At the risk of exposing myself as a scatterbrain, I couldn't settle on just one topic for this week's column, so I'm going to hit you with a throng of subjects.

First, I can't say I'm surprised the NCUA Board decided to move forward with the changes to implement the data collection recommendation from the Outreach Task Force report, or the 2-1 vote. The wheels were set in motion when NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson was unable to quantify credit union service to the underserved at the now infamous November 2005 Ways & Means Committee hearing. It was a weak spot for the agency.

So NCUA staff completed its report over the following year, and the agency formed the task force, headed by Board Member Gigi Hyland, to gauge industry response to the staff report. Despite opposition to collecting the data on serving the underserved, the agency is moving forward with it without a formal comment period and rule. After two years of commenting, I think the credit union industry has had its say. And the agency would be unwise to open up what boils down to amending the 5300 Call Report to notice and comment.