As the industry joins the nation Sunday in marking solemn 9/1l events, the leaders of both CUNA and NAFCU Friday expressed their own sentiments about the tragic day citing both the blessings of being an American and facing the new regimen of terror dangers.
"Since that terrible day, all of us have lived under a new regimen designed to protect us from further acts of terrorism and in some cases, that has led to a greater regulatory burden for credit unions, but it is something that we work on every day to balance the need to protect our country with the cost to credit unions of compliance, as well as the intrusion into the privacy of our members' lives," declared Bill Cheney, president/CEO of CUNA.
While Sept. 11 "has changed everything," said Cheney, CUs now "rally behind the idea that we will continue to provide services to our members at the highest levels, despite any threats from those who may wish harm to our country and way of life."
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Fred Becker, NAFCU president/CEO, said he has long been heartened at the fervent patriotism of industry leaders, volunteers and employees drawn from 9/11 and that was evident in two CU speeches he give last month in which a 10-minute slide show presentation detailed the financial turmoil of the last year ending with poignant images and voices from 9/11.
"The reaction of all of us should be how fortunate we are to live in this country and how we are so grateful to those who protect us," said Becker stating all the "bemoaning of what a tough year it has been for credit unions pales" in the light of what happened 10 years ago that day.
Becker said he was touched that his speech to the Defense Credit Union Council in New York and to an Allied Solutions networking group in Park City, Utah, seemed to be well received and moved some to tears.
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