Sarah Moore, administrator ofthe Alabama Credit Union Administration, proposed strengthening herability to supervise and regulate state chartered credit unionswell before she issued a cease and desist order to Alabama One.

The ACUA issued the order to Alabama One on April 2 anddelivered it on April 23.

Alabama One has until May 3 to appeal the order to the ACUA andhas already gone to court seeking an injunction to block it.

In November 2014, when Moore had only been the administrator fora little more than three months, she addressed a meeting of theLeague of Southeastern Credit Unions in Destin, Fla. LSCUrepresents credit unions in Alabama and Florida.

In her presentation, Moore recommended revising the AlabamaCredit Union Act to remove the requirement the ACUA administratorfirst get the permission of the majority of the ACUA's AdvisoryBoard before bringing an administrative order against a creditunion under its regulatory authority.

The seven-member ACUA Advisory Board currently consists of theACUA Administrator, the CEOs of five state-chartered credit unionsand one member from a credit union supervisory committee.

Moore's proposed revision would rmake the Board of Advisors the appellate body for the administrator's actions.

She also proposed allowing state chartered credit unions to paytheir directors as a way of attracting and retaining board memberswith expertise to oversee credit unions, allowing credit unions andbanks to merge more easily, and allowing the ACUA to take testimonyunder and compel testimony and documents during examinations.

A bill that would legislate some of those changes passed theAlabama House of Representatives on April 9. HB179 changednomination procedures for new board members as well as thecircumstances and procedures for board member removal.

However, the bulk of what Moore proposed in her presentation wasnot in the legislation.

Mike Bridges, vice president of the League of SoutheasternCredit Unions, said the trade supported the legislation.