Written by Ricardo Piñeres, Regulatory Compliance Counsel
Last Monday, NCUA released a Spanish-language version of its Share Insurance Estimator. The new tool works just like its English-language counterpart and is intended to help credit union members better understand how their deposits are insured by the NCUSIF.
In a press release to mark the occasion, the NCUA encouraged credit unions to share this new tool with their members. The agency believes that this new resource will “help [Spanish-speaking members] make informed decisions about their finances.”
The new Share Insurance Estimator joins the other tools and resources that the NCUA has translated and adapted for Spanish-speaking consumers that are available on the agency’s Spanish-language website aimed at consumers, espanol.MyCreditUnion.gov. Credit unions with Spanish-speaking members may want to consider using and/or linking to these NCUA resources to help members better understand their finances and the credit union system. This Spanish-language website has many of the tools and resources that are available on the English-language site, www.myCreditUnion.gov.
If your credit union has any questions about the Share Insurance Estimator, you can reach out to the NCUA Office of Consumer Protection’s consumer access division by calling (800) 755 – 1030 (select option 2), or sending an email to [email protected].
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Free Kick. In exactly one month, the world’s attention will turn to Sao Paulo for the kick-off of the World Cup. The 31-day tournament will start with the hosts (Brasil) facing off against Croatia at 4:00 pm EDT. Every four years, we get to experience the joy that only be created by the single greatest month in the sports world. In preparation for this year’s tournament, I have been doing short group previews. Today, I will preview Groups F and H. I previously previewed Groups A & B, and D & E.
Group F: No seeded team was given a more favorable draw than Argentina. The Albiceleste are head and shoulders above the rest of the group both from a talent and experience perspective. Not only do the rest of the teams in this group pale in comparison to the Argentine squad, but the schedule for this group requires the least amount of travel and none of the games will be played in the hottest regions of Brasil. That could spell trouble for some of the other tournament favorites, as Argentina will likely waltz into the knock-out stages without breaking much of a sweat, thus being fresh for the business-end of the tournament.
An interesting note from this group – Bosnia-Herzegovina will be the only team making its World Cup debut. They qualified by winning their UEFA (the European zone) qualifying group and are blessed with a dangerous and in-form attacking option in Edin Dzeko. The Super Eagles are in another World Cup, and while this iteration of Nigeria is not as talented as previous squads, they will give the Bosnians a run for the second spot. The group is rounded out by Iran. The Iranians were quite impressive in their run to the World Cup, but they are a flaw team that may have defensive failures during what will likely be a three-match appearance. That said, they do possess some skilled attackers and could steal a point or two to make things interesting.
Key match: Nigeria v. Bosnia-Herzegovina, June 21 (4:00 pm EDT).
Projected finish: (1) Argentina; (2) Nigeria; (3) Bosnia-Herzegovina; and (4) Iran.
Group H: If it weren’t for the Belgians, this would be the most evenly matched group in the entire tournament. Belgium is currently experiencing a golden era in footballing terms and will bring a squad laden with talent to Brasil. I expect them to win this group relatively easily, so long as they can avoid any mental letdowns. The fight for second-place is essentially a three-way “coin toss.” Russia boasted a strong defense in the qualifiers, but can they score and can they focus on the task at hand? The South Korean squad boasts some truly skilled ball-handlers, but there are still many question marks in the back line. The Algerians have some great attacking options and past squads have pulled off some upsets at previous World Cups, but could this year’s team just fall one or two solid players short of the knock-out rounds?
Key matches: Russia v. South Korea, June 17 (6:00 pm EDT); South Korea v. Algeria, June 22 (3:00 pm EDT); and Algeria v. Russia, June 26 (4:00 pm EDT).
Projected finish: (1) Belgium; (2) Russia; (3) South Korea; and (4) Algeria.
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