SALT LAKE CITY — In an effort to reassure its members, Beehive Credit Union has promised members that as a bank it will not raise any fees on consumer deposit accounts for at least two years and will keep interest rates on two loans and one deposit account within 0.25% of the average rates on those products at the five largest CUs in Beehive's market.

The loans and deposit accounts include the five-year new car loan, the home equity line of credit, and the one-year certificate of deposit.

The promise accompanies Beehive research, based in part on an article by Peter Duffy, an executive with an investment bank that makes money on the stock offerings of converted credit unions, which shows that converted CUs actually offer higher rates on deposits and charge lower rates on loans than do CUs of over $100 million.