February 6, 2026—Last month, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) released its supervisory priorities for 2026, outlining the primary risk areas affecting credit union members, the industry, and the Share Insurance Fund.
Chairman Kyle Hauptman noted that the agency will build on 2025 initiatives to streamline examinations and implement federal directives, including the GENIUS Act on U.S. stablecoins. Greater emphasis is placed this year on readiness, governance, and resilience.
Key Areas of Supervisory Focus:
1. Balance Sheet Management
Examiners will assess lending practices, market sensitivity, liquidity, earnings, and capital adequacy. With rising delinquencies and tighter margins, the agency will evaluate how credit unions measure, manage, and monitor interest rate and liquidity risk through modeling, assumptions, and scenario analysis. Examinations will seek evidence of informed governance frameworks, prepared contingency fund plans, and strategies that align balance sheet structure, funding composition, and risk appetite, as well as policies, procedures, and limits fit for a credit union’s size, complexity, and risk profile.
2. Operational Risk Management
NCUA will increase scrutiny of payment systems, vendor oversight, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention. Payments systems pose operational and security risks due to their complexity and structure and as targets for fraudsters. Credit unions should expect examiners to review internal controls for insider abuse as well as the frameworks and methods in place to detect and mitigate external fraud. To support this important work, NCUA provide resources for fraud prevention on its website.
3. Compliance Risk Management
A number of significant regulatory changes, including some resulting from open NCUA proposals, may go into effect this year, which will likely impact compliance risk and examination programs. In 2026, examiners will focus on Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance. The agency aims to reduce regulatory burden while ensuring programs remain effective and institution-specific.
The big takeaway from the NCUA is that credit unions must demonstrate that they are looking ahead, having considered, and where possible, prepared for a number of contingencies as the economic and technological landscapes evolve. Credit unions are encouraged to review the NCUA’s 2026 Supervisory Priorities Letter. For more information, additional resources, and the updated Examiner’s Guide, please visit the NCUA website.
If you are a current member with questions about your credit unions metrics, or if you are interested in accessing these services, please contact EasCorp’s investment, liquidity, and ALM professionals using our Request Information form.