NAFCU Board Chair Ed Templeton called it a mortifying shock whenhe learned the executive committee of CUNA's board canceled ameeting with the executive committee of NAFCU's board at the 2016Governmental Affairs Conference – a longstanding gathering for thenation's two national credit union trade organizations.

For years, the executive boards of both trade groups would meettwice a year, once at the NAFCU caucus during September inWashington and thenat the GAC to discuss industry-wide issues and for bothexecutive committee members and staff to build professionalrelationships.

“It was a mortifying shock,” Templeton, president/CEO of the$732 million SRP Federal Credit Union in North Augusta, S.C., said.“I did not expect that at all.”

According to Templeton, Susan Streifel, former CUNA board chairand president/CEO of the $96.7 million Woodstone Credit Union inFederal Way, Wash., canceled the GAC meeting because the CUNAexecutive committee would be too busy.

What's more, Streifel said CUNA felt the meeting was no longernecessary because CUNA was not getting any takeaways from it,according to Templeton. CUNA also pulled the GAC passes for NAFCU'sexecutive committee members.

Streifel did not return phone calls and emails from CUTimes seeking comment last week. In addition, CUTimes emailed Streifel a list of questions, to which she didnot respond.

“I'm very distressed about this and I don't like it,” Templeton said. “It is a let down to the industry because theindustry expects us to get together. Nobody [on the NAFCU board]was happy about it because everybody feels the same way as I do onthis.”

Incoming NAFCU Chair Richard L. Harris, president/CEO of the$1.3 billion CalTech Employees Federal Credit Union in La Canada,Calif., said it's NAFCU's desire to keep the lines ofcommunications open with CUNA – despite the politics of the twoassociations – so that the two trade groups can continue to speakwith one voice on Capitol Hill.

Although Templeton acknowledged the meetings between CUNA andNAFCU did not produce new takeaways, he believed that to be a goodsign.

“The perspective that they [CUNA] probably took is that wereally aren't learning anything new, so why do we have to meet,”Templeton said. “Our perspective is that I think it's great we'renot learning new things. To me, that is a reassurance that we areon the right path. We may not be holding hands, but we're walkingdown the path together, and I think that was really what we werelooking for was the reassurance that we don't have any issues.”

Templeton also said the relationship between CUNA and NAFCU, asfar as he knew, has been positive.

But a remark made by new CUNA Board Chair Rod Staatz,president/CEO of the $2.9 billion State Employees Credit Union inLinthicum, Md., during his speech at the GAC's general session,indicated that the relationship between CUNA and NAFCU is notexactly kumbaya.

What's more, the controversial membership choice issue could also be straining the CUNA/NAFCUrelationship.

Read more details about CUNA and NAFCU's changingrelationship in the March 16, 2016 edition of Credit UnionTimes.