Chartering and Field of Membership

The NCUA Board (Board) proposes to amend the associational common bond provisions of its chartering and field of membership (FOM) rules. The proposed FOM amendment would clarify that requiring the purchase of a product or service as a condition of membership no longer automatically bars eligibility as a recognized association. The Board does not believe such an automatic bar is required under the Federal Credit Union (FCU) Act, and a client-customer relationship as a condition of membership may still be incidental in a manner that permits an evaluation of the group's activities and overall circumstances.