citing Temporary Influx of Deposits, NCUA Board Delays Release of Equity Ratio
- CUNA Asks Treasury to Resolve Conflict Between GSE Policies and CFPB Proposal
Financial Services / Economy
- New FICO Study Shows Degree to Which Consumers Have Embraced Digital Banking, Plus Other Findings
- Consumer Confidence Jumps to 14-Month High Thanks to Coronavirus Vaccines, Resurgent Economy
Training / Education
- Building Trust, Difficult Conversations, Accountability Covered in CUNA Essential Management Skills eSchool
- CUNA to Offer HR Compliance Training with Real-World Insights
- CUNA Facilitator Certification Virtual School Offers Designation
Headline News
Last Chance to Register: League Hosting Compliance Webinar April 28
Join us on April 28 for a free compliance/regulatory update with attorney Jay Spruill. The hour-long webinar (10 a.m. start time) will cover frequently asked questions on the League compliance hotline, key federal regulatory issues, and any recently enacted state laws that might affect your operations.
Also, feel free to send your questions prior to the webinar to your League’s Mary Amyx at mamyx@vacul.org. She’ll gladly forward them to Jay to ensure they are covered during the webinar.
Join Us May 19 for Meeting on State’s Broadband Internet Initiatives; Role CUs Can Play in Boosting Access
For the past two years, your League has been part of the Commonwealth Connect Coalition, which has brought together more than 80 groups dedicated to bringing universal broadband to Virginia within a decade.
On May 19 (9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.), the Coalition will join us for a virtual informational meeting on the role credit unions can play in advancing universal broadband access. Registration will be available on the League website soon.
Access to high-speed internet touches almost every aspect of daily life and is a necessity for participating in modern life, a point driven home during the pandemic. Broadband access was a recurring theme in the calls we hosted with federal lawmakers and state lawmakers debated a half-dozen broadband bills this past session, half of which became law.
The Coalition is now soliciting financial support from businesses across all industries to gain access to federal funding to support the expansion of and access to broadband service.
“We believe this is an important initiative that supports our communities -- providing resources, access to services, education and so much more, including easier access to the wealth of services offered at our credit unions,” notes League President Rick Pillow. “As this initiative advances at both the state and federal levels, we believe it’s critical that credit unions are engaged and active supporters.”
Please Note Upcoming Change in League Phone System
Your League is in the process of upgrading our phone system, which will necessitate a change in staff members’ extensions. We’re moving from the three-digit extensions we’ve used for years to a four-digit extension.
All you need do is add a “1” in front of the three-digit extension you normally use. So where you normally dial extension "629," for example, you'll now dial "1629." This is, of course, only necessary if you use the 800 toll-free line to reach us. You can continue to direct-dial any staffer at the League using our direct number with the 434 area code – 434.237.9629, as an example.
We anticipate the changeover occurring at noon tomorrow (April 28). We’ll update the League Staff Directory’s extension listing once this change is effective.
CU PolicyPro Training Set for May 4 & 11
Learn how to get the most from CU PolicyPro, an online resource with more than 230 credit union-specific model operations policies. Because your credit union is unique, CU PolicyPro not only includes the model policy content, but a full policy management system that lets you customize any model policy to fit your credit union’s individual operations.
Many credit unions have already registered for CU PolicyPro and have accessed the model policies.
Our May 4 session is designed to help users to take full advantage of CU PolicyPro’s policy management system. Take this time to learn how to customize the model policies for your credit union including defining key fields, best practices for formatting, and how to publish policies to share with your staff, board members, and examiners.
The session will also include a question and answer session to allow you to ask your questions about specific ways to best use CU PolicyPro in your credit union. This is a great workshop for users new to the policy management system or those who need a refresher on adding and editing policies in CU PolicyPro.
Ready to take the next step in managing your policies? The hour-long May 11 session focuses on the tools available in CU PolicyPro to keep them up to date. Covered in this session are best practices for using editor notes effectively, and understanding the available data fields.
We will also take an in-depth look at the content update process and how to use the CU Policies Report to audit your policies and keep them up to date. Please note: this session does assume that users have a good working knowledge of the CU PolicyPro system and attending the New User Training course is recommended.
Register for the May 4 session
Register for the May 11 session (NOTE: You’ll want to attend the May 4 session if you don’t already possess a working knowledge of PolicyPro to get the most out of this session.)
Southeast CUNA Management School Going Virtual for 2021
Although many things have changed in the past year, Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools’ (SRCUS) commitment to providing an outstanding educational experience for credit union professionals remains strong, and in this spirit, is delighted to announce that registration will open soon for the VIRTUAL 2021 Southeast CUNA Management School.
While there will be some things that look a bit different from the traditional on-campus program, participants will also experience many of the same amazing opportunities that the in-person program offers.
Share Your Story of How You've Helped Members During Pandemic
During one of the recent CUNA-League Small Credit Union webinars, we worked on how to tell your credit union’s story in simple but powerful ways. We’d like you to put that story to important practice this week. We’re asking credit unions to submit simple stories about how they’re helping members during these challenging times via our Advancing Communities advocacy initiative.
Advocacy is what we do as an organization; same for CUNA and our fellow Leagues. And we know that if we can help credit unions share stories with lawmakers, especially as new members of Congress and state legislatures are sworn in, we can preserve the tax status and strengthen the operating environment for the movement.
So, we're asking you to share your story, because people connect with real stories about real people. Simply click on the "share your story link" on the top-right corner of our Advancing Communities homepage and record a brief message that spotlights your credit union's good work on behalf of your members!
Credit Union Philosophy Workshops
The National Credit Union Foundation will host four online Exploring Why™ Workshops tailored to important audiences within the credit union movement. These workshops provide a cooperative learning environment that builds an understanding of the credit union difference and how we can leverage that difference to improve our organization’s culture and service. The audiences and workshop dates are:
- Thursday, May 27 - Board of Director - REGISTER
- Thursday, June 24 - Young Professionals - REGISTER
- Wednesday, July 14 - CUSO Employees - REGISTER
- Tuesday, July 27 - New Employees - REGISTER
The Credit Union Difference is about building a connection to our roots, our purpose, our values and how we live those values every day. The Foundation believes that credit unions only grow stronger when all people across the movement and within our organizations have a deeper understanding of what the credit union difference is and how they connect to it.
Compliance / Regulatory Affairs
NCUA Board Briefed on PCA Rule, Cybersecurity Trends
NCUA’s Interim Final Rule published Monday is designed to ensure that federally insured credit unions remain operational and liquid during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NCUA staff.
Staff briefed the NCUA board on the rule at its Thursday meeting.
Specifically, it makes two temporary changes to Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) requirements:
- Temporarily enables the NCUA Board to issue an order applicable to all federally insured credit unions to waive the earnings-retention requirement for any federally insured credit union that is classified as adequately capitalized.
- Modifies regulations regarding the specific documentation required for net worth restoration plans (NWRPs) for federally insured credit unions that become undercapitalized.
These temporary modifications will be in place until March 31, 2022.
Citing Temporary Influx of Deposits, NCUA Board Delays Release of Equity Ratio
The NCUA board will not issue its regularly scheduled update of the agency’s equity ratio this month — an update that could have required the board to take action to shore up the ratio, Chairman Todd Harper said Thursday.
That action could have included charging credit unions a premium.
Speaking at the board’s monthly meeting, Harper said the NCUA will continue to analyze the equity ratio and will review the first quarter Call Reports of federally-insured credit unions, which will be submitted in the coming days.
The board has set the equity ratio’s Normal Operating level at 1.38%. However, largely because of a huge influx of money from pandemic-related assistance, including Economic Impact Payments, the equity ratio stood at 1.26% in February.
Federal law requires the NCUA board to develop a restoration plan if the equity ratio falls below 1.20%.
CUNA Asks Treasury to Resolve Conflict Between GSE Policies and CFPB Proposal
CUNA sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen detailing a conflict between the CFPB’s recent proposed delay of the mandatory compliance date for the General QM Final Rule until October 1, 2022, and policy changes issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this month which would require implementation of the final rule by July 1, 2021.
Financial Services / Economy
New FICO Study Shows Degree to Which Consumers Have Embraced Digital Banking, Plus Other Findings
FICO has released its second annual Consumer Digital Banking study, showing the degree to which consumers across the U.S. and Canada have embraced digital banking and biometric identity proofing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study found 41% of North American consumers are more likely to use digital means to open a financial account than a year ago, while almost a third (32%) are less likely to visit a branch to open a new account.
“Consumers across North America expect a seamless, uninterrupted experience when opening accounts digitally, either using a website or a mobile app,” said FICO in releasing the findings. “They also don’t want to be forced to use another channel to complete tasks, particularly those associated with identity proofing.
Consumer Confidence Jumps to 14-Month High Thanks to Coronavirus Vaccines, Resurgent Economy
Consumer confidence leaped again in April to a 14-month high as rising vaccinations, falling coronavirus cases and a hiring surge eased pandemic-related anxieties.
The index of consumer confidence climbed to 121.7 this month from a revised 109 in the prior month, the Conference Board said Tuesday. That’s the highest level since February 2020.
Economists polled by Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal had forecast a 113 reading for April.
Confidence still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, however. The index stood close to a 20-year high of 132.6 shortly before the crisis began.
Part of the survey that tracks how consumers feel about the economy right now surged to a 13-month peak of 139.6 in April from 110.1 in the prior month.
“Consumers were more upbeat about their income prospects, perhaps due to the improving job market and the recent round of stimulus checks,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the nonprofit board.
Training / Education
Building Trust, Difficult Conversations, Accountability Covered in CUNA Essential Management Skills eSchool
Credit union leaders and managers will have an opportunity to identify and learn more about core management skills for today’s working environment at CUNA Essential Management Skills eSchool, June 21-25.
Tracy Nelson and Jon Zulawski of Aspire Talent Group, LLC, will share their expertise through this five-part series focused on giving people leaders meaningful strategies to grow their leadership skills and guide their teams.
Effective management across all functional areas of credit union operations is essential to positive culture and productivity. CUNA Essential Management Skills eSchool will help attendees develop their leadership skills in fundamental areas of today’s workplace including:
- building trust on a team
- understanding the qualities of an effective leader
- having difficult conversations
- project management
- meeting management
- creating a positive culture
- accountability
Become a more confident leader with key strategies for growth. Visit cuna.org/ems for more details.
CUNA to Offer HR Compliance Training with Real-World Insights
Credit union HR professionals can learn to apply the latest complex, evolving human resources regulations at CUNA HR Compliance Certification Virtual School with CUDoctor August 3 and 5.
“This training is focused on the credit union industry and the everyday challenges that its HR professionals face,” said Jess MacLagan, instructional design manager at CUNA. “It provides a complete understanding of changing labor regulations, allowing attendees to perform their role optimally and with confidence.”
The school also provides an opportunity to earn or recertify a CUNA Credit Union HR Compliance Professional (CUHRCP) designation.
Developed by and for HR professionals, CUNA HR Compliance Certification Virtual School with CUDoctor addresses the intricacies of HR laws with real-world case studies and approaches. Sessions will cover HR compliance requirements, hot topics, regulatory developments and skills to stay ahead of HR legal issues.
Diane Reed, presenter at the school and owner of CUDoctor, previews the event and shares what to expect: "This year's school is chock full of HOT HR topics including the application of analytics in HR and conducting HR Audits. I know attendees will not only gain a better understanding of their role at the credit union but will enjoy interacting with their peers throughout the world as they join us for CUNA's 2021 HR Compliance School."
To learn more, visit cuna.org/hrcc.
CUNA Facilitator Certification Virtual School Offers Designation
Credit union leaders and trainers will learn to lead engaging and high-impact meetings and learning events in their organization at a new event, CUNA Facilitator Certification Virtual School.
“In the collaborative credit union industry, meetings are at the heart of how people work and learn – whether virtual or in person,” said Tobi Weingart, instructional design manager of learning events for CUNA. “This event offers classes in facilitation to optimize the time invested in meetings and training. Attendees will develop the dynamic required to elevate their interactions and support their credit union’s strategy,”
This virtual school is being offered for the first time in response to feedback from attendees of other events indicating their interest in building facilitation skills. Attendees will further their professional development with the opportunity to earn the Certified Credit Union Facilitator (CCUF) designation.
The CCUF designation demonstrates one’s ability to lead effective meetings and training events that achieve desired outcomes. Designees understand how to analyze, develop, design, implement and evaluate the results of meetings.
Virtual class sessions will be held June 22, 24, 29 and July 1, 2021.
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