§ 723.7 Prohibited activities.

(a) Ineligible borrowers. A federally insured credit union may not grant a commercial loan to the following: (1) Any senior management employee directly or indirectly involved in the credit union's commercial loan underwriting, servicing, and collection process, and any of their immediate family members; (2) Any person meeting the definition of an associated borrower with respect to persons identified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section; or (3) Any compensated director, unless the federally insured credit union's board of directors approves granting the loan and the compensated director was recused from the board's decision making process. (b) Equity agreements/joint ventures. A federally insured credit union may not grant a commercial loan if any additional income received by the federally insured credit union or its senior management employees is tied to the profit or sale of any business or commercial endeavor that benefits from the proceeds of the loan. (c) Conflicts of interest. Any third party used by a federally insured credit union to meet the requirements of this part must be independent from the commercial loan transaction and may not have a participation interest in a loan or an interest in any collateral securing a loan that the third party is responsible for reviewing, or an expectation of receiving compensation of any sort that is contingent on the closing of the loan, with the following exceptions: (1) A third party may provide a service to the federally insured credit union that is related to the transaction, such as loan servicing. (2) The third party may provide the requisite experience to a federally insured credit union and purchase a loan or a participation interest in a loan originated by the federally insured credit union that the third party reviewed. (3) A federally insured credit union may use the services of a credit union service organization that otherwise meets the requirements of § 723.3(b)(3) of this part even if the credit union service organization is not independent from the transaction, provided the federally insured credit union has a controlling financial interest in the credit union service organization as determined under GAAP.