First the good news: The NCUAtook some steps in the right direction this week when it announcedreforms to its exam process. Chairman Debbie Matz's letter tocredit unions about the changes addressed complaints I've beenhearing for quite a while.

For example, the NCUA revised its supervision policy manual toclarify that credit union management should determine how they willcorrect DOR issues. Matz softened the decision a bit by sayingreasonable solutions will become the corrective plan—I'm assumingthe NCUA will determine what is reasonable, which means ultimatelythey still have the last word.

The agency also added more structure to its exam findings andDOR process, including the release of standardized forms for both.The supervision policy manual makes it pretty clear what problemsfit the DOR definition and which don't, and it seems like thesechanges and others should help both examiners and credit unionsclarify what has been a subjective DOR process.

Other good news came in the form of a report from SNL Financialthat said as of June 30, credit union lending reached a new recordof $621 billion. Banks, in comparison, are still $200 billion belowtheir 2008 peaks.

Credit unions have certainly put enough effort into attractingnew loans, but I can't help but wonder whenever banks choose topass on a particular book of business. If there's a industry thatcan spot a profit, it's banking. When banks turn up their noses atbusiness lending or private student loans, it makes me wonder ifthey know something credit unions don't.

Here's a topic both banks and credit unions agree upon: nobodywants to be listed in the CFPB's online complaint database.Complaints that could be undeserved are nonetheless are postedonline for public and press scrutiny, and institutions aren't giventhe opportunity to tell their side of the story.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition released a reportOct. 8 that recommended all banks and credit unions be included inthe complaint database. Calling upon the CFPB, NCUA and otherregulators to act on the recommendation, the NCRC said data itreviewed from the CFPB indicated that low-income communities andthose with large minority populations reported more complaints,which could mean violations of Fair Lending and other laws.

Now, the NCRC is just another trade association. Granted, thegroup's executives are frequently called before congressionalcommittees to share their research and recommendations, but thisdoesn't necessarily mean a database expansion is imminent.

However, the CFPB doesn't need any encouragement when it comesto expanding its regulatory presence. With only about one-half ofDodd-Frank mandates finalized, the CFPB is already sticking itsnose into areas beyond the consumer protection bill. Fair lending,in particular, has a lot of momentum in Washington as ajustification for new rules, exams and scrutiny.

Is anyone surprised low-income communities tend to have morecomplaints about their banking services? Most consumers don'tunderstand risk-based pricing principles, assuming instead aninstitution is just taking advantage of their low credit score tomake an extra buck. So it makes sense those on the higher end ofthe rate scale would find more to complain about. Low-incomehouseholds also have trouble making ends meet, which increases oddsthey'll be charged behavior modification fees.

But then again, I've experienced some pretty lousy service atcredit unions. I've spent a lot of time calling credit unions forcomment when writing news stories, and have encountered some reallyawful phone systems and call center service. Credit union staffersare usually spread pretty thin, and problems that require follow uptend to slip through the cracks in favor of fighting the fire dujour.

Serving low-income members requires more work than serving thosewith large incomes, financial savvy and advanced degrees. While theNCRC's findings aren't that surprising to me, it's worth notingthat the group specifically called out credit unions along withbanks, so I'm assuming the data must have supported that.

Congress seems like it might see a bit of blue peeking outbehind the shutdown and debt ceiling clouds that have dimmedWashington since Oct. 1. Liberals and conservatives are at leasttalking about what concessions they could make to kick the budgetshortfall can a little further down the road. Maybe their socialmedia analytics have picked up on the “vote out the incumbents”talk I've seen among those in my circles. Let's hope so.