SALT LAKE CITY & ODESSA Texas — NCUA's policy of requiring credit unions considering conversions to facilitate communication among members about the conversion appears to have fostered strong debate about the topic at two CUs currently thinking about making the change.

Member groups opposed to the conversion of the $187 million Beehive Credit Union (Salt Lake City) and the $114 million First Basin Credit Union (Odessa, Texas) show increases in activity on their Web sites and comments have begun to appear from members on stories in local media about the possible change.

The comments come from both sides of the question. A First Basin member who signed on as Chris wrote “My family and I have all had our own accounts with First Basin since they were MCCU. I believe the conversion will be a good thing.”

But another member, Nancy wrote:

“My husband and I joined First Basin back when it was MCCU, because we prefer credit unions to banks. Thinking back, it seems to me that the name change was the first step in what our directors must have had in mind for a long time.”