The NCUA Board met yesterday and unanimously approved three proposed rules that would do the following:

• provide greater transparency to members of federal credit unions when those credit unions are seeking voluntary mergers;
• enhance due process and provide consistency with other federal financial institutions regulators in the supervisory appeals process; and
• provide uniform, comprehensive procedures to govern the agency's regulatory appeals process.

The board was also briefed on the performance of the Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund, which remains in a positive net position. For more information on these topics, read a summary of the meeting. In addition, Chair McWatters sent a letter to the CFPB this week outlining areas it could give credit unions relief that would allow them to better serve their members.

Our member credit unions can provide ALICE Active Shooter Response Training to their staff at 28% off the usual price. If you missed the excellent session by Shawn Slezak last week at Power Up, or if you were there and want more information on the training, visit our website.

Are you a board member looking to increase your credit union knowledge or stay abreast of resources in the industry for you and your peers? We have the weekly blog A Direct Line just for you! A new post goes up each Wednesday morning on a topic of relevance. Visit the blog site or subscribe to receive an email notification. We want to help you be the best board member you can be!

Have you visited NCUA's Cybersecurity resource page lately? The webpage contains guidance, information sharing forums on cyber threats, tools for assessment, best practices, and more. Credit unions continue to spend time and resources ensuring they have appropriate responses and mitigation techniques in place. The C.A.T. (cybersecurity assessment tool) is a primary focus of exams this year, so now is the time to start -- or review your previous work on it.

Mark your calendars for this year's CEO/Manager Roundtable on September 12-14. We're holding it at the beautiful Double Arrow Lodge, located just two miles south of Seeley Lake. Watch for more details and registration information coming this summer! If you have questions, contact Ranel.

There are plenty of reputable contests and sweepstakes out there, but there are also a lot of bad players looking to bilk you out of your money. So .... if you're told you won a prize but have to pay a fee, wire money, deposit a check, or attend a sales meeting to receive your winnings, don't be fooled. Be vigilant and warn others. If you think you've been targeted by a prize scam, report it to the FTC and share it on the Fraud Watch Network's scam-tracking map. 

Laurel Elementary students clearly enjoyed learning to budget and save their money.

I know we've previously feted the work that Montana credit unions did to reach out to youth during April. But, Altana Federal Credit Union deserves a few extra kudos... According to an article in the Laurel Outlook, credit union staff talked to more than 1,000 (one THOUSAND!) area students about managing their money and budgeting. In Laurel alone, they met with four high school classes, eight classes at an elementary school, and all the fifth graders in town. That's a lot of kids that are learning important financial skills in an age-appropriate way!  Financial education is an integral part of the credit union philosophy ... Thanks, Altana, for doing it up right!  

It was a strange week for the Montana political scene: we went from Sirius XM's Julie Mason telling a guest on Tuesday that they had "eight minutes to make me care about the Montana race and its lackluster candidates" to being Thursday's top national headline. While Greg Gianforte emerged victorious (though not unscathed) and Rob Quist showed he was a formidable contender, there will be lingering after-effects. I cannot predict the future but I can (and will) pledge to work with the congressman-elect and his team to ensure that the best interest of Montana's credit unions is top of mind. Now let's enjoy the long weekend free of political advertisements, we all deserve it!