CREDIT UNION TIMES Vol. 11, No. 26 June 28, 2000

Looking back five years ago finds credit unions that serve non-profit religious organizations waiting to see if they will be exempt from the 12.25% of asset cap on member business loans. A week earlier, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) introduced HR 4701-the Faith-Based Lending Protection Act. “Unless these credit unions are exempt from the member business loan cap, there will be a shortage of available funds to finance these critical loans,” said Royce explaining his decision to sponsor the bill. “In almost every case, the credit unions that are purchasing the loans and participating in making them are not exempt from the MBL limits. If the bill fails to pass the pipeline our funds will dry up.” That issue also finds a growing number of credit unions warming up to the financial aggregation concept despite the arguments by privacy advocates that the technology is “hackerish” since it provides a snapshot of members’ financial lives. “It’s all about perception. It’s a marketing ability to say you can aggregate balances from multiple providers,” said The Golden 1 CU President/CEO Stan Hollen, who ironically w as recently named CEO of The CO-OP Network. (See story page 8.)