Dear Editor,
I appreciate the thoughtful, well-written column from Marcus Schaefer, "The Danger of Affiliation Wars," recently published in CU Times.
If I can be so bold as to summarize Mr. Schaefer's words, he wants to ensure that in a time of crisis, both NAFCU and CUNA can come together to defend the industry that all of us have helped build together. He worries that heightened competition between the two might prevent that from happening.
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Competition is a good thing in my mind. It keeps everyone on their toes and playing their best. But there's no reason why such competition must keep us from coordinating.
In fact, cooperation is baked directly into NAFCU's articles of incorporation:
To cooperate with all organizations which have as their aim the promotion and betterment of credit unions, such as CUNA and Affiliates, Inc., and each individual state credit union league, in any activities or services which they may undertake for the benefit of credit unions, if in the opinion of its board of directors it is advisable to do so.
We've met with CUES, NACUSO and NASCUS, and we continue to do so. In fact, NAFCU President/CEO Dan Berger has personally invited every league president and their staff to attend NAFCU's Congressional Caucus and subsequent Hill visits.
Regarding CUNA, I have extended numerous meeting invitations to Susan Streifel, former CUNA board chair and president/CEO of the $96.7 million Woodstone Credit Union in Federal Way, Wash., and current CUNA Board Chair Rod Staatz, president/CEO of State Employees Credit Union in Linthicum, Md.
All invitations have been declined.
Dan Berger also discussed personally with CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle that more coordination and collaboration is needed. Dan has also invited all the league presidents to do a joint league/NAFCU compliance workshop to discuss state and federal compliance issues in their respective states.
Every effort has been rejected to date.
Indeed, as I noted in CU Times' (3/13/16) earlier story, "CUNA-NAFCU Discord Surfaces," I was stunned when I learned that the executive committee of CUNA's board had cancelled a meeting with NAFCU's executive committee at the group's 2016 Governmental Affairs Conference.
The meetings between the executive boards of both groups have been a well-established tradition that coincided with each group's congressional fly-in meeting in Washington. It was a great opportunity for both trade groups to connect.
As the competitive landscape continues to evolve, it is all the more critical that we represent credit unions with a unified voice. In the best interests of our industry and members, we hope CUNA will reconsider and agree to meet with us again. For our part, we will continue to reach out and coordinate with ALL industry stakeholders.
Our door remains open.
Ed Templeton
President/CEO of SRP Federal Credit Union and NAFCU Board Chair
North Augusta, S.C.
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