He also pointed to another bankruptcy related fight, CUNA's opposition to a 2009 proposal that would have allowed judicial modifications of mortgage principals when millions of American families faced losing their homes to foreclosure.

Finally, the association's current, ongoing, opposition to the CFPB also runs counter to Self-Help's positions.

“We all have to live within regulations and deal with their impacts, Self-Help included, and we definitely see the benefit of working with the agency to improve regulations, but the position that Congress should have the ability to approve CFPB's budget instead of it being an independent financial regulator like other financial regulatory agencies, that's not our position.”

Responding to a question about whether CUNA's positions might be those of the majority of credit unions and whether Self-Help might not be out of step with the entire industry, Chambers said he was not sure CUNA's national policy positons necessarily reflected the stances of the majority of credit unions, particularly those of smaller asset size.

“When you are coming in every day and focusing on serving your members and just the day to day business of running a credit union, you may not have the time to make your voice heard on policy debates,” Chambers said. “That doesn't mean you necessarily endorse what CUNA decides to do.”

He also said the cooperative felt a good deal of regret over the move.

“We have been a lifelong member of CUNA and our state level league,” Chambers said, “both the North Carolina league and the new merged Carolinas Credit Union League. We think the state level leagues represent credit unions at their best, helping each other in a cooperative way.”

He said Self-Help regularly consulted the Carolinas League on compliance questions and that Self-Help provided back office support to a smaller credit union as it grew as well as a board member for the $151 million Latino Community Credit Union. Both efforts would continue, Chambers said.

Chambers recounted a story in which a junior executive of a smaller North Carolina credit union had been left in charge when the manager had to leave on a medical emergency and then never returned. The manager had called the league in a panic, suddenly thrust into responsibilities for which she had received no training. The league CEO had taken four days to come into that credit union and train the executive on the things she had not known how to do.

“That's credit union's at their best,” Chambers said.

He added that Self-Help would have wanted to remain in the Carolinas League, but that the rules clearly state that if you affiliate with a state-level league, you have to affiliate with CUNA too.

“We disagree with the way CUNA holds state league affiliation hostage as well,” Chambers added.

All together, Chambers said Self-Help CU and Self Help FCU pay around $50,000 in dues to CUNA and the state leagues in North Carolina, California and Illinois, where Self Help FCU has a branch in Chicago. Chambers said Self-Help would make a non-member donation to the Carolinas League to support technical assistance to small credit unions and that it was investigating making similar donations in California and Illinois.