WASHINGTON–Following release by NCUA of its new budget proposal, America’s Credit Unions has filed comments filed with the agency offering a number of suggestions and recommendations.
As the CU Daily has reported, the proposed 2026 budget is a 20.6% decrease from 2025, according to the 2026–2027 staff draft budget justification.
“We appreciate the NCUA’s commitment to transparency, modernization, and operational efficiency,” wrote America’s Credit Unions Chief Economist Curt Long in the letter. “As the agency finalizes its 2026-2027 Budget, we respectfully request additional clarity regarding the scope and purpose of the reorganization, detailed cost analysis of the MERIT platform, and continued focus on investments that deliver measurable long-term efficiencies.”
Suggestions Made
Suggestions made by NCUA in its letter include:
- NCUA should use the voluntary separation program and federal hiring freeze to assess what resources it truly needs and build a leaner, more adaptable workforce
- Examination time and travel should focus on the highest-risk and most complex credit unions, while low-risk, well-run credit unions can be supervised more remotely using data and analytics
- The agency should also take a closer look at how its specialized oversight functions are organized and modernize its approach to consumer protection oversight
- Each part of the budget should include clear measures that show how effectively the money is being used and its impact
- NCUA should accelerate development of its enterprise data platform and expand use of analytics to support off-site supervision and predictive risk modeling
- A portion of the NCUA’s budget should be devoted to innovation-related activities, such as pilot programs, interagency partnerships, and technical assistance grants
- NCUA should provide a clear description of the anticipated changes to its organizational structure, including how they are expected to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
As the CU Daily reports separately here, NCUA has will host a public hearing on its budget on Nov.5 at its headquarters. The agency is accepting written comments on the proposed budget through Nov. 7.
