WASHINGTON — When NCUA Board Member Gigi Hyland went to her father for advice on how to handle being called a "cheerleader" for credit unions, he special ordered her a personalized megaphone. He also gave her this advice, she told credit unions participating in CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference: "Gigi, make an impact. Care about the credit unions you regulate." As chairman of the Outreach Task Force, charged with reviewing recommendations from the NCUA's and GAO's reports on credit union service, Hyland is asking credit unions to make their own difference. "We're going to look at the recommendations made in [the Member Service Assessment Pilot] and where does NCUA go from here," she said. Hyland urged credit unions to provide input at the town hall meetings she has set up. She explained that the MSAP, which was submitted to key members of Congress, "bolstered NCUA's contention that fields of membership change over time." The report showed that credit unions that had community charters for longer periods were able to better penetrate their entire membership as time passed. Additionally, it demonstrated that field of membership dictated who among the underserved credit unions can serve.

Hyland listed out the many layers of this "onion" the task force would be delving into from how the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund works to the definition of low-income to whether NCUA should continue to collect data from credit unions on their products and services or executive compensation.

"From my standpoint, I think everyone of us has the ability to make an impact every day," the board member concluded.