# Hauptman Senate testimony (Feb 2026): Written Testimony of NCUA Chairman Kyle S. Hauptman before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-hauptman-senate-testimony-2026
Last updated: Aug 26, 2026

In written testimony to the Senate Banking Committee on February 12, 2026, NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman said the agency's 2026-2030 strategic plan would 'create space for credit unions to innovate responsibly, especially in leveraging artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies,' and pointed to the AI Resources page added in August 2025 as the NCUA's vehicle for AI risk-management support. He described no new AI rules or guidance in preparation.

## At a glance

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Authority | [NCUA](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/ncua) |
| Type | Speech |
| Status | Final |
| Published | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Applies to | Congressional testimony; statement of NCUA policy direction |
| Official text | https://ncua.gov/newsroom/testimony/2026/ncua-chairman-kyle-s-hauptmans-written-testimony-us-senate-committee-banking-housing-and-urban |

## Key points

- Frames AI alongside blockchain and digital assets as areas where credit unions need regulatory room to innovate
- Confirms the August 2025 launch date of the AI Resources page and its scope: implementation, risk management, data security, use cases, cybersecurity
- Supports the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan (published April 9, 2026), whose Goal 3 is to expand NCUA's own use of data, analytics, and AI in oversight
- Companion March 26, 2026 House testimony by Amanda Parkhill listed credit-union AI uses: automated loan underwriting, virtual assistants, fraud detection
- No mention of model risk guidance or the pending GAO recommendation
- Consistent with the 2025-2026 deregulatory, 'no regulation by enforcement' posture

## What changed for banks

It confirms that as of 2026 the NCUA's AI agenda is facilitation, not restriction: resources for credit unions and AI adoption inside the agency. Compliance teams should read it as a signal that AI-specific NCUA rules are unlikely before 2027 and that examiner scrutiny will remain framed around existing vendor, fair-lending, and cybersecurity rules.

## Use cases it governs

- [AI governance (general)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#governance-general)
- [Credit scoring & underwriting](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#credit-underwriting)
- [Customer-facing chatbots](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#customer-chatbots)
- [Fraud detection](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#fraud)

## FAQ

### Has any NCUA Board member given a dedicated AI speech?

Not as of August 2026. AI appears in Board meeting statements (July 2025 briefing), congressional testimony (2022, 2026), and the strategic plan, but there is no standalone NCUA AI policy speech.

### What AI use cases does the NCUA say credit unions are running?

Automated loan underwriting, virtual assistants for member service, and fraud detection software, per March 2026 House testimony by the NCUA's examination director.

## Related documents

- [NCUA Letter 26-CU-01](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-letter-26-cu-01) — NCUA's 2026 Supervisory Priorities (Jan 14, 2026)
- [NCUA AI Compliance Plan (2025)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-ai-compliance-plan-2025) — NCUA Artificial Intelligence Compliance Plan (Sep 1, 2025)
- [NCUA Credit Union AI Resource Center](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-credit-union-ai-resource-center) — Artificial Intelligence (AI) — Credit Union AI Resource Center and AI Resources page (Aug 1, 2025)
- [NCUA Board AI briefing (Jul 2025)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-ai-board-briefing-2025) — Board Briefing: Artificial Intelligence and Its Use Within the Credit Union Industry and the NCUA (Jul 24, 2025)
- [NCUA Financial Innovation Rule (2023)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-financial-innovation-rule-2023) — Financial Innovation: Loan Participations, Eligible Obligations, and Notes of Liquidating Credit Unions (final rule) (Sep 21, 2023)
- [NCUA testimony to House AI Task Force (2022)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-ai-task-force-testimony-2022) — Written Testimony of Kelly Lay, Director of the Office of Examination and Insurance, before the House Financial Services Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (May 13, 2022)
- [2021 Interagency AI RFI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-interagency-ai-rfi-2021) — Request for Information and Comment on Financial Institutions' Use of Artificial Intelligence, Including Machine Learning (Mar 31, 2021)
- [NCUA Letter 07-CU-13](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/ncua-letter-07-cu-13) — Evaluating Third Party Relationships (Dec 1, 2007)

Last reviewed Aug 26, 2026. Cite the official text (https://ncua.gov/newsroom/testimony/2026/ncua-chairman-kyle-s-hauptmans-written-testimony-us-senate-committee-banking-housing-and-urban) for the rule and this page for the summary and dates.

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