The National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) president and chief executive officer Fred R. Becker released a statement on January 26, which was related to the National Credit Union Administration’s (NCUA)'s request for comments on various topics. The group requested input on derivatives operations, interest rate risk management and restructuring of certain debt.

The NCUA released a request for comments on these concerns, looking for advice from market experts, according to Credit Union Times. The agency has been working on a policy for credit unions to trade derivatives since 2011, especially in terms of how the risk management tools could be used to hedge against fluctuations in interest rates.

"In terms of interest-rate risk (IRR), NAFCU has pushed for improvements in NCUA’s approach to credit unions’ IRR policies. NAFCU supports, in part, NCUA’s efforts to ensure credit unions have an interest-rate risk policy in place," Becker said in the statement.

The NCUA originally requested input in June 2011, but agency chairman Debbie Matz stated that the comments received from various market participants such as credit unions and trade associations revealed a need for more information, the media outlet reports.