Credit Unions Will Knock Banks Out of the Ballpark, CUNA Chairman Vows

HONOLULU-CUNA Chairman Dick Ensweiler had baseball on the brain when he opened CUNA’s 70th Annual General Meeting last week at the Future Forum in Honolulu. While he extolled the virtues of baseball that make it America’s national pastime prior to the third game of the World Series, Ensweiler stated, “The bankers have a different pastime.” But, he expressed an upbeat attitude toward credit unions’ battle with the bankers during the general meeting. “As long as we continue to function in harmony as a team, there’s no team we can’t beat,” the Texas Credit Union League president and CEO said. He emphasized that CUNA’s political programs are in place and “clicking.” Credit union leagues completed 66 Hike the Hills this year, a record. Project Zip Code registered 54 million credit union members. The Credit Union Legislative Action Council of CUNA is ranked as the sixth largest trade association political action committee and the 11th largest PAC overall. Approximately 1,600 credit unions have completed their Project Differentiation statements. “Every good team needs a competitive edge and Project Differentiation is ours,” Ensweiler said, continuing with his baseball theme amidst the World Series. All these together will not only help defeat the bankers efforts to tax credit unions but also further the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (H.R. 3579) in the legislative process. “Personally, I feel the small business provisions are crucial,” he commented. “We’ll hit anything the banks throw at us out of the park,” the CUNA chairman concluded.