For Details, Contact:
External Affairs
email: pacamail@ncua.gov
Fax: (703) 518-6409

NCUA to Host Access Across America Economic Empowerment Summit in Dallas, Texas on April 12

Alexandria, VA, February 6, 2006 – National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chairman JoAnn Johnson announced today that the agency will sponsor the first Access Across America Economic Empowerment Summit of 2006 at the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas in Dallas on April 12. Registration opens at 8:00am and the programs will begin at 9:00am.

The free, one-day event will provide education to credit union officials and board volunteers on how to apply federal resources and partnerships in order to best serve their members and empower them to achieve the American dream of financial self-sufficiency. Credit unions in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas are invited to attend the Dallas summit.

Key topics will include:

• Health Savings Accounts
• Homeownership
• Member Business Lending
• Serving Emerging Markets and the Underserved

 “NCUA is pleased to announce the first Access Across America summit of 2006. This will be a great opportunity to educate and share an open dialogue with our public and private sector partners and will produce positive results that benefit credit union members,”  said Chairman Johnson.

“As a federal regulator, I understand that government’s role is not to create wealth, but rather to foster an environment where Americans and their families may achieve their financial dreams. There are scores of resources and partnership opportunities with government agencies that credit unions can use to best serve their members, especially those of modest financial means, and this summit will highlight these opportunities. I encourage all those invited to attend so we can work together to build upon the great tradition of credit union service as a reliable financial partner for hard working Americans,” Chairman Johnson added.
Participants are responsible for their own hotel accommodations. Please contact the hotel directly:

Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas
221 East Las Colinas Boulevard
Dallas (Irving), TX 75039
(972) 556-0729

Access Across America was established to promote and facilitate the extension of affordable financial services to individuals and communities Across America. Access Across America highlights partnerships with federal agencies that empower credit unions with the education, technical resources and finances needed to provide much needed services to credit unions, especially in underserved areas.

For more information and to register for the summit, please see NCUA’s website at www.ncua.gov/Dallas/Index.htm or e-mail AccessAcrossAmerica@ncua.gov.

The National Credit Union Administration, governed by a three-member board, is the independent federal agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions. NCUA, with the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, operates the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), insuring the savings of 85 million account holders in all federal credit unions and many state-chartered credit unions.