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Visit Boston - 2013 NCOFCU Annual Meeting & Conference Video

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Without President’s Signature, ROAD to Housing Act Becomes Law; Includes CU Board Modernization Act

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law Friday without President Donald Trump’s signature after the president allowed the measure to take effect while Congress remained in session, choosing not to sign it in protest over the Senate’s failure to advance separate voter identification legislation.  The legislation includes the Credit Union Board Modernization Act, which reduces the frequency with which credit unions must meet and which had strong support from the credit union trade groups.  Trump announced on social media that he would not sign the housing package because the Senate had not passed the SAVE America Act, a measure he has championed requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. Under the Constitution, a bill becomes law if the president neither signs nor vetoes it within 10 days, excluding Sundays, while Congress is in session.  Scott Simpson ‘Steadfast in Commitment’ “America’s Credit Unions, our league partners, and cr...

NCUA Tells FICUs Crypto Trading is OK — If Big Exchanges Provide the Service

When it comes to reading between the lines of financial regulators’ advisory letters, tone matters. Take last week’s letter from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) which gave the federally insured credit unions (FICUs) it oversees permission to partner with digital asset providers to allow retail customers to buy, sell and trade in cryptocurrencies. Now compare it to the one issued by Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu’s agency to the national banks and federal savings associations it regulates a month earlier. On the surface, both said much the same thing: Financial institutions can provide cryptocurrency services (albeit with some notable differences: the OCC’s letter dealt with more back-end services, including custody services as well as holding and using dollar-pegged stablecoins for transaction settlement). Neither was enthusiastic. The NCUA’s letter said it “does not prohibit FICUs from establishing these relationships” — which is not as enthusiastic as “are a...

Inflation Cools in June Report, But One CU Economist Says There’s One Reason–And it Could Change

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer inflation cooled more than expected in June, offering relief after several months of elevated price pressures, though economists cautioned the improvement could prove temporary as renewed geopolitical tensions threaten to push energy prices higher. The Consumer Price Index fell 0.4% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, the largest monthly decline since April 2020, after rising 0.5% in May, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics . Compared with a year earlier, consumer prices rose 3.5%, down from 4.2% in May.  Foot off the Gas Dawit Kebede “Falling gas prices led June’s decline and pulled headline inflation lower year-over-year. Renewed hostilities could complicate the energy picture ahead, and a reversal in gasoline costs would be the most likely channel for that pressure to show up,” said America’s Credit Unions Senior Economist Dawit Kebede. “But softening core prices point to broader-based moderation, suggesting the ea...

Ramp Up Cyber Spending As AI Reshapes Industry Priorities

NEW YORK—Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the defining force shaping banking strategy, with 80% of banking executives now expecting AI to significantly disrupt their business and operating models within the next three to five years, according to KPMG's 2026 Banking Technology Survey. The survey of 200 U.S. banking executives found institutions are responding by accelerating investments in cybersecurity, payments modernization and technology-driven acquisitions. "AI, payments modernization, cybersecurity, and tech-driven M&A are no longer separate agendas," said Peter Torrente, KPMG's U.S. Banking Sector Leader, who said banks are increasingly being challenged to keep pace across technology, risk and growth simultaneously. Cybersecurity remains a top concern. More than three-quarters (76%) of banking leaders reported an increase in cyberattacks over the past year, while 92% said they are boosting cybersecurity budgets. In addition, 84% are increasing cyb...

The FedNow Service will launch in 2023 "Are you ready?"

The FedNow Service is a new instant payment service that the Federal Reserve Banks are developing to enable financial institutions of every size, and in every community across the U.S., to provide safe and efficient instant payment services in real-time, around the clock, every day of the year. Through financial institutions participating in the FedNow Service, businesses and individuals will be able to send and receive instant payments conveniently, and recipients will have full access to funds immediately, giving them greater flexibility to manage their money and make time-sensitive payments. Consistent with the Federal Reserve’s historical role of providing payment services alongside private-sector providers, the FedNow Service will provide choice in the market for clearing and settling instant payments as well as promote resiliency through redundancy. Financial institutions and their service providers will be able to use the service as a springboard to provide innovative instant p...

The Federal Reserve has opted to make no changes in interest rates

WASHINGTON–The Federal Reserve has opted to make no changes in interest rates following the conclusion of its meeting here, but it has indicated it could move as soon as next month to cut rates if the United States and China isn’t able to find ways to resolve their trade dispute. As a result,  For now, the Fed left its short-term rate at a range of 2.25% to 2.5%. Eight of the 17 votings, Fed policymakers did predict there could be as a half percentage point decline in rates in 2019. In a statement following its meeting, the Fed did dial down a bit its forecast for the economy.   “In light of these uncertainties and muted inflation pressures, the FOMC will closely monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook and will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion, with a strong labor market” and inflation near the Fed’s 2% goal,” the Fed said.  Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in recent interviews has expressed concerns over what he ...

Half of Credit Union & Bank CEOs are Now Older Than 65, Up From 20% Two Decades

NEW YORK — At a time when there are some generational changes in credit union leadership taking place, a new analysis has found the nation’s bank CEOs are getting older, with half of the chief executives leading banks now older than 65, compared with fewer than 20% two decades ago. The KBW Bank Index from Truist Securities found that the median age of bank CEOs has increased by 10 years since the early 2000s, mirroring a broader aging trend among corporate leaders across the United States. However, bank executives remain older on average than their counterparts in many other industries, according to the analysis by Truist Securities Managing Director John McDonald and associates Peter Nicolo and John Manahan. One reason is tenure. Bank CEOs typically remain in their positions longer than executives in many other sectors. According to data from CristKolder Associates cited in the report, financial-services CEOs average nine years in the role, compared with 5.4 years in the energy secto...

New GDP Data is ‘Positive,’ Clouds Clearing, Says NAFCU Economist

WASHINGTON–Although discussion and forecasts continue to focus on a recession in the U.S. economy, economic growth remained solid at the end of 2022, according to new federal data. Curt Long The Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, increased at an annual rate of 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2022, down slightly from a 3.2% growth rate in the Q3. Consumer spending grew at a 2.1% rate, according to the Commerce Department data, which will be revised at a later date. “The big picture view of economic growth in the fourth quarter is a positive one,” said NAFCU Chief Economist and VP-Research Curt Long. “Much of that grow...

Fed Chair Says Inflation To Hang Around a Bit Longer; New Beige Book Data Show Why

WASHINGTON–The chairman of the Federal Reserve told the House the current increase in inflation is temporary, although it will remain elevated in the months ahead before moderating. Fed Chairman Jay Powell’s comments before Congress came on the same day the Fed released its Beige Book analysis, which found an economy showing increasing strength, but also suffering shortages of many materials and manpower. During his testimony before House Financial Services Committee as part of his semiannual monetary policy report to Congress, which he will repeat today before the Senate, Powell said asset valuations have generally risen as the economy has improved and investor risk appetite has grown. “Household balance sheets are, on average, quite strong, business leverage has been declining from high levels, and the institutions at the core of the financial system remain resilient,” Powell said. What About Inflation? As for inflation, which is of conce...