ST. JOSEPH, MI (June 14, 2013) Congressman Fred Upton was the guest of honor at an informal gathering to discuss legislation and other issues that impact credit unions and banks in Michigan’s Congressional District 6. The meeting was co-hosted by United Federal Credit Union President/CEO Gary Easterling and Edgewater Bank President/CEO Rick Dyer, bringing together competing financial institutions with common issues.
The idea for the joint meeting of credit unions and banks was born when Easterling and Dyer were at a business meeting earlier in the year and thought it would be a good collaboration to join the two groups. As so many issues have broad and deep implications that touch all financial institutions, such as the Dodd-Frank Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), they invited Upton to give both groups his insight about the state of these issues and what to expect in the future. Upton then opened up the floor for the majority of the meeting to address attendees’ questions.
In addition to the Dodd-Frank Act and Obamacare, discussion issues included the ability to qualify for mortgages, the cost of growth for companies, the 2014 Senate race, and tax reform. Upton also updated the group on legislation highlights from the House Financial Services Committee, dissecting the complex legislation and helping them understand how it will specifically affect local businesses.
Attendees included:
Congressman Fred Upton
Clay McCausland, Congressman Fred Upton’s 6th District Representative
Greg VanWoerkom, Congressman Bill Huizenga’s 1st District Director
Lynn Kerber, Regional President, Chemical Bank (St. Joseph)
Scott Adams, Internal Auditor, Consumers Credit Union (Kalamazoo)
Scott Sylvester, COO, Consumers Credit Union (Kalamazoo)
Fran Terry, CEO, Country Heritage Credit Union (Buchanan)
Linda Irwin, Supervisory Committee, Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union (Dowagiac)
Rick Dyer, President/CEO, Edgewater Bank (St. Joseph)
Dave Van Strien, CEO, Greater Niles Community FCU (Niles)
Scott McFarland, CEO, Honor Credit Union (St. Joseph)
Don Radde, President, Horizon Bank (Benton Harbor)
Gary Easterling, President/CEO, United Federal Credit Union (St. Joseph)
Kate Mahan, Regulatory/Compliance, United Federal Credit Union (St. Joseph)
About UFCU
United Federal Credit Union has served its Members since 1949 by helping them to build a sound financial future. UFCU consists of more than 118,000 Member/owners worldwide, and manages assets in excess of $1.5 billion. Its corporate offices and main branch are located in St. Joseph, Mich., with additional branches in Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, and Ohio. UFCU has been named the Michigan Credit Union League Outstanding Credit Union of the Year 2013.