ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson will serve as a featured speaker at the Regional Conference on Reaching Unbanked People, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 4, in Edinburg, Texas at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Johnson will join other federal government officials, including U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral, as well as private sector officials, to discuss innovative ways financial institutions can serve the unbanked. The conference will also feature expert panelists and will provide a forum to discuss issues affecting the unbanked including remittances, innovative products and strategies, asset building, financial education and reaching the unbanked youth.

"There are over 10 million families living in America that have little or no experience with traditional financial institutions," said Chairman Johnson.

She added, "I am very proud of the progress credit unions have made in this area, but there is considerably more work to be done. While financial education is an excellent starting point, I encourage credit unions to seek opportunities to reach the unbanked by offering much needed check cashing and money transfer services and exploring resources available through NCUA, including technical assistance grants."

Credit union officials in the region are encouraged to attend the free, one-day conference. The event is the second of four regional conferences organized in conjunction with this year's launch of The National Strategy for Financial Literacy adapted by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, on which Johnson serves.