NAFCU Attack on Private Insurance Bad Timing

As the Chairman of the Illinois Credit Union League Legislative Committee and CEO of a medium size state chartered federally insured credit union, I couldn’t agree more with Mike Welch’s March 12th column, “NAFCU Attack on Private Insurance Bad Timing”. This ill advised and poorly timed public policy position serves only to divide our credit union political effectiveness and could adversely impact our state and federal lobbying efforts. An important lesson credit unions and their trade associations have learned from the historical HR 1151 battle, simply put is “credit unions regardless of charter type, field of membership or asset size must remain united against a common opponent”. Having experienced the divisiveness and “turf wars” of the banking industry over the years, I can assure you that the success of our credit union lobby is not only a strong grassroots effort but also, most importantly, “unity” on legislative and regulatory issues to maintain a strong dual chartering system. Let’s tone down the “rhetoric” regarding the optional private deposit insurance coverage and concentrate our resources to ensure all credit unions remain a viable alternative to for-profit financial institutions. Welch’s column quite eloquently underscores this important point! John Bratsakis President/CEO Community Trust Credit Union Gurnee, Ill.