ODESSA, Texas -- The members of the $115 million First Basin Credit Union who opposed their CU's attempted conversion to a mutual bank and now want the CU to account for money spent on that conversion attempt got widespread coverage of a press conference yesterday.

First Basin filed an application to convert its charter but then stopped member balloting on the question before it was completed, alleging falsehoods on the parts of members opposed to the move.

Three out of four television stations in the community carried the press conference as did the community's only daily paper. The members of the Save First Basin member organization called the press conference to both alert members to the CU's annual meeting tonight where three of the CU's board of directors could be replaced and to announce their petition to the Courts for the ability to depose the CU's CEO and Chairman of the Board.

Under Texas law, courts can order people to be deposed even though no actual lawsuit has been filed. The CU had previously filed a similar request against some of the members who opposed the conversion attempt and some of those depositions are scheduled for April 22.

The annual meeting is scheduled for the evening of April 15. Save First Basin members pooled their funds and hired an airplane to fly a banner over Odessa for two hours on April 14 in an attempt to build turnout for the meeting.