The National Credit Union Administration on June 21 will consider a final rule regarding field of membership, a move that bankers are fiercely opposed to.

The rule would allow credit unions that are seeking approval to form, expand or convert to a community charter the option to submit a narrative as to why a particular area meets their field of membership. It would also increase the population limit on a well-defined local community to 10 million and permit a credit union to designate an individual portion of a core-based statistical area as its community no matter the metropolitan division boundaries within the area.

“We thank Chairman [J. Mark] McWatters and Board Member [Rick] Metsger for their commitment to modernize FOM rules – credit unions must have the opportunity to grow and serve more Americans,” Dan Berger, president and CEO of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, said in a statement. “Strengthening the federal charter and pursuing regulatory relief for credit unions is at the core of NAFCU’s advocacy efforts.”

The proposed rule has had a contentious existence since it was first proposed in 2016.

The American Bankers Association sued the NCUA in December of that year, arguing that the rule “disregards Congress’ explicit instruction that community credit unions serve only a single, well-defined local community.”

A federal judge in April struck down two key provisions of the proposed rule, while upholding the parts that the NCUA will consider later this week. The ruling struck down one provision that automatically qualified a combined statistical area or a contiguous portion of it with fewer than 2.5 million people to be a local community. The judge also struck down another provision that would have increased population limits for rural districts to one million people.

The American Bankers Association earlier this month filed a cross-appeal on the April decision, hoping to eradicate the two remaining parts of the rule the judge in April upheld.