Expanding Access to Lending Options Act
This bill, the Expanding Access to Lending Options Act, would give federal credit unions (and the National Credit Union Administration, NCUA) greater flexibility to offer longer-term loans. The primary change is to increase the statutory cap on loan maturities from 15 years to 20 years (or longer if the NCUA Board allows it by regulation). Additionally, the bill removes a clause that currently ties certain real estate loans to a member’s principal residence, broadening the types of real estate that could secure such loans. A sense-of-Congress provision emphasizes that safety and soundness should remain central to NCUA’s oversight. Overall, the aim is to expand lending options and potentially lower monthly payments for members by permitting longer loan terms and broader collateral.
Key Points
- 1Increases the maximum loan maturity for federally chartered credit unions from 15 years to 20 years, with the possibility of longer terms as the NCUA Board may permit by regulation.
- 2Removes a restriction that real estate loans must be secured by a member’s principal residence, allowing broader types of collateral for such loans.
- 3Grants the NCUA Board greater regulatory flexibility to set and adjust loan maturities through regulation.
- 4Includes a Sense of Congress declaring that safety and soundness should remain a cornerstone of NCUA’s oversight of federal credit unions.
- 5Identified as the Expanding Access to Lending Options Act; introduced in the 119th Congress and referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.