NCUA Deregulatory Project: Round 3

Posted by Erin Hall on January 14, 2026

In 2025, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) began a major initiative, the Deregulation Project, to review and revise its regulations. As part of the project, NCUA initially will propose changing or removing regulations that are obsolete, duplicative of statutory requirements, intended to serve as guidance, not requirements, or overly burdensome.

The GoWest Regulatory Advocacy team is actively and continually engaging with the NCUA to ensure that regulatory relief has a tangible benefit for credit unions. We prioritize removing prescriptive and subjective regulatory requirements that drive unnecessary compliance costs and inconsistent examination outcomes, while defending credit unions’ operational flexibility. Through early engagement, targeted comment letters, and direct advocacy, GoWest will position members’ real-world experience at the center of rulemaking and restructuring.

Today, the NCUA proposed four additional regulatory changes as part of this project. This round of proposals will be published in the Federal Register on January 14, 2026 and remain open for public comment for 60 days following publication.

Removal of Nondiscrimination Requirements – 12 CFR 701.31

• NCUA will no longer summarize requirements issued by other agencies.
• Impact on Credit Unions: Compliance obligations under FHA and ECOA remain unchanged. This update reduces confusion caused by outdated provisions in §701.31.

Elimination of IRPS 08-2: Service to Underserved Areas

• IRPS 08-2 is redundant, as similar standards exist in chartering and field-of-membership (FOM) policies.
• Impact on Credit Unions: Removing overlapping guidance simplifies compliance by reducing the number of sources FCUs must review.

Elimination of IRPS 10-1: Community Chartering Policies

• IRPS 10-1 duplicates current chartering guidance.
• Impact on Credit Unions: This change streamlines compliance by consolidating standards into a single source.

Rescission of IRPS 11-2: Federal Corporate Credit Union Chartering

• This IRPS is unnecessary given the Federal Corporate Credit Union Chartering Manual.
• Impact on Credit Unions: Eliminating this guidance reduces regulatory burden by requiring compliance only with the Chartering Manual.

Previously Announced Deregulation Project Proposals

(as of December 23, 2025)

If you have examples of rules that are not tied to statute and would not pose a material risk of loss to the Share Insurance Fund, then please reach out to John Trull at [email protected] or Erin Hall at [email protected] to add your ideas for consideration.

GoWest will continue to engage with the NCUA on these regulatory efforts and push for additional deregulation, so please continue to work with our team on making regulations work better for you and your members.

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Regulatory Advocacy.