NEW YORK — NCUA Board Member Gigi Hyland offered small credit unions a bit of practical advice during an address at NCUA's 19th Small Credit Union Workshop.

"For example," Hyland remarked, "in your credit union's efforts to help members avoid becoming victims of predatory lending practices, before offering them financial literacy training, why not teach it to your own staff? Not only will it help your employees in their personal lives, but it will also better enable them to be effective teachers to your members. You might also want to concentrate much of your effort on college students, who through over-exposure to credit cards become debt-ridden before they even enter their professional careers. And for those who are in the lower income category, you may want to help tax filers avoid predatory loans by providing Volunteer Income Tax Assistance."