SALT LAKE CITY — State and federal regulators gathered in Salt Lake City last week to hear from a variety of experts on issues relating to credit unions as well as sharing what they see occurring throughout the industry.

NCUA and NASCUS held its 29th National Regulators Meeting March 25-27, complete with NCUA Board members, regional directors and senior staff as well as NASCUS leadership and nearly 70 state regulators representing 35 states. The three-day educational session featured interactive regulator-to-regulator roundtable discussions focused on current and emerging issues.

“Federal and state regulators frequently experience the same challenges and opportunities when striving to ensure the nation's credit unions are safe, secure financial institutions that serve their members well,” NCUA Board Member Gigi Hyland, who also serves as the board liaison to NASCUS, told meeting participants. “Regularly joining together for a national regulators meeting, sharing common goals and discussing common challenges helps create a bond of understanding that pervades our interactions today, tomorrow and in the future.”

NASCUS Chair Linda Jekel, director of credit unions for Washington State, commented, “The 2007 NASCUS/NCUA National Regulators Meeting was very valuable. The face-to-face discussion by state and federal regulators on national regulatory and examination issues is critical. We thank NCUA for their collaboration as we developed the meeting sessions. NASCUS looks forward to continued regulator-to-regulator dialogue at future national meetings.”

The NCUA-NASCUS meeting was canceled last year due to NCUA budget concerns, but it was revived this year.

Discussions on national policy issues will continue between NCUA and NASCUS members at the Interagency Dialogue scheduled Aug. 10, during the NASCUS State System Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.