It's been six years in the making, but the lengthy legislative process has helped to produce a thorough, well-thought-out bill.
Our concerns about mixing banking and commerce didn't begin with the Wal-Mart application; they were just amplified by it. The industrial loan charter represents a back door through which commercial firms are entering the banking business.
Banks -- which completely fund the FDIC, from its pencils to premiums -- will be pleased to see their money better spent. And customers should appreciate enhanced coverage levels.
The banking industry is losing a valued friend, but we're confident that the committee will maintain the civil and pragmatic approach that Chairman Oxley fostered.
But if NCUA really wants to make sure low- and moderate-income individuals are served by credit unions, it would establish meaningful criteria and a system for assessing whether the mission is being accomplished.
We're at a point where if policymakers (regulators and Congress) don't act, you run a real risk that the wall will crumble.
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