WASHINGTON — In the pursuit of safety and soundness, creditunions must not be so constrained by their regulator, or sorisk-averse that they cannot meet the financial needs of theirmembers, NCUA Board Member Rick Metsger said during his Feb. 25 appearance at CUNA'sGovernmental Affairs Conference.

The former credit union volunteer turned regulator drew applause for that comment andothers that communicated his ability to see regulation from thecredit union's side of the exam table.

“Credit unions must remain relevant in the mix of financialservices options available to the American public,” Metsgercontinued. “A credit union that is safe and sound, but irrelevantto its members’ needs, is not a viable outcome of regulation.”

Metsger also charmed his general session audience in his firstmajor conference address with humor, sharing stories of his creditunion past and previous trips to GAC as a board member.

“I came to CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference six or seventimes during my service on the credit union's board of directors,sitting in the same chairs you are sitting in now and listening tothe parade of speakers who would praise, promise and pontificate,”he said, adding to that two of the directors he served with in the1990s were in the audience, still attending GAC.

For attendees meeting with lawmakers on their visit, Metsgerprovided an advocacy suggestion.

“If you really want to know the perspective your electedofficial has on the credit union industry and how it fits into thebroader financial marketplace, I’d suggest that you start by askinga question, and listening to the answer, rather than by launchingstraight into your pitch,” he said.

“Ask your elected representatives what they believe the primarydifferences are between credit unions and other financial servicesproviders and why those differences are important to them. Ibelieve the response you receive will give you a far better pictureof where your member of Congress stands and where your conversationshould begin.”