Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform

Credit Union Sector: Discussion

12:00 pm

Mr. Sean Hosford:

I will take the second question. Some credit unions decided themselves during the recession when people were saving, and essentially paying them credit, to prudently, as the Deputy correctly said, impose a savings cap. I am not aware of how many did that. Most of my experience is from a background in an industrial credit union. We have loan demand and where that exists, we will continue to take in savings. We are above the national average. The indications in the movement are that loan demand is beginning to return. The answer to the question is that individual credit unions have taken that choice. What we look at, as a credit union, is consumer choice. Effectively, if a cap is imposed, there may not be many but we would have to go to a number of members in our credit union to ask them to take their money out. Where will they take their money? Essentially, they will take it to the high street bank. Is the Central Bank or the Department telling us that it is safer for people to put their money in a bank than in a credit union?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.