First-responder Credit Union Newsroom

April is Financial Literacy Month—a time dedicated to empowering individuals and families with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed financial decisions. Whether you're budgeting, saving, managing debt, or planning for the future, improving your financial literacy can have a lasting impact on your well-being. We invite you to explore our Consumer Education website, where you'll find helpful resources, tips, and guidance to support your financial journey. If you find it valuable, please share it with your family and friends—because financial knowledge is even more powerful when it’s shared. https://www.ncofcu.org/financial-literacy  ================================================= Remember, you're not alone with  NCOFCU.org Join/Upgrade Check out some of NCOFCU's additional features: Annual Conference First Responder Credit Union Academy Financial Literacy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Advocacy  

The NCUA Board heard briefings on four topics during its meeting Thursday, including the status of the deregulation initiative, a clarification regarding existing rules applicable to brokered and reciprocal deposit arrangements, and the agency’s 2026-2030 Strategic Plan and 2026 Annual Performance Plan.   Acting Director of the Office of Examination and Insurance Amanda Parkhill provided an overview of Phase 1 of the agency’s Deregulation Project, which focuses on targeted, technical changes to remove outdated or unnecessary requirements and improve clarity. The agency made it clear that the effort will likely continue into late 2026 or early 2027, evolving over time based on policy priorities and stakeholder input.   NCUA General Counsel Frank Kressman briefed the board on brokered and reciprocal deposit arrangements and the NCUA’s FAQs on this topic. The briefing demonstrated how a brokered deposit network operates with respect to low-income designated (LID) FICUs ...

Your Members Aren't Leaving in a Huff, They're Just Fading Away. Here's How to Stop It. “Soft switching” is picking up as Americans’ financial activity continues to fragment among multiple players, according to new research from JD Power. This trend has implications both for banks and credit unions that want to retain and grow existing relationships, as well as those that would also like to expand by snapping up accounts from other institutions. Key risk:  Once someone establishes a relationship with another provider, their one-time primary financial institution risks slipping into second place — or even losing the relationship entirely. Need to Know: The average checking account customer now has three deposit accounts at different institutions, the study found. One out of five consumers moved money away from their primary financial institution in the past three months, according to the study, an increase over the 17% rate seen in the previous edition. Departures aren’t sud...

  Landmine Rat Honored   Cambodia unveiled the world’s first statue honoring a landmine-detecting rat (w/photo) Friday. Magawa the rat lived to 8 years old and identified more than 100 landmines and other explosives from 2016 to 2021.  There are more than 100 African pouched rats deployed in landmine detection operations across the world. To identify mines, the rats are trained to sniff out explosive compounds like trinitrotoluene, or TNT. (The rats are not heavy enough to trigger detonation.) In Cambodia, up to 6 million landmines remain undiscovered, most planted during three decades of conflict, from the Vietnam War era through Cambodia's civil war . Since 1979, roughly 20,000 people have been killed in Cambodia, and roughly 40,000 wounded as a result of the mines. Magawa cleared more than ...