Date Set for Follow-up PALS Conference on MBLs

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-March 25 has been set as the date for a second Partnering and Leadership Successes workshop covering member business lending to be held in San Francisco. In response to the popularity of the standing room only MBL workshop held this year in Washington, D.C., NCUA Board Member Debbie Matz and Vice Chair JoAnn Johnson decided to schedule another free conference on the West Coast. The dozens of interested people who were disappointed to be added to a waiting list for the last conference will have first dibs on this one. The workshop will include government experts and business loan consultants sharing ideas on how credit unions can make more MBLs in a safe and sound manner. “Many more credit union managers and volunteers have told me that they are considering member business loan programs,” Matz related. “This upcoming PALS workshop is a wonderful opportunity for credit union leaders to learn from one another, and decide whether member business lending is right for their credit union. It is intended as an educational experience. Hopefully, while some attendees will consider business lending, others may conclude that member business lending is not right for their credit union.” “This workshop will also devote more time to NCUA’s enhanced member business lending regulation,” Johnson explained. “By March 25, our regulation will have been in effect for nearly five months. This will be a very opportune time to see how the regulation is working in the field, and how it empowers credit unions to help small businesses with financing needs.”