(Pictured to the left from l to r: Joshua Weston - FSST President, Tim Brown - CEO- Dakota Plains Credit Union & Chairman of Mid-America, Garrie Kills -a-Hundred - FSST Trustee II, Gordon Jones Jr. - FSSt Treasurer, Ardetta LOvejoy - FSST Trustee IV, Gina Williams - FSST Trustee III, Honorable Rodney Hood, Tony Richards - Presidnet & CEO of Mid-American Credit Union, Eloise Drapeau - FSST Secretary, Travis Kasten - Vice-Chairman of Credit Union Deveopment & Jason Taylor - FSST Vice -President.)
The NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) Vice-Chairman Rodney E. Hood recently met with representatives of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe (FSST) and Mid America Credit Union Association at a special town hall meeting that was held last Thursday, March 13, 2008. The meeting was held at the Royal River Casino and Hotel in Flandreau, South Dakota, to discuss the possibility of a credit union charter to be located on the FSST reservation.
The NCUA is the independent federal agency that regulates charters and supervises 8,640 federal credit unions.
The Honorable Rodney E. Hood, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005 to a seat on the board of the NCUA, serves as the Vice-Chairman of the board. Mr. Hood is also a former board member of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (Neighbor Works), which was created by Congress to assist in revitalization of urban residential neighborhoods.
Mr. Hood expressed his hopes of assisting the FSST with obtaining a charter on their reservation within the year. He commended South Dakota credit unions, as credit unions in South Dakota outperform national growth in loan volume. Mr. Hood acknowledged that South Dakota credit unions “return on assets is higher than in other parts of the country. Now is a good time to look at innovative strategies to serve the underserved.”
During his visit and talking about the state of the economy, Vice-Chairman Hood stated, ”Credit unions are not the problem, but can be a part of the solution. We can make a difference by displaying the People Helping People philosophy. When serving your members, you can’t do it by yourself. Continue to make strategic choices to help credit unions-such as partnering with organizations such as the SBA and USDA growth program.”
Mr. Hood promoted and applauded credit unions for their dedication to financial literacy. He encouraged credit unions to go the extra step and offer post-purchase counseling for homeowners—helping new homeowners with education on home maintenance insurance and other financial counseling to make them proud and successful homeowners. Mr. Hood encouraged credit unions to share our stories locally and nationally with Congress directly, as it surely makes a difference.
Mr. Hood also encouraged small credit unions to apply for NCUA grants to help them remain successful. For more information visit the NCUA website at www.ncua.gov.
Other speakers at the Town Hall Meeting included: Tony Richards, President and CEO of Mid-America Credit Union Association; Travis Kasten, Vice-President of credit union development, Mid-America Credit Union Association; Tim Brown, CEO of Dakota Plains Credit Union and Chair of Mid-America Service Corporation; Joshua Weston, Tribal President of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe.
The Mid-America Credit Union Association is the trade association for 86 affiliated credit unions in North and South Dakota, with assets in excess of $2.8 billion, and serving over 405,000 members.
For more information, contact Amy Jo 701-250-3954 or ajohnson@midamericacua.coop at Mid-America Credit Union Association. |
