JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. – Speaking to 100 credit union executives from Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, attending the 21st Annual Mountain Regional Credit Union Roundtable, NCUA Board Member Debbie Matz urged them to keep growing their credit unions' memberships. Matz pointed out that while credit unions in the Mountain Region increased membership by 2.8% in the past year, the national membership growth rate dropped to just 1.4%. "Your membership growth was double the national average," Matz noted, "but there is still plenty of room for credit unions to grow. And although some credit unions may be growing at a faster pace, these averages also include credit unions which are actually losing members." "Credit unions cannot sustain safety and soundness without growing membership," Matz maintained. "Slow membership growth means that the vast majority of asset growth is coming from existing members. Between businesses downsizing and members aging, existing members will not be around forever." To address this concern, Matz encouraged credit union officials to "reach out to `un-banked' consumers – especially young people, recent immigrants, and people with low incomes who often find it difficult to establish relationships with insured financial institutions."