ALEXANDRIA, Va.—NCUA is underscoring its zero-tolerance stance on retaliation against credit unions that raise concerns about the agency’s actions or policies.
In a Non-Retaliation Policy Statement posted on its website, the regulator is reminding institutions they are free to question or appeal decisions without fear of pushback, and that any suspected acts of retaliation can be reported directly to the NCUA Office of Inspector General for investigation.
“NCUA is committed to maintaining an environment in which insured credit unions are free to raise questions or concerns or complain about NCUA actions or policies. No NCUA employee shall take any type of retaliatory action against a credit union for raising concerns about NCUA actions or policies or making any type of appeal. Alleged acts of retaliation should be reported to the NCUA Office of Inspector General (OIG), which is authorized to receive and investigate complaints and other information regarding abuse in agency programs and operations,” the statement says.
NCUA also reminded credit unions they can submit complaints of suspected retaliation to the OIG Hotline at https://ncua.gov/about/inspector-general/hotline.
Complaints should include an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the complaint and evidence of any retaliation.
“Credit unions may request that information submitted as part of a complaint be kept confidential, which the OIG will consider, including whether confidentiality would prevent it from investigating the complaint,” NCUA said.
On his LinkedIn page, NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman said: “No NCUA employee shall take any type of retaliatory action against a credit union for raising concerns about NCUA actions or policies or making any type of appeal. This policy, plus our post-exam surveys and encouraging recording of Exit Meetings at the end of exams, go a long way to providing quality private-sector-style customer service. NCUA's public servants are excellent and know what ‘public SERVANT’ means.