CUNA-affiliated leagues in NCUA's Region II are first out of thegate to report the results of an exam survey conducted inpartnership between the organizations.

According to a release from the New Jersey Credit Union League,nearly 56% of Region II credit unions said they are seeing itemsshowing up on their Documents of Resolution that they have never seen before, andnearly 81% report continued regulatory burden is strainingresources.

Meanwhile, about the same percentage, nearly 80%, said theirexaminer was “excellent” or “good” in professionalism andhelpfulness.

“The crux of the survey is to utilize the results to workconstructively with regulators on both how to improve the examprocess and find areas ripe for regulatory relief, as well as givecredit unions tools to deal with emerging issues,” said NJCULPresident/CEO Paul Gentile.

“Having an ongoing measurement of the exam process helps us asleagues better advocate with regulators because we understandwhat's happening on the ground at credit unions and we can identifytrends, both good and bad. It is not a 'gotcha' tool againstregulators. It's also helping us identify what is going very wellin exams and could be broadened out,” Gentile said.

The survey is designed to capture primarily non-anecdotalfeedback on credit unions' exam experiences. Results from allleagues located in the NCUA's Region II will be mined on anindividual league/association level for state-by-state results, aswell as compiled into a broader Region II report that will beshared with the NCUA, state regulators and CUNA.

Other findings from the third-quarter survey reveal that nearly65% of responding credit unions say they received a Document ofResolution in their last exam. Despite the increased use of DORs,nearly 80% ranked their examiner excellent or good inprofessionalism and helpfulness.

Twenty-eight percent said their on-site exams lasted 13 days orlonger, while 45.2% reported exams from four to nine days. Nearlyhalf – 48.1% – said their examiner rescheduled the exam date andtime to accommodate the examiner's schedule.

The survey is currently available on CUNA's website for creditunions in other regions to complete; the deadline is Dec. 15, butCUNA said in a release it may extend the date if credit unions areunable to participate due to the holiday rush.