NCUA extends interest rate cap

The NCUA Board held an open meeting on February 23, 2017, and unanimously approved a staff recommendation to maintain until September 10, 2018, the current 18-percent maximum loan interest rate for most loans made by federal credit unions. The Federal Credit Union Act caps the interest rate on federal credit union loans at 15 percent; however, the law gives the NCUA Board discretion to raise that limit for 18-month periods if interest-rate levels could threaten the safety and soundness of credit unions. The current 18-percent ceiling has remained in place since May 1987.