WASHINGTON–Saying the United States is facing as “difficult a crisis as the country has ever faced domestically,” CUNA President Jim Nussle is praising both the trade group itself and credit unions for their response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our credit unions are safe and strong and open and they are doing it in a way that’s safe for their teams and members after making some adjustments,” said Nussle. “We see that time and time again and this is happening in every community across the country. They are what I like to call financial first-responders.”
In a phone call with the media, Nussle noted financial institutions are one of the first places concerned consumers turn during a crisis. “Certainly on a day when you see the markets down again and there is that kind of atmospheric challenge, people are looking to their credit unions,” he said. “They want to know ‘Are you open and ready to go?’ and time and time again that is the case. It’s important to recognize that as an essential service, while we are making adjustments, credit unions are open and ready to deal with the needs of their members in a people helping people cooperative superpower sort of way.”
Why Stories Are Being Collected
As CUToday.info is also reporting elsewhere, Nussle noted CUNA is collecting stories from the front lines of how credit unions are helping members, especially when they go “above and beyond the call of duty.”
“But we are also collecting the stories of what we can do to share best practices so credit unions can learn from one another, as we have always done,” he said. “We are utilizing our partnerships with our state leagues and chapters to get that word out. We also want to collect stories about things that just don’t make sense, like rules and regulations that interfere with our ability to serve.
“I’m super-proud of how CUs have stepped up,” Nussle added.