Off the Record, On the Issues with John

Two years from first alert to federal law—how a new-staff handoff, GAC Hill hikes, and summer visits delivered real results.

By John Alexander, DakCU Director of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs

I was brand new to DakCU when this first landed on my desk. Jon Griffin at Capital Credit Union walked in concrete cases: members hit with a wave of calls and texts within hours of a mortgage credit pull, with some callers blurring who they were and even implying they were from the credit union. We carried those facts into every meeting we could. In March, during Government Affairs Committee (GAC) Hill hikes, we put the issue in our top three with each North Dakota and South Dakota office, then reinforced it during summer district visits so staff heard the same message at home and in D.C. That steady pattern of multi-channel problem solving, practical fix, repeated consistently set us up to move when Congress got to work.

The bill returned this session as the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 2808) on April 10, 2025. The House Financial Services Committee approved it 46–0 on June 10. The House passed it by voice vote on June 23. The Senate cleared it by unanimous consent on August 2. It became law on September 5, 2025, as Public Law 119-36. Folks those are real, quantifiable results to show your boards and teams. Yesterday, DakCU issued a press release sharing this victory with media and stakeholders across the Dakotas, highlighting the important consumer protections now in place.

The law is simple and important. It amends Section 604(c) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act so a credit bureau may not sell mortgage “trigger leads” unless there is a firm offer of credit or insurance and the requester either has the member’s authorization or an existing relationship, such as being the servicer or the credit union where the member has an account. It takes 180 days after enactment, which puts the target around March 4, 2026. Congress also ordered a GAO study on trigger leads sent by text message to inform any follow-up.

We pressed this because we refuse to accept a business model that treats member data like a grab bag. Calling it “legally okay” didn’t make it right. To our members, it looked and felt like data theft. Strangers scooping up their information and pretending to be trusted lenders. This law draws a hard line: if you don’t have a firm offer and either the member’s authorization or a real existing relationship, you don’t get the data. And you don’t get to trade on the trust you didn’t earn—the trust credit unions have built over a century.

This did not come out of nowhere. Congress kicked the tires in the last session but didn’t finish H.R. 2656 in April 2023, H.R. 4198 in June 2023, and H.R. 7297 in February 2024 all explored the same problem and tested the exceptions that ended up in the final bill. The new Congress picked up those lessons and closed the loop in 2025. This is where your association pulled out all the stops: repeated meetings with Sen. Thune’s office and our ND/SD House offices, hard asks during March GAC Hill hikes, follow-through during summer district meetings back home, and steady coalition letters backed by member stories. We kept it on every agenda until the votes were set, and that is what turned a good idea into law.

You can point to national validation as well. Consumer and industry groups described how trigger leads flood homebuyers with unwanted pitches and confusion, and they welcomed the guardrails once the bill cleared Congress. That industry alignment helped the measure move with minimal drama.

Finally, thank you. When I was new to the organization, Jon Griffin brought us a clear problem with evidence and a practical fix, and many of you kept it on every agenda. Top of mind at GAC in March, during summer visits at home, and in every follow-up. Two years later, your members won’t feel the difference—and that’s the point! They won’t know the swarm of calls that never came because we stopped it. We will remember, and we’ll be better for having solved it now, not the next time they apply for a mortgage. Keep sending us issues in that same format, and we will keep turning them into results.
 
ND GAC PAC Golf Scramble Rescheduled – Now September 25
Due to the weather forecast, today’s golf scramble has been rescheduled for next Thursday, September 25. That means there’s still time to sign up and join us for a fun (and important) way to support credit union advocacy at the ND GAC PAC Scramble!

When: Thursday, September 25
Where: Memorial Park Country Club, LaMoure, ND
Details: 9:30 a.m. registration | 10:00 a.m. shotgun start
Cost: $150 per golfer | $280 per team | $1,000 with team + hole sponsorship

This 9-hole course in the beautiful James River Valley is one of the most scenic in North Dakota. Enjoy friendly competition with contests for longest putt, longest drive, and closest to the pin—plus mulligans, extend-a-putts, a 50/50 raffle, and more. Don’t forget to bring cash for on-course games and beverages.

Don’t miss this opportunity for camaraderie, competition, and commitment to advocacy register today!

DakCU Compliance Conclave
October 20–21 | Bismarck, ND
We’re thrilled to introduce the all-new DakCU Compliance Conclave—a dedicated professional development experience built specifically for credit union compliance professionals.

• When: October 20–21, 2025
• Where: Bismarck, North Dakota
• Focus: Emerging compliance risks, evolving fraud trends, payments innovation, regulatory updates, and practical strategies to strengthen your policies, procedures, and consumer protections.

This 1.5-day event will deliver actionable takeaways and real-world solutions you can immediately implement back at your credit union. Choose one day or both!  Register here by October 10. 
 
North Dakota DFI Credit Union Summit
October 22 | Bismarck, ND
While you’re in Bismarck, plan to stay an extra day for the first-ever North Dakota DFI Credit Union Summit (formerly Day with the Commissioner). Hosted by the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions in collaboration with National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS), this in-person summit brings together regulators, executives, and industry thought leaders for focused, high-level discussions on the future of North Dakota’s credit union system.
 
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For more information or to share your perspectives, feel free to contact me.