National Credit Union Administration
1775 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3428
Phone: (703) 518-6330
Web Address: http://www.ncua.gov/

Matz Schedules PALS Workshop on Serving the Underserved Without Losing Your Bottom Line

Free Workshop October 11 in Rochester , N.Y.

August 6, 2004, Rochester, N.Y. NCUA Board Member Debbie Matz has scheduled a free Partnering and Leadership Successes (PALS) workshop for October 11 in Rochester, N.Y., to focus on Serving the Underserved Without Losing Your Bottom Line.

This workshop is inspired by New York State credit union leaders who will share their success stories in serving underserved areas, Matz announced. Across the State, credit unions are building valuable relationships with new members including immigrants who are using insured financial institutions for the first time; small business owners who are finally gaining access to needed capital; and predatory lending victims who are learning to break their cycle of debt and despair.

Speakers will describe many needed services to reach the underserved, including:

• Risk-Based Loans making credit available to almost everyone, at reasonable prices based on their own credit histories;
• Payday Loan Alternatives providing affordable small short-term loans to help members survive financial emergencies;
• Financial Education teaching children and adults to make life-changing choices and become better consumers;
• Micro-Business Loans revitalizing communities by helping small businesses grow;
• Affordable Mortgages providing the American dream for first-time homebuyers;
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance ensuring that low-income workers avoid usurious refund anticipation loans and receive all tax credits they have earned;
• International Remittances opening low-cost gateways to life support for immigrant families.

To register for this free workshop, visit www.ncua.gov, look under PALS Registration, then click Oct. 11 - Rochester .

The PALS workshop is open to credit unions of all sizes and charter types. Potential partners from organizations based in underserved communities are also invited to share their ideas and network with credit union officials.

The workshop will be co-hosted by The Summit Federal Credit Union in Rochester , the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions, and the New York State Credit Union League.

Recommended by Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), Matz was named as a recess appointee to the NCUA Board in January 2002 and nominated to a seat on the Board on February 27, 2002 . The U.S. Senate confirmed her on March 22, 2002 . As part of the NCUA Board, Ms. Matz oversees the regulation of federal credit unions and the administration of the federal insurance fund covering approximately 9,500 credit unions in the U.S.

A 24-year public service veteran, Matz is a member of three credit unions and resides in McLean , Va. with her husband and two children. Before her appointment to the NCUA Board, Matz was appointed by President Clinton as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration in the Department of Agriculture.