FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Vicki Christner – CUNA Communications; 202-329-9950; vchristner@cuna.coop

Washington, DC (December 8, 2016) – The CUNA/League system is launching a multilayered advocacy campaign plan that aims to take advantage of a favorable political environment to rein in excessive regulations that are hurting credit unions. The central piece of the campaign will be activating credit union members nationwide to get involved in the advocacy fight.

“The time to act is now. Today, the CUNA Board of Directors unanimously endorsed a comprehensive advocacy campaign put forth by CUNA and the Leagues to bury needless Washington regulations promulgated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Credit Union Administration and others,” said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. “A Congress and an administration who have been vocal about cutting regulations were just elected, offering us a serious opportunity to peel away the excessive regulations that hamstring credit unions. It’s unfair that members are forced to pay for unnecessary regulations when our credit unions had no role in starting the financial crisis, which is what these rules were created to address. The new political climate presents a great opportunity for credit unions, but we can only succeed if credit unions, their staffs and their members across the country get involved in our advocacy campaign.”

"This advocacy campaign was developed through close collaboration between CUNA and Leagues across the country so that we are aligned in activating and implementing the plan," stated Mark Cummins, President/CEO of the Minnesota Credit Union Network and Chairman of the American Association of Credit Union Leagues. "We are excited about the opportunities ahead to garner important regulatory relief for credit unions."

CUNA and the Leagues have met and continue to meet with new and returning members of Congress and President-elect Trump’s staff, discussing a recent study by CUNA that found that the combined effect of increased costs and reduced revenues due to regulations from Washington amounted to at least $7.2 billion in annual financial impact for credit unions.

Now, CUNA and the Leagues are asking credit unions across the country to get involved in a targeted campaign, which will fully launch in January. In the meantime, they are asking members to do three things prior to the launch:

• Enroll in a credit union grassroots program immediately – either the CUNA Member Activation Program or one offered by a League – to begin the process of educating credit union members about how regulations affect them directly;
• Reach out to your League to participate in meeting with members of the new Congress; and
• Dedicate time in 2017 for participating in the CUNA GAC, League meetings and other opportunities, including Hike the Hills.

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About CUNA
With its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) serves America's credit unions, which are owned by more than 100 million consumer members. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives providing affordable financial services to people from all walks of life. For more information about CUNA, visit www.cuna.org or follow @CUNA on Twitter. For more information about credit unions, visit www.aSmarterChoice.org and follow @asmarterchoice on Twitter.