ALEXANDRIA, Va. — During its meeting the NCUA board received a briefing on the agency’s 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. That five-year roadmap is focused on risk-based supervision, measured deregulation and expanded access to financial services, according to agency officials.
Melissa Lowden, acting chief financial officer at the NCUA, told the agency’s board the plan establishes the regulator’s mission, vision and strategic priorities through 2030, aligning with federal requirements under the Government Performance and Results Act modernization framework and related Office of Management and Budget guidance.
Lowden said the plan is designed to ensure the agency’s long-term vision is supported by “specific, measurable targets” tied to the president’s management agenda and available budget resources.
The NCUA last finalized a strategic plan in March 2022. In developing the new plan, the agency held its first strategic planning town hall in September, drawing more than 550 participants from across the credit union system, and also solicited written feedback through its online portal.
Support from Stakeholders
According to Lowden, stakeholder input broadly supported the agency’s direction and helped shape the final plan. Feedback centered on four primary themes:
- Continued use of risk-based examination priorities to target material risks efficiently
- A “measured” deregulatory approach to reduce unnecessary burden while maintaining safety and soundness
- Streamlining and automation of chartering and field-of-membership processes to improve access and efficiency
- Ongoing investment in workforce skills and technical capabilities to address emerging risks
Lowden said additional comments were forwarded to relevant program offices for consideration outside the scope of the strategic plan.
The plan serves as a roadmap for agency initiatives over the next five years and is paired with an annual performance plan that sets specific yearly targets tied to longer-term strategic objectives.
Lowden said the framework is anchored by the agency’s mission and vision statements, which reflect its statutory role and stakeholder feedback emphasizing consumer confidence in credit unions.
Three Overarchign Goals
The strategic plan outlines three overarching goals:
- Safeguarding federally insured credit unions, with a focus on risk-based supervision, maintaining the stability of the Share Insurance Fund and modernizing oversight
- Expanding access to cooperative financial services and responsible innovation, including fostering financial technology adoption, improving chartering and field-of-membership processes, and reducing barriers
- Strengthening NCUA’s capabilities and performance, including enhancing technology and data use, aligning organizational structures with core functions, and investing in workforce development
Chair Praises Input Received
A key component of the third goal includes implementing a new organizational structure that consolidates business units, shifts more stakeholder-facing work to regional offices and strengthens accountability, Lowden said.
In his comments following Lowden’s presentation, NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman said he is proud NCUA was the first government agency to host a town hall to gather input on its strategic plan, noting it received more than 250 responses in the process.
“It helped shape this (plan). You talk about people helping people; that’s what this is–people helping us out on this plan,” he said.
