Sarah Snell Cooke's column, "Parsing the Possible Harm Awaiting NCUSIF" (Aug. 17 issue) presents some unfounded extrapolations about potential losses to the NCUSIF. The column simply took the assets of all CAMEL 4 and 5 credit unions, assumed they would all fail and applied the average loss ratio of 17% to come up with a "potential for $6.8 billion in losses to the insurance fund." 

It's easy to use speculative assumptions to quickly concoct a scary number in these admittedly challenging and uncertain times. But, let's get to the real math for the NCUSIF by putting some context on probable losses and reserve needs.

Reserving and loss-projection methodologies are based on historical data applied to assumptions about (1) the probability of default and (2) the loss given default.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to CUTimes.com, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical CUTimes.com information including comprehensive product and service provider listings via the Marketplace Directory, CU Careers, resources from industry leaders, webcasts, and breaking news, analysis and more with our informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM and CU Times events.
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including Law.com and GlobeSt.com.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.