WASHINGTON — Industry turmoil over the NCUA's planned insurance assessment and corporate bailout plan for U.S. Central CU reached what many were calling an historic fever pitch Friday amidst calls for "calm" and a reasoned approach for alternative proposals to cushion against large CU income losses.

"During my tenure as NCUA chairman, I don't recall such a dramatically negative reaction to any NCUA action, including CapCorp and CAP during the D'Amours era or when we went to quarterly call reporting for all credit unions," declared Dennis Dollar, the ex-chief regulator and now a Birmingham consultant observing the hostile feedback "and angst" of his clients as simply "palpable."

With e-mails, blogs and online list flooded with commentary, suggestions and attacks on NCUA and the corporate system by worried CUs, CUNA and other trade groups said they were overwhelmed with the industry response.