On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump appointed Kyle Hauptman as chair of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board, succeeding Todd Harper. With this appointment, Hauptman becomes the 13th individual to hold this leadership position.

The California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues met with Hauptman’s senior staff ahead of the president’s selection to offer support and discuss concerns over the agency’s recent actions. Key topics included the NCUA’s recently released guidance on overdraft and non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees, as well as the new reporting requirements for credit unions with assets exceeding $1 billion to disclose overdraft and NSF fees on their call reports.

Hauptman’s current term on the NCUA Board is set to expire in August 2025. His leadership comes at a pivotal time for the credit union industry, and the Leagues are committed to fostering a productive relationship with the chair to address pressing regulatory issues and advocate for the best interests of credit unions and their members.

In March 2025, during America’s Credit Unions’ Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), the Leagues will host a meeting between Hauptman and California and Nevada credit union leaders. This event will provide an important platform to discuss regulatory challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration under his leadership.

“The Leagues want to congratulate Hauptman on his new role,” said Lisa Quaranta, vice president of regulatory advocacy and compliance for the Leagues. “We look forward to a continued partnership in advocating for credit unions’ success and growth.”

Hauptman released a list of his priorities on Wednesday, two days after Trump named him the agency’s 13th chairman. These include:

• Re-examining the current NCUA budgeting process.
• Convening groups of NCUA employees to identify achievable internal efficiencies to reduce unnecessary friction in the agency’s operations.
• Promoting the appropriate use of artificial intelligence.
• Focusing on true financial inclusion, including removing barriers to de novo credit unions and removing the pain points leading to that lead to fewer credit unions, especially small credit unions.
• Codifying procedures to protect Americans from regulation by enforcement.
• Making clear that credit unions and their members are best positioned to assess their communities’ climate risks.
• Re-assessing NCUA policies that may, even inadvertently, dissuade credit unions from serving low-income areas, including language around overdraft policies.
• Right-sizing credit unions’ obligations where possible under the Bank Secrecy Act, including NCUA’s regulations surrounding Suspicious Activity Reports.