There were more than 1,200 participants at the event, which came in $176,133 below budget. The NCUA said the conference cost $512,945 less than its 2012 training conference.

“Providing the credit union system with well-prepared and knowledgeable examiners is essential to protecting safety and soundness,” NCUA Executive Director Mark Treichel said. “The kind of professional development that takes place at the National Training Conference makes the examination process operate more efficiently and provides greater consistency.”

The main sessions focused on supervisory committee audits, administrative actions, ethics, technology tools and professional development. The breakout sessions touched upon topics such as liquidity, interest rate risk as well as lending and compliance with new mortgage rules, the agency said.

During the conference, the NCUA upgraded the standard government personal identification cards required for staff. The agency said doing the upgrades onsite cut costs since staff did not have to travel to General Services Administration regional offices for the updates.

“This training is part of the NCUA’s efforts to modernize operations and stay abreast of changes in the credit union system,” Treichel said. “With so many of our staff based across the country, bringing everyone together for this sort of comprehensive training is the surest, most cost-effective way to help them develop or improve their skills.”