Public Unit and Nonmember Shares

Citation84 FR 58305
Record Number2019-23679
Published date31 October 2019
SectionRules and Regulations
CourtNational Credit Union Administration
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 211 (Thursday, October 31, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 211 (Thursday, October 31, 2019)]
                [Rules and Regulations]
                [Pages 58305-58309]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-23679]
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                NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION
                12 CFR Parts 701 and 741
                RIN 3313-AF00
                Public Unit and Nonmember Shares
                AGENCY: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).
                ACTION: Final rule.
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                SUMMARY: The NCUA Board (Board) is amending the NCUA's public unit and
                nonmember share rule to allow federal credit unions (FCU) to receive
                public unit and nonmember shares up to 50 percent of the credit union's
                net amount of paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus less any
                public unit and nonmember shares. This final rule also makes a
                conforming change to the NCUA's regulations that apply the public unit
                and nonmember share limit to all federally insured credit unions
                (FICUs). The final rule follows publication of a May 30, 2019, proposed
                rule and takes into consideration the public comments received on the
                proposed rule.
                DATES: This final rule is effective January 29, 2020.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Pereira, Staff Attorney, Office
                of General Counsel, 1775 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, or by
                telephone at (703) 548-2778.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                I. Introduction
                II. This Final Rule; Changes to Proposed Rule
                III. Legal Authority
                IV. Discussion of Public Comments Received on Proposed Rule
                V. Regulatory Procedures
                I. Introduction
                A. Background
                 Section 107(6) of the Federal Credit Union Act (FCU Act) provides
                that an FCU may receive payment on shares from its members (including
                public units that are members) and from other credit unions.\1\ Section
                107(6) also permits an FCU to receive payments on shares from
                nonmembers under certain circumstances, including payment on shares
                from nonmember public units and their political subdivisions.\2\ The
                term ``public unit'' generally refers to ``the United States, any state
                of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
                Puerto Rico, the Panama Canal Zone, any territory or possession of the
                United States, any county, municipality, or political subdivision
                thereof, or any Indian tribe as defined in section 3(c) of the Indian
                Financing Act of 1974.'' \3\
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                 \1\ 12 U.S.C. 1757(6).
                 \2\ Id.
                 \3\ 12 CFR 745.1(c).
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                 Moreover, an FCU that predominantly serves low-income members may
                receive payment on shares from any source regardless of membership.\4\
                Section 701.34 of the NCUA's regulations defines a ``low-income
                member'' as, among other things, a member ``whose family income is 80
                [percent] or less than the median family income for the metropolitan
                area where [the member] live[s] or [the] national metropolitan area,
                whichever is greater.'' \5\ Alternatively, a ``low-income member'' is a
                member ``who earn[s] 80 [percent] or less than the total median
                earnings for individuals for the metropolitan area where [the member]
                live[s] or [the] national metropolitan area, whichever is greater.''
                \6\
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                 \4\ Supra note 1.
                 \5\ 12 CFR 701.34(a)(2).
                 \6\ Id.
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                 Section 701.32 of the NCUA's regulations limits the total amount of
                nonmember shares that an FCU may receive up to 20 percent of the credit
                union's total shares, or $3 million, whichever is greater, unless the
                shares are U.S. Treasury accounts or matching funds accounts required
                by the NCUA's Community Development Revolving Loan Fund Program.\7\
                This limit also applies to public unit shares regardless of whether the
                public unit is a member of the credit union.
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                 \7\ 12 CFR 701.32(b), (c).
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                B. Regulatory Reform Agenda
                 Consistent with the spirit of Executive Order 13777, entitled
                ``Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,'' \8\ the Board established a
                Regulatory Reform Task Force (Task Force) to identify NCUA regulations
                that the agency should repeal, replace, or modify. The Task Force
                reviewed the NCUA regulations and submitted its first report to the
                Board in June 2017. In August 2017, the Board published the substance
                of the Task Force's first report in the Federal Register for public
                comment.\9\ After the close of the public comment period, the Board
                published the Task Force's second and final report in the Federal
                Register in December 2018.\10\
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                 \8\ Executive Order 1377 was issued on February 24, 2017, and
                subsequently published in the Federal Register on March 1, 2017 (82
                FR 12285).
                 \9\ 82 FR 39702 (August 22, 2017).
                 \10\ 83 FR 65926 (December 21, 2018).
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                 The Task Force's final report recommended that the Board increase
                the public unit and nonmember share limit in Sec. 701.32 of the NCUA's
                regulations.\11\ Specifically, the Task Force recommended raising the
                nonmember deposit limit from 20 percent to 50 percent. The Task Force
                stated that public unit and nonmember shares are the functional
                equivalent of borrowings. The change will parallel the ability of FCUs,
                as authorized under section 107(9) of the FCU Act,\12\ to borrow from
                any source up to 50 percent of the credit union's paid-in and
                unimpaired capital and surplus subject to such rules and regulations as
                the Board may prescribe.\13\ However, this limitation does not apply to
                discounts or sales of eligible obligations to any federal intermediate
                credit bank or loans from the Central Liquidity Facility.\14\
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                 \11\ Id. at 65940.
                 \12\ 12 U.S.C. 1757(9).
                 \13\ The term ``paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus''
                means shares and undivided earnings, plus net income or minus net
                loss. See 12 CFR 741.2.
                 \14\ Supra note 13. For rules governing loans from the Central
                Liquidity Facility, see 12 CFR part 725.
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                C. NCUA's May 30, 2019, Proposed Rule
                 On May 30, 2019, the NCUA published a proposed rule to implement
                the Task Force's recommendation.\15\ Specifically, the Board proposed
                to amend Sec. 701.32 of the NCUA's regulations to allow an FCU to
                receive public unit and nonmember shares up to 50 percent of the credit
                union's net amount of paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus less
                any public unit and nonmember shares. The Board also proposed making
                conforming amendments to Sec. 741.204, which applies to all FICUs, to
                reflect the changes to Sec. 701.32. (Hereinafter, this preamble will
                refer to FICUs when discussing the applicability of the proposed and
                final rules, except where the discussion specifically applies to FCUs
                or federally insured, state-chartered credit unions (FISCUs)).
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                 \15\ 84 FR 35525.
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                 The change in standard from ``total shares'' to ``paid-in and
                unimpaired capital and surplus less any public unit and nonmember
                shares'' is not only consistent with the treatment of borrowings under
                the FCU Act, but is also intended to provide FICUs with greater ability
                to accept public unit and nonmember deposits because undivided earnings
                are included in the measurement of a FICU's paid-in and
                [[Page 58306]]
                unimpaired capital and surplus, thus increasing the base. The proposed
                rule subtracts public unit and nonmember shares from unimpaired capital
                and surplus for purposes of this 50 percent limit.\16\ This restriction
                is intended to provide a meaningful limit on the ability of an FICU to
                increase its leverage indefinitely, which could pose a clear risk to
                FICUs and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF).
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                 \16\ In mathematical terms, the limitation is calculated as
                total public unit and nonmember shares/paid-in and unimpaired
                capital and surplus - total public unit and nonmember shares =
                maximum of 50%.
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                 The proposed rule does not allow a waiver process for a FICU to
                exceed the 50 percent limit as a matter of safety and soundness. The
                proposed rule also requires a FICU to develop and maintain a written
                plan if its public unit and nonmember shares, taken together with
                borrowings, exceed 70 percent of paid-in and unimpaired capital and
                surplus. This approach was designed to provide a FICU with flexibility
                to adopt a diverse funding structure without the regulatory burden of
                developing a plan regarding the intended use of those funds unless the
                credit union borrows a significant amount of funds or accepts a
                significant number of public unit and nonmember shares.
                 The proposed rule provided for a 60-day comment period, which
                closed on July 29, 2019.
                II. This Final Rule; Change to Proposed Rule
                 This final rule follows publication of the May 30, 2019, proposed
                rule and takes into consideration the public comments received on the
                proposed rule. The NCUA received 17 public comments on the proposal.
                Comments were received from: (1) Individual FICUs; (2) national, state,
                and regional organizations representing FICUs; and (3) national banking
                trade organizations.
                 Based on its review of the comments, and as further discussed in
                Section IV of this preamble, the Board has revised the proposal by
                retaining the alternative limit of $3 million. Specifically, the final
                rule provides that a FICU may receive public unit and nonmember shares
                in an amount up to 50 percent of the credit union's net amount of paid-
                in and unimpaired capital and surplus less any public unit and
                nonmember shares, or $3 million, whichever is greater.
                III. Legal Authority
                 The Board is issuing this final rule pursuant to its authority
                under the FCU Act. Under the FCU Act, the NCUA is the chartering and
                supervisory authority for FCUs and the federal supervisory authority
                for FICUs.\17\ The FCU Act grants the NCUA a broad mandate to issue
                regulations governing both FCUs and all FICUs. Section 120 of the FCU
                Act is a general grant of regulatory authority and authorizes the Board
                to prescribe rules and regulations for the administration of the FCU
                Act.\18\ Section 207 of the FCU Act is a specific grant of authority
                over share insurance coverage, conservatorships, and liquidations.\19\
                Section 209 of the FCU Act is a plenary grant of regulatory authority
                to the Board to issue rules and regulations necessary or appropriate to
                carry out its role as share insurer for all FICUs.\20\ In addition,
                Section 107 of the FCU Act specifically recognizes that the Board may
                prescribe limitations governing shares accepted by FCUs.\21\
                Accordingly, the FCU Act grants the Board broad rulemaking authority to
                ensure that the credit union industry and the NCUSIF remain safe and
                sound.
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                 \17\ 12 U.S.C. 1752-1775.
                 \18\ 12 U.S.C. 1766(a).
                 \19\ 12 U.S.C. 1787(b)(1).
                 \20\ 12 U.S.C. 1789(a)(11).
                 \21\ 12 U.S.C. 1757(6).
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                IV. Discussion of the Public Comments Received on the Proposed Rule
                A. The Public Comments, Generally
                 The comments from FICUs and their representative organizations
                generally supported the proposed rule. In particular, the FICUs
                supported the revised aggregate limit. Several of the commenters
                explicitly agreed with the statement in the proposed rule's preamble
                that public unit and nonmember shares are the functional equivalent of,
                and no more volatile than, borrowings and, therefore, warrant a higher
                level of authority than what the current regulation allows. In general,
                the commenters wrote that the proposal would provide a greater balance
                between nonmember funding sources and borrowings, and better enable
                FICUs to seek more reasonably priced funding options.
                 Several of these commenters also offered suggested changes to the
                proposed rule. In particular, the commenters expressed concerns about
                the proposed elimination of the $3 million alternative limit,
                especially the effects on newly chartered FICUs and low-income credit
                unions (LICUs).
                 In contrast to the support expressed by the FICUs, the comments
                received from the banking trade organizations strongly objected to the
                proposed rule. These commenters wrote that the proposal would undermine
                the historical mission of FICUs, increase risk to the NCUSIF, and have
                negative economic impacts.
                B. Discussion of FICU Comments on Specific Provisions of the Proposed
                Rule
                 1. Minor effect on most FICUs. One of the commenters, while writing
                in overall support of the rule, indicated the proposal would have
                minimal effect on most FICUs. Based on its review of March 2019, Call
                Report data, the commenter wrote that the proposal would not increase
                the overall funding capacity (i.e., aggregate nonmember/public unit
                deposits and borrowings) for 51 percent of FICUs. The commenter
                believes the proposal will be most beneficial to small FICUs and LICUs
                because they tend to have the higher net worth ratios necessary to take
                full advantage of the proposed limit. The Board continues to believe
                that the proposal will provide all FICUs, and in particular small
                credit unions, with greater flexibility in their sources of funding.
                 The commenter also wrote that the majority of FICUs rely on member
                shares for the ``overwhelming majority'' of their funds, and that this
                is unlikely to change. Another commenter, however, wrote that the
                current reluctance of some FICUs to use nonmember funding could be
                explained by the fact that these credit unions, as a liquidity risk
                management tool, have historically been reluctant to exhaust the
                availability of nonmember funds. The increase in the aggregate limit
                will provide these FICUs with additional flexibility in managing their
                liquidity needs and encourage them to seek more reasonably priced
                funding options. Further, this commenter noted other incentives for
                FICUs to increase their use of nonmember funds. According to the
                commenter, in recent years FICUs that have employed nonmember deposits
                have tended to be more active lenders and, therefore, achieved higher
                earnings on average than their peers.
                 2. $3 million alternative limit. The NCUA specifically sought
                comment on the proposed elimination of the alternative limit of $3
                million. As noted, the current regulation limits FICUs to accepting
                public unit and nonmember shares up to 20 percent of total shares, or
                $3 million, whichever is greater. The Board thought that the proposed
                regulatory limit of 50 percent of the FICU's net amount of paid-in and
                unimpaired capital and surplus less any public unit and nonmember
                shares was appropriate and that an alternative $3 million limit would
                no longer be necessary. However, the Board also noted in the preamble
                to the proposed
                [[Page 58307]]
                rule that some small credit unions, particularly LICUs that rely on
                large volumes of nonmember shares as a necessary source of funding or
                newly chartered credit unions, might be adversely impacted by the
                elimination of the $3 million dollar limit. Consequently, the Board
                noted that it was actively considering retaining the alternative $3
                million limit and specifically sought comments on whether to retain it
                or provide a special exemption for small LICUs.
                 The majority of the comments on this issue supported retaining some
                form of the alternative limit. At a minimum, these commenters urged the
                Board to either ``grandfather'' FICUs that currently use the limit or
                establish an exemption for newly chartered FICUs and LICUs. A minority
                of commenters supported the elimination of the alternative limit;
                however, several of them also suggested that the NCUA monitor the
                change for adverse consequences. These commenters recommended that the
                Board use the review to consider re-instituting the alternative limit.
                 One of the commenters also urged that the alternative limit be
                increased to at least $5 million. The commenter wrote that the NCUA, in
                its 2011-2012 rulemaking raising the limit to $3 million, had
                benchmarked the amount on a hypothetical FCU with $7.5 million in total
                shares.\22\ According to the commenter, the increase to $5 million is
                necessary to maintain parity for a similarly situated FCU in 2019
                (i.e., the 36th percentile of credit unions ranked by share value).
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                 \22\ The proposed rule to raise the alternative limit to $3
                million was published on December 28, 2011 (76 FR 81 421). The
                subsequent final rule was published on May 31, 2012 (77 FR 31981).
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                 The Board has decided to revise its proposal given the broad
                support from the commenters for keeping the alternative limit.
                Specifically, the final rule retains the current alternative limit of
                $3 million. Upon further consideration, the Board agrees that the
                elimination of the limit could negatively impact some small credit
                unions, particularly those that are newly chartered and have not had
                the time to become adequately capitalized, which may rely on nonmember
                funding. The final rule, therefore, provides that a FICU may receive
                public unit and nonmember shares in an amount up to 50 percent of the
                FICU's net amount of paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus less
                any public unit and nonmember shares, or $3 million, whichever is
                greater.
                 3. Waivers from the appropriate regional director. The proposed
                rule would eliminate the procedures for obtaining a waiver from the
                appropriate regional director. The majority of commenters on this
                provision supported the removal of the waiver procedures. The
                commenters opposed to the change wrote that a regulatory waiver might
                be necessary to address fact-specific situations that merit a higher
                limit without increasing risk to the NCUSIF.
                 The Board has not revised the proposal in response to these
                comments. Although the Board seeks to provide FICUs with greater
                flexibility, it also continues to believe that the removal of the
                waiver procedures is prudent given the increased regulatory limit. The
                NCUA does not envision situations arising like the hypothetical posed
                by the commenter that would merit a higher aggregate limit without
                consequently increasing the risk to the NCUSIF. Allowing a FICU to
                exceed this limit could lead to safety and soundness concerns and
                unnecessary risk for the NCUSIF.
                 The Board also notes that currently effective waivers granted
                pursuant to the existing regulations are superseded by the final rule.
                These waivers are no longer necessary given the higher aggregate limit
                established by the rule. Accordingly, any such waivers will be
                considered expired upon the effective date of this final rule.
                 4. Plan Regarding Use of Funds. Under the proposed rule, a FICU
                would be required to develop a plan regarding the intended use of any
                borrowings, public unit, or nonmember shares that, taken together,
                exceed 70 percent of the FICU's paid-in and unimpaired capital and
                surplus. The majority of the commenters writing on this issue supported
                the plan requirement, with only a single commenter disagreeing. The
                commenter opposing the plan requirement wrote that any risk associated
                with such a high level of borrowing should more appropriately be
                addressed in the contract between the lender and the FICU.
                 This final rule adopts the proposed plan requirements without
                change. The Board believes that requiring a plan for material levels of
                external funding sources is prudent due diligence. The Board expects
                FICUs that accept elevated levels of public unit and nonmember shares
                and borrowings to document how the credit union will use those funds
                consistent with prudent risk management principles. As the Board
                explained in the proposed rule, FICUs will not need to submit these
                plans for approval before accepting funds that in total would exceed 70
                percent of paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus. Instead, they
                must simply maintain the plan and make it available to NCUA examiners.
                 Even though the Board expects that most FICUs will not need to
                develop a specific plan regarding the use of external funds, a FICU
                should continue to manage its balance sheet in a prudent manner. The
                NCUA will continue to review a FICU's business model and liquidity
                management to ensure the FICU is operating in a safe and sound manner.
                Unsafe or unsound funding sources or utilization of funds in an unsafe
                and unsound manner may affect a credit union's CAMEL \23\ and risk
                ratings and could result in supervisory action.
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                 \23\ CAMEL is an internal rating system used for evaluating the
                soundness of credit unions on a uniform basis and for identifying
                those institutions requiring special supervisory attention or
                concern. The name CAMEL is an acronym derived from the first letter
                of each of the five critical elements of the credit union's
                operations: (1) Capital Adequacy, (2) Asset Quality, (3) Management,
                (4) Earnings, and (5) Liquidity/Asset-Liability Management.
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                 One commenter urged the NCUA to not establish new or more complex
                supervisory procedures for review of the plans. At the same time,
                however, the commenter also suggested that the NCUA communicate its
                expectations for such plans in advance of examinations to ensure
                consistent review. Given the changes to the regulation and the higher
                level of combined non-member funding allowed before a plan is required,
                the NCUA will be updating the related examination procedures and
                supervisory expectations accordingly. This information will be
                incorporated into the Examiner's Guide, which is posted on the NCUA's
                website. As always, the NCUA will continue to emphasize the importance
                of timely, ongoing and open communications between examiners and credit
                union management and officials.
                 5. Applicability to FISCUs. One commenter wrote that the
                incorporation of regulations by reference in part 741 and the repeated
                use of the term ``federal credit union'' within regulations applicable
                to FISCUs is confusing and creates regulatory burden. The commenter
                suggested that the NCUA incorporate the limits for public unit and
                nonmember shares applicable to FISCUs, in their entirety, within part
                741.
                 At this time, the Board is not prepared to adopt the change
                suggested by the commenter. The Board, however, has taken the
                suggestion under advisement for future rulemakings and has elaborated
                in this preamble on how the rule applies to FISCUs.
                [[Page 58308]]
                C. Discussion of Comments From the Banking Trade Organizations
                 The two comments from the banking trade organizations were strongly
                opposed to the proposal. Both commenters wrote that the proposed rule
                would undermine the cooperative character of FICUs and make them
                beholden to nonmember institutions. The commenters also saw little
                reason for the change, writing that concerns regarding fraud have
                arguably only grown since the NCUA originally promulgated the limit to
                address this problem. One of the banking trade organizations also
                asserted that the broad application of the ``low-income'' designation,
                which allows FICUs to secure nonmember deposits from any source,
                amplifies the safety and soundness concerns of the proposal. This
                commenter also raised potential impacts on the broader economy, writing
                that the peak of the economic cycle is the wrong time to increase
                leverage and fuel growth in expensive funding sources. Further, the
                commenter asserted that providing a new funding source for tax-free
                lending would decrease lendable funds at taxpaying financial
                institutions. The commenter wrote that this reallocation of deposits
                would reduce tax receipts to municipalities, thus reducing available
                government revenue to support necessary government programs.
                 The Board disagrees with the assertions made by the banking trade
                organizations, and has not revised the proposal in response to these
                comments. Contrary to the statements made by the commenters that the
                proposal will undermine the purpose of credit unions, Congress
                explicitly recognized that nonmember shares could be a valuable source
                of funding for FICUs. As noted above, the FCU Act, which establishes
                the federal credit union system, authorizes FICUs to receive payment on
                shares from nonmembers, ``within limitations prescribed by the Board.''
                \24\ The final rule will amend the nonmember share regulations to
                better reflect congressional intent. Specifically, the final rule
                updates the regulations to recognize the significant changes the credit
                union industry has undergone in the 31 years since this limit was
                adopted, including credit unions' growing need for diversified sources
                of funding to serve their members.
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                 \24\ Supra note 1. State law governs the authority for FISCUs to
                accept nonmember shares.
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                 The banking trade organizations also expressed concerns regarding
                fraud and safety and soundness. Unfortunately, as the 2008 housing
                crisis demonstrated, these are potential issues for the financial
                services sector as a whole. The Board remains committed to addressing
                market risks and to ensuring FICU compliance with applicable laws and
                regulations. The final rule adopts a balanced approach that provides
                FICUs with greater flexibility to determine an appropriate funding
                structure to support ongoing credit union operations in a financially
                sound and prudent manner. The commenters also raised potential impacts
                on the national and local economies but did not provide any data on
                which to assess these concerns. The Board believes that, by enabling
                FICUs to better serve the needs of their communities, any impact of the
                rule on the broader economy will be positive. However, the Board, as it
                does for all its regulations, will monitor the effects of this final
                rule and make necessary policy adjustments as the circumstances
                warrant.
                 While this final rule will provide individual credit unions with
                additional flexibility regarding funding options, it will not
                materially increase the aggregate level of public unit and nonmember
                shares and borrowings the credit union system can collectively utilize.
                Credit unions could grow by 56 percent in aggregate if they all
                utilized the full authority under current regulation and net worth
                constraints.\25\ With this final rule, credit unions could grow by 65
                percent in aggregate. Thus, this final rule only provides a modest
                amount of additional balance sheet leverage in total. Additionally,
                credit unions currently have about $69 billion in outstanding public
                unit, nonmember shares, and borrowings representing only 4 percent of
                total assets.\26\
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                 \25\ These percentages take into account a practical limit on
                the amount of funding credit unions can obtain before their net
                worth ratio would decline below 7 percent--the level necessary to be
                well capitalized for prompt corrective action purposes. See 12 CFR
                part 702.
                 \26\ The total amount of public unit and nonmember shares is $16
                billion or 1 percent of total assets and the total amount of
                borrowings is $53 billion or 3 percent of total assets.
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                V. Regulatory Procedures
                A. Regulatory Flexibility Act
                 The Regulatory Flexibility Act \27\ requires the NCUA to prepare an
                analysis to describe any significant economic impact a regulation may
                have on a substantial number of small entities (primarily those under
                $100 million in assets).\28\ This rule will provide FICUs with
                additional flexibility to accept public unit and nonmember shares.
                Accordingly, the Board believes that the rule will not have a
                significant economic impact on a substantial number of small credit
                unions. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not required.
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                 \27\ 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.
                 \28\ 5 U.S.C. 603(a).
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                B. Paperwork Reduction Act
                 The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)
                requires that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve all
                collections of information by a Federal agency from the public before
                they can be implemented. Respondents are not required to respond to any
                collection of information unless it displays a current, valid OMB
                control number. In accordance with the PRA, the information collection
                requirements included in this final rule has been submitted to OMB for
                approval under control number 3133-0114.
                C. Executive Order 13132
                 Executive Order 13132 encourages independent regulatory agencies to
                consider the impact of their actions on state and local interests.\29\
                The NCUA, an independent regulatory agency, as defined in 44 U.S.C.
                3502(5), voluntarily complies with the executive order to adhere to
                fundamental federalism principles. The final rule will not have
                substantial direct effects on the states, on the relationship between
                the national government and the states, or on the distribution of power
                and responsibilities among the various levels of government. The Board
                has therefore determined that this final rule does not constitute a
                policy that has federalism implications for purposes of the executive
                order.
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                 \29\ 64 FR 43255 (Aug. 4, 1999).
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                D. Assessment of Federal Regulations and Policies on Families
                 The NCUA has determined that this final rule will not affect family
                well-being within the meaning of Section 654 of the Treasury and
                General Government Appropriations Act, 1999, Public Law 105-277, 112
                Stat. 2681 (1998).
                E. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
                 The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996
                (SBREFA) \30\ generally provides for congressional review of agency
                rules. A reporting requirement is triggered in instances where the NCUA
                issues a final rule as defined by section 551 of the Administrative
                Procedure Act.\31\ An agency rule, in addition to being subject
                [[Page 58309]]
                to congressional oversight, may also be subject to a delayed effective
                date if the rule is a ``major rule.'' The NCUA does not believe this
                rule is a ``major rule'' within the meaning of the relevant sections of
                SBREFA. As required by SBREFA, the NCUA has submitted this final rule
                to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for it to determine if the
                final rule is a ``major rule'' for purposes of SBREFA. The OMB
                determined that the rule is not major. The NCUA also will file
                appropriate reports with Congress and the Government Accountability
                Office so this rule may be reviewed.
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                 \30\ Public Law 104-121.
                 \31\ 5 U.S.C. 551.
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                List of Subjects
                12 CFR Part 701
                 Credit unions, Public units, Nonmember accounts.
                12 CFR Part 741
                 Bank deposit insurance, Credit unions, Reporting and recordkeeping
                requirements.
                 By the National Credit Union Administration Board on October 24,
                2019.
                Gerard Poliquin,
                Secretary of the Board.
                 For the reasons stated above, NCUA amends 12 CFR parts 701 and 741
                as follows:
                PART 701--ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OF FEDERAL CREDIT UNIONS
                0
                1. The authority for part 701 continues to read as follows:
                 Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1752(5), 1755, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1759,
                1761a, 1761b, 1766, 1767, 1782, 1784, 1786, 1787, 1789. Section
                701.6 is also authorized by 15 U.S.C. 3717. Section 701.31 is also
                authorized by 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 1981 and 3601-3610.
                Section 701.35 is also authorized by 42 U.S.C. 4311-4312.
                0
                2. In Sec. 701.32, revise paragraph (b) to read as follows:
                Sec. 701.32 Payment on shares by public units and nonmembers.
                * * * * *
                 (b) Limitations--(1) Aggregate limit on public unit and nonmember
                shares. Except as permitted under paragraph (c) of this section, a
                federal credit union may not receive public unit and nonmember shares
                in excess of the greater of:
                 (i) 50 percent of the net amount of paid-in and unimpaired capital
                and surplus less any public unit and nonmember shares, as measured at
                the time of acceptance of each public unit or nonmember share (i.e.,
                [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR31OC19.019
                 (ii) $3 million.
                 (2) Required due diligence. Before receiving public unit or
                nonmember shares that, taken together with any borrowings, exceed 70
                percent of paid-in and unimpaired capital and surplus, the board of
                directors must adopt a specific written plan concerning the intended
                use of these funds that is consistent with prudent risk management
                principles.
                * * * * *
                PART 741--REQUIREMENTS FOR INSURANCE
                0
                3. The authority for part 741 continues to read as follows:
                 Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1757, 1766(a), 1781-1790, and 1790d; 31
                U.S.C. 3717.
                0
                4. In Sec. 741.204, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:
                Sec. 741.204 Maximum public unit and nonmember accounts, and low-
                income designation.
                * * * * *
                 (a) Adhere to the requirements of Sec. 701.32 of this chapter
                regarding public unit and nonmember accounts, provided it has the
                authority to accept such accounts.
                * * * * *
                [FR Doc. 2019-23679 Filed 10-30-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE 7535-01-P
                

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