CUNA Meets with Treasury Officials to Reinforce CU Financial Education Efforts

WASHINGTON-CUNA representatives met with Treasury officials recently to help boost credit unions’ profile when it comes to financial education. CUNA Associate General Counsel Mary Dunn and Senior Regulatory Counsel Catherine Orr comprised the trade association’s team at the July 6 meeting with Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education Dan Iannicola and two of his staff. “The purpose of our meeting is we wanted to make sure he was well-informed about all the things CUNA and credit unions are involved in, particularly Thrive by Five,” Dunn explained. CUNA’s Thrive by Five emphasizes teaching preschoolers about spending and saving. CUNA presented Iannicola with a packet of information on this program, as well as Googolplex: The Credit Union Guide for Student Moneymakers; Guides to Independence, which is a series of interactive courses for adolescents; Anytime Advisor, providing savings information and how to make wise decisions; Home & Family Finance Resource Center; and Savingteen, a supplement to Credit Union Magazine. Dunn noted that NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson serves on the Financial Literacy and Education Council, which Treasury’s financial education office coordinates. Through this relationship, she said the department is kept well informed, but CUNA wanted to reinforce that. “Since the commission, much more attention has been given to financial literacy and financial education. We really feel that is the hallmark of credit unions,” Dunn said. “We want to make sure credit unions are on their `A-list’ when they compile their resources,” Dunn added.