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Phone: (703) 518-6330
Web Address: http://www.ncua.gov/

Matz & Johnson Set Second MBL Workshop

Free PALS Workshop Scheduled for March 25, 2004 in San Francisco

Dec. 3, 2003, San Francisco, Calif. – In response to popular demand, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board Member Debbie Matz and Vice Chair JoAnn Johnson have scheduled a second free workshop on member business lending, to be held in San Francisco on March 25. The workshop will present a dynamic lineup of speakers who will share ideas about how federal and state credit unions can safely make more member business loans.

It will be the fifth workshop in Matz’s Partnering and Leadership Successes (PALS) initiative, and the second to focus on member business lending. The first PALS workshop on member business lending, held on Oct. 16 in Washington, D.C., was so popular that some credit union officials could not be accommodated.

“Many more credit union managers and volunteers have told me that they are considering member business loan programs,” Matz related. “This upcoming PALS workshop is a wonderful opportunity for credit union leaders to learn from one another, and decide whether member business lending is right for their credit union. It is intended as an educational experience. Hopefully, while some attendees will consider business lending, others may conclude that member business lending is not right for their credit union.”

“This workshop will also devote more time to NCUA’s enhanced member business lending regulation,” Johnson pointed out. “By March 25, our regulation will have been in effect for nearly five months. This will be a very opportune time to see how the regulation is working in the field, and how it empowers credit unions to help small businesses with financing needs.”

Government experts and business loan consultants will also address risk factors and explore partnership opportunities. At the end of the day, workshop participants will head home with a member business lending “toolbox.”

PALS workshops encourage credit union leaders to share best practices to reach everyone in their field of membership with innovative services. Co-hosts for the March 25 workshop include the California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington credit union leagues. Registration and hotel information will be available soon.

NCUA, governed by a three-member board appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, is the independent federal agency that regulates, charters and supervises federal credit unions. With the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, NCUA operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, insuring the deposits of more than 80 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the overwhelming majority of state-chartered credit unions.