WASHINGTON-The Ohio Department of Commerce, which regulates state chartered credit unions there, challenged a section of the recent General Accounting Office study on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 as inaccurate. In its recent study, GAO stated, "Section 43 prohibits depository institutions lacking federal deposit insurance from engaging in interstate commerce unless the institutions state regulator has determined the institution's eligibility for federal deposit insurance. It appears that privately insured credit unions have not obtained this determination from their state regulators." According to Ohio DOC Spokesman Dennis Ginty, after the law was passed, "[The Department of Financial Institutions] staff met with NCUA and obtained their insurance standards." At that time, all the Ohio privately insured credit unions qualified for federal deposit insurance. Ginty said this was relayed to GAO during an interview for the study. However, the determination may not serve a useful purpose, the study recognized. "Because this is a one-time requirement, this determination does not ensure that the institution will remain eligible for federal deposit insurance," GAO reported. "Also, when an institution converts from federal deposit insurance to private deposit, such an eligibility determination would be redundant because the institution had been eligible for federal deposit insurance before it became privately insured." [email protected]