"Many credit unions provide a full range of financial services such as financial management, retirement planning, and credit counseling to their members," wrote CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. "The cooperative relationship between a credit union and its members often puts credit union employees in a vital position to detect suspicious financial activity related to seniors' accounts because employees tend to know their members well and are likely to recognize when something is amiss." 

 

CUNA supports efforts to help protect seniors from financial exploitation as it is one of the most common forms of elder abuse. The trade association empowers seniors to make responsibility decisions regarding their financial lives.  

 

The Senior$afe Act was included in the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155), which CUNA, state associations and member credit unions were strong proponents of.  

 

"Senior$afe represents an important step toward improving the ability of credit unions to protect seniors from unscrupulous activity by providing limited immunity for properly trained financial employees who disclose concerns about financial exploitation of senior citizens to the appropriate authorities," Nussle added in his letter to Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).  

 

CUNA also took time to thank committee leadership for their leadership in sponsoring the Senior$afe Act in the 115th Congress. Collins, who sponsored the Senior safe Act in previous Congresses,  worked with the Maine Credit Union League on a  number of  occasions on the topic of senior abuse.       

  

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