Credit Union Regulatory Guidance Including: NCUA, CFPB, FDIC, OCC, FFIEC

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 N C U A Discontinues Risk Ratings and Reputational Risk
Show Notes
In this episode, Samantha Shares provides an audio version of the recent N C U A communications announcing the discontinuation of risk ratings and the elimination of reputational risk in credit union examinations.
In early September, N C U A emailed CEOs and Board Chairs that it would stop using individual risk ratings for categories like Credit, Liquidity, and Strategic risk. Later that month, the agency issued a press release confirming it would no longer use reputational risk or equivalent concepts, in line with White House Executive Order Fourteen Three Three One.
Listeners will hear the original text of these letters and announcements, voiced audiobook-style, without added commentary. This principle-based guidance is designed to streamline examinations, reduce duplicative scoring, and focus examiner attention on material issues reflected in CAMELS ratings.
Key points covered in the episode include:
  • The removal of duplicative risk ratings for the seven traditional risk categories.
  • Confirmation that N C U A examiners will still assess risk, but only in the context of CAMELS ratings.
  • The elimination of reputational risk as a supervisory concept.
  • Clarification that issues such as litigation exposure or insider abuse will still be reviewed under material financial impact.
  • An emphasis on more streamlined examination reports and communications with credit unions.
This audiobook-style presentation is intended as an educational resource for credit union leaders and boards.
Disclaimer
This podcast is educational and is not legal advice.
Sponsor Message
Credit Union Exam Solutions Incorporated provides consulting support from a team with more than two hundred and forty years of N C U A experience. If your credit union is preparing for or undergoing an N C U A exam, visit MarkTreichel.com to learn more.


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What is Credit Union Regulatory Guidance Including: NCUA, CFPB, FDIC, OCC, FFIEC?

This podcast provides you the ability to listen to new regulatory guidance issued by the National Credit Union Administration, and occasionally the F D I C, the O C C, the F F I E C, or the C F P B. We will focus on new and material agency guidance, and historically important and still active guidance from past years that NCUA cites in examinations or conversations. This podcast is educational only and is not legal advice. We are sponsored by Credit Union Exam Solutions Incorporated. We also have another podcast called With Flying Colors where we provide tips for achieving success with the N C U A examination process and discuss hot topics that impact your credit union.

Samantha: Hello, this is Samantha Shares.

This episode covers the
Discontinuation of Risk Ratings and

the Elimination of Reputational Risk.

The following is an audio
version of that document.

This podcast is educational
and is not legal advice.

We are sponsored by Credit Union
Exam Solutions Incorporated, whose

team has over two hundred and
forty years of National Credit

Union Administration experience.

We assist our clients with N C
U A so they save time and money.

If you are worried about a recent,
upcoming, or in process N C U A

examination, reach out to learn how they
can assist at Mark Treichel dot com.

Also check out our other podcast called
With Flying Colors where we provide tips

on how to achieve success with N C U A.

And now the document.

N C U A Discontinuing
the Use of Risk Ratings.

To the Board Chairperson
and Chief Executive Officer.

In response to several recommendations
provided through Ask N C U A and

to the Chairman directly, N C U A
is discontinuing the use of risk

ratings for the Risk Categories, also
referred to as Risk Areas, for the

examination and supervision program.

Disclosing and supporting these
ratings was often duplicative of

discussions related to CAMELS ratings.

Also, the N C U A does not use risk
ratings for material supervisory

determinations or examination scheduling.

Historically, examiners assessed the
amount and direction of risk exposure

in seven Risk Categories: Credit,
Interest Rate, Liquidity, Transaction,

Compliance, Reputation, and Strategic.

Each risk category was assigned
an individual risk rating of

High, Moderate, or Low, which was
disclosed in examination reports.

Changes to the N C U A’s examination
system and policy manual in July twenty

twenty five removed the requirement
for N C U A field staff to disclose

risk ratings in examination reports.

With the September twenty twenty five
update to the agency’s examination

system, called MERIT, examiners will
not assign a rating or the direction

of risk to the Risk Categories.

N C U A will continue to use Risk
Categories to categorize review

areas and documents requested.

While N C U A examiners will no
longer assign ratings to each risk

area, examiners will still assess
risk in credit unions and consider

a credit union’s risk profile as
part of assigning CAMELS ratings.

While ratings will not be assigned to
risk areas, examiners may still refer to a

specific type of risk, for example credit
risk, as high or elevated when supporting

CAMELS ratings or corrective actions.

These changes are not expected to
materially change a credit union’s

examination or examination report.

We expect the examination reports
and other communications with credit

unions will be more streamlined as
examiners will focus on addressing

material concerns and explaining
the credit union’s CAMELS ratings.

If you have questions, please
contact your regional office.

N C U A Eliminates Use
of Reputational Risk.

Agency Ceases Using Reputational
Risk and Equivalent Concepts.

Alexandria, Virginia.

September twenty fifth,
twenty twenty five.

The National Credit Union Administration
today announced it has ceased using

reputation risk and equivalent concepts in
the examination and supervisory process.

These updates follow White House
Executive Order fourteen three three

one guaranteeing fair banking for
all Americans, which requires federal

banking regulators to remove the use
of reputational risk or equivalent

concepts that could result in
politicized or unlawful debanking.

N C U A employees will no longer base
supervisory concerns on reputation

risk, nor will they refer to or
engage in discussions about reputation

risk as part of examinations and
supervision contacts of a credit union

or credit union service organization.

The agency will continue to include key
review areas historically classified

under reputation risk, like financial
liability associated with active

litigation and insider abuse, as
part of an examination as necessary.

N C U A is currently reviewing
and updating regulations, manuals,

guidance, and training materials to
remove references to reputation risk.

While these changes are made, the
N C U A issued a Letter to Credit

Unions that supersedes any prior
direction on reputation risk in

other N C U A manuals or guidance.

In addition to eliminating reputation
risk, N C U A has discontinued

the practice of assigning ratings
to the Risk Categories, also

referred to as Risk Areas, for the
examination and supervision program.

Historically, examiners assessed the
amount and direction of risk exposure

in seven Risk Categories: Credit,
Interest Rate, Liquidity, Transaction,

Compliance, Reputation, and Strategic.

This change is in response to several
recommendations provided through Ask N

C U A and to Chairman Hauptman directly.

N C U A does not expect these changes
to materially change a credit union’s

examination or examination report.

Examination reports and other
communications with credit unions

will be more streamlined as
examiners will focus on addressing

material concerns and explaining
the credit union’s CAMELS ratings.

This concludes the document.

If your credit union could use assistance
with your exam, reach out to Mark Treichel

on LinkedIn, or at Mark Treichel dot com.

This is Samantha Shares and
we thank you for listening.