BIRMINGHAM, Ala./Tallahassee, Fla.—The League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates said that next year it will allow its member CUs to join the league without being a member of CUNA, after its board voted unanimously to grant credit unions the option.
The topic of dual membership requirement in the leagues and CUNA has been hotly debated among credit unions. CUNA’s System Structure and Governance Task Force recently recommend allowing CUs such a choice, but the trade association’s board voted against the recommendation.
LSCU president and CEO Patrick La Pine explained that the board’s decision was based on a recent league survey of Alabama and Florida credit unions on the issue of membership choice. The survey asked: “Should individual credit unions be given the choice of joining just their state league or just CUNA rather than having to join both organizations?”
“The question was not, ‘Should credit unions be a member of both,” La Pine explained in the league’s newsletter.
Eighty-four percent of respondents voted in favor of the new option, with the decision being similar across CUs of all asset sizes.
“Two weeks ago at the LSCU Board Planning Retreat, management was directed by the board to conduct a survey of Alabama and Florida credit unions on the issue of membership choice. This decision was not taken lightly, but after much thoughtful discussion,” emphasized La Pine. “Most of the conversation that day was not about the issue of membership choice, but rather about the CUNA board’s decision to not respond accordingly to its own credit union survey results and task force recommendations.”
La Pine said that despite decisions made by the CUNA board, “I am and will remain a strong believer in a unified CUNA/League system. Our past and future success as an industry is predicated on credit unions, leagues, and CUNA working closely together. However, the model of requiring joint membership is no longer working to the betterment of credit unions. When the leadership of any organization is not listening and responding to its membership, what options are you left with?”
La Pine said the league is still affiliated with CUNA and endorses it as its preferred national trade association.
“The LSCU board reaffirmed its commitment to coordinate with CUNA and the league system to advance issues of importance to the credit union movement,” La Pine said. “The LSCU & Affiliates will continue to recommend and strongly encourage credit unions to affiliate with both the LSCU and CUNA.”