ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NCUA Board Member Gigi Hyland was recently appointed to head the agency's Outreach Task Force to provide a better understanding and evaluation of NCUA's outreach efforts, NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson announced.

The Member Service Assessment Pilot, created in response to questions from the Government Accountability Office and the House Ways and Means Committee, made specific recommendations to: 1) Evaluate the effectiveness of NCUA programs focused on assisting low- and moderate-income individuals; 2) Consider the enhancing the monitoring of FCUs receiving benefits under the CDRLF program; and 3) Consider reassessing NCUA's formula for determining if an FCU qualifies for low-income designation. In addition, the task force will be asked to assess the agency's current role and efforts with respect to credit union service to their members, including financial literacy and alternatives to predatory lending practices. "I want to thank Chairman Johnson for the opportunity to head this important Task Force," Hyland said. "Its results could help paint a road map for credit unions in their efforts to provide their members the best service possible and to ensure that they are serving all segments of their particular fields of membership." "Board Member Hyland's background in the credit union industry will be crucial in helping her provide the full Board with guidance on these very important issues," Johnson commented. "The MSAP offered the Board the opportunity to view a picture of how the agency and credit unions are doing with respect to serving members and communities. I view the Task Force as the next step in trying to complete this picture."

The creation of the Outreach Task Force is in further response to the findings in the agency's recently released Member Service Assessment Pilot Program: A Study of Federal Credit Union Service. Details on the composition of the task force and its scope and timing are still under consideration.