ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson will serve as afeatured speaker at the Regional Conference on Reaching UnbankedPeople, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 4, in Edinburg, Texas at theUniversity of Texas-Pan American.

Johnson will join other federal government officials, includingU.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral, as well as private sectorofficials, to discuss innovative ways financial institutions canserve the unbanked. The conference will also feature expertpanelists and will provide a forum to discuss issues affecting theunbanked including remittances, innovative products and strategies,asset building, financial education and reaching the unbankedyouth.

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

She added, "I am very proud of the progress credit unions havemade in this area, but there is considerably more work to be done.While financial education is an excellent starting point, Iencourage credit unions to seek opportunities to reach the unbankedby offering much needed check cashing and money transfer servicesand exploring resources available through NCUA, including technicalassistance grants."

Credit union officials in the region are encouraged to attendthe free, one-day conference. The event is the second of fourregional conferences organized in conjunction with this year'slaunch of The National Strategy for Financial Literacy adapted bythe Financial Literacy and Education Commission, on which Johnsonserves.