I'm happy to respond to that, as well.
Our members, the co-ops and credit unions, generally have three pieces they look at. When we're fortunate to have a surplus or profit in our business entities, we look at three things. First, and most important, we look at re-investment. How do we grow and expand our business enterprises? We're only able to meet the needs of our community or the needs of our members if we're growing and expanding. So investment is critically important.
Second is the return on investment to our members, who are the people who are putting in the money and are willing to risk their investment in our enterprises. Patronage dividends and returns are important.
Third is investment in community in the other kinds of things we support, whether it's a housing initiative or a health care initiative, such as Connecting People for Health, which is wholly financed by the cooperative and credit union sector. What kinds of things do we want to support and advance that meet our principles and values?
Re-investment, return on investment, and commitment to community are three things all of our boards look at when making decisions about surpluses and profit.