Straight to The Point: December 20

Good morning. The Senate voted along party lines yesterday, approving a tax reform conference report that leaves the credit union tax status untouched. The House also passed the legislation, but will likely re-vote on the matter today to address a procedural hiccup of sorts. In other news:

The New York Credit Union Association has partnered with the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions to support the Federation’s “Juntos Avanzamos” immigrant outreach initiative – The Point

The Association yesterday began the process of updating its website to reflect previously announced changes to its core areas – The Point

Filene Research Institute will host a complimentary webinar at 2 p.m. tomorrow that will explore how credit unions can utilize members’ online behavior – Filene

Most consumers think biometric authentication is easier than using passwords, but many worry about the security in today’s digital world – CU Times

The credit union movement still has a lot to learn about stopping data breaches, but emerging technologies can help mitigate risk factors in the year ahead – CU Journal

The Office of Financial Research, which has largely remained out of the public eye, may be facing a shift in direction under the Trump administration – American Banker

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published an updated draft of its cybersecurity framework – CUToday

Visa says counterfeit fraud in the U.S. is down by 66 percent at merchants that are using chip-enabled cards – PYMNTS

Credit unions should review recent agency guidance dealing with the Bank Secrecy Act and how to respond to a disaster – New York’s State of Mind