NEW YORK-Just days after he voted against a rule curbing community credit unions' ability to adopt underserved areas, NCUA Vice Chairman Rodney Hood participated in a roundtable meeting on community chartered credit unions reaching out to the underserved. The roundtable coincided with the 20th Annual Meeting of Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union in New York City. "I congratulate Lower East Side Federal Credit Union on their 20th Anniversary and commend them for hosting this roundtable meeting," Hood said. "As a regulator, I always look forward to meeting face to face with those who truly embrace the cooperative spirit upon which the credit union system was founded. You all are making a difference in the lives and communities of your members. This roundtable meeting provided a practical forum for community based credit unions to discuss how to best serve their members and allowed us to discuss how NCUA can best serve them as their regulator." Also taking part in the roundtable were Bethex FCU, Brooklyn Cooperative FCU, Entertainment Industries FCU, Municipal Credit Union, Union Settlement FCU, and Transfiguration Parish FCU. The discussion emphasized partnerships between small and large credit unions to help reach the underserved and promote the economic development of low-income communities.