NCUA Senior Staff Discuss Exams, Priorities

ALEXANDRIA, Va.–Saying his “whole heart is in NCUA, its vital work and its mission,” new NCUA Chairman Todd Harper used an introductory webinar to outline his regulatory philosophy and more, while other senior agency officials also touched on issues ranging from examination priorities to concentration risk to liquidity ratios.

The webinar also included a Q&A with credit unions, which is reported below.

Harper, who was elevated by President Biden to the chairmanship after serving on the NCUA board, said credit unions now sit “at the intersection of several crossroads,” noting on one of those roads are credit unions that are prospering, but on another are many CUs that are struggling with earnings.

Harper said when he first joined the NCUA board he established several priorities for the agency, including capital and liquidity, consumer financial education, and diversity, equity and economic inclusion. “In the many months ahead these priorities will guide our agency’s decisions.”

Harper encouraged everyone to work together to promote innovation with an emphasis on security and equity.

“As I begin my chairmanship, I want to share my regulatory philosophy, which can be summed up with the acronym FIRE: Fair and forward-looking; innovating, inclusive and independent; risk focused and ready to act expeditiously when necessary at credit unions, and engaged appropriately with all stakeholders to develop effective and efficient regulation. This FIRE philosophy has been and will continue to be the North star for me and the NCUA.”

Harper, who praised the state system and dual chartering, noted he came of age during the 1970s and 1980s and that music from the era, along with music from Motown, often “strikes a chord with me and I find inspiration in their lyrics.”

He cited Bruce Hornby’s “That Just the Way It Is” to sum up the “core” of the credit union movement and its commitment to providing cooperative credit, including to those of modest means.

Harper said the agency should also consider future challenges, such as climate change, which he said disproportionately affect underserved communities. 

More insights from NCUA Senior Staff,  Read MORE