New York Credit Union Association President/CEO William J. Mellin and Association staff provided updates at the Adirondack Chapter’s town hall event on Tuesday.

Approximately 50 credit union professionals and volunteers attended the event at the Valcour Brewing Company in Plattsburgh.

Association Compliance Director Linda Bow provided a compliance update during the event. Bow’s presentation focused on recent regulatory changes impacting credit union volunteers, including NCUA’s bylaw changes and the elimination of the agency’s supervisory committee guide. She also discussed new state-level human resources issues, such as changes to the state’s harassment standard and the new requirements for businesses, protections for religious and ethnic attire and dress, and more.

Kendra Rubin, Association VP of governmental affairs, then offered insights into the legislative process. Rubin briefly reviewed the makeup of the state and federal government, and discussed the path legislation takes from policy idea to law. She outlined the Association’s federal legislative priorities, including marijuana banking, data security and BSA reform.

Finally, Mellin offered insights into the state of the credit union movement. He highlighted new attacks from the bank lobby on the credit union tax status and shared news headlines showcasing the public relations battle playing out between banks and credit unions. He also updated the group on the Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union awareness initiative and the new Current Expected Credit Losses standard, or CECL, which the Financial Accounting Standards Board recently delayed to 2023.

“I’d like to thank all the credit union leaders and volunteers who attended the Adirondack Chapter town hall event,” said Mellin. “It’s always a pleasure to attend these events and exchange ideas and insights with attendees. The Chapter leadership should be commended for another successful and productive town hall.”