As we begin to close out 2025, credit unions have a valuable opportunity to reflect on the actions they have taken to address the past year’s regulatory priorities. Throughout 2025, the National Credit Union Association (NCUA) emphasized heightened supervision of credit, liquidity, and market risks driven largely by rising delinquencies and the need for stronger loan portfolio oversight.
In this environment, compliance is more than a back-office function — it is a frontline partner in protecting capital, supporting sound lending practices, and reinforcing member trust. By translating examiner expectations into practical controls, compliance teams help ensure that risk management is embedded into everyday operations.
When considering actions taken by your credit union this year, as yourself, “Did my credit union implement any of these practical steps?”
A clear, current lending policy is the first line of defense. Ensure that your credit union reassessed whether your policies:
Compliance teams should approve policy changes and maintain the audit trail for delegated authorities and exceptions.
With credit quality softening in several loan segments, strong monitoring became essential. Compliance teams can help design reporting that identifies:
Automated alerts, exception tracking and timely escalation help ensure issues are addressed early. Compliance should push for root cause analysis and remediation plans, not just reports.
Reliable data is behind every good credit-risk decision. A compliance team can focus on:
Better data improves stress testing, trend analysis and examiner confidence.
As credit unions seek to increase their use of participation and outsource servicing, compliance teams can ensure the right controls are in place by:
These steps help mitigate risks that can extend beyond the credit union’s direct lending decisions.
Preparing a complete, exam-ready packet has become the best practice. Compliance teams support lending by maintaining:
This level of readiness shortens exam cycles and signals a proactive, well-controlled environment.
Compliance teams that move beyond advisory roles and take ownership of key credit-risk controls help safeguard capital and support healthier loan portfolios, and they demonstrate to examiners that the credit union is managing risk proactively, not reactively.
As credit unions close out 2025, remembering the partnership between compliance, lending and risk management has never been more important.
Have questions or want to know more? Contact ViClarity’s compliance services team at compliancesupport@viclarityus.com.
For more information, email Heather Line.
Your League-member benefits include the Compliance Hotline — providing exclusive access to dedicated compliance experts:
Using the above phone number and email address, you can gain access to a knowledgeable team that’s ready to address all your credit union’s compliance inquiries — promptly and efficiently. With the Compliance Hotline, you can proactively respond to impromptu questions and issues by getting clarity and insight on technical topics that normally slow you down. We want to help you unlock the full potential of your League membership by leveraging the resources and support you need to navigate the complex world of compliance effortlessly. We’re ALWAYS just a phone call or email away!
Additionally, other League-member compliance resources include:
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